Exercising just for fun

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kbaby2020
kbaby2020 Posts: 63 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone just weighlift for fun, to feel good instead of also focusing on progressing in lifts? Not saying that you can’t do all three haha but just curious if you do the first two only.

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  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,429 Member
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    I row (on water) just for fun. But I do try to improve in technique (which usually improves speed), because that's part of what's fun. Kinda true for endurance, too.

    Lift? Uh-uh. Sometimes I can persuade myself to lift, because I know it's important and good for me. I enjoy being stronger, but don't enjoy lifting as an activity much at all.

    If you're asking if you have to progress in volume: Seems like that's a choice, whether to increase strength/mass, or just maintain.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I do all my "exercises" primarily for fun and to feel good. If I can go faster, lift heavier, etc it's all good. But that's not my primary motivation. There is very little I do or would do just for the sake of being better in that actvitiy, if I didn't enjoy it and/or feel better.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
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    I kinda do. I have been stuck on the same weight for bench and other lifts for months with no real desire to up the weight.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
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    I do cardio dance because it's fun (and yeah, I like to get better at dancing--can't help it!), but I do know it's my "exercise." My sister-in-law actually commented on Christmas day how I was "good" for exercising (I did a string of YouTube Zumba videos), but I told her it was so fun I didn't actually think of it as exercise. I also take 3 actual dance classes a week not for exercise, but because I enjoy it, want to challenge myself and continue to learn, and to make new friends. Pre-Covid/more disposable income, I used to take semi-private ballroom formation lessons.

    Even though I wouldn't necessarily consider lifting and my other higher-intensity cardio as "fun," I do kind of enjoy challenging myself in reaching new goals and getting stronger. It's also about my mental health, too.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,579 Member
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    I pretty much do. No need to gain muscle, but don't want to lose it. So my workouts are moderate intensity with the exception of kickboxing which I love.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
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    I did from 2016 all through 2019. I increased my fitness and progressed various things but not in any planned way and when I went to the gym I just did what I felt like doing.

    In 2020 the lockdowns made me realise just how much I need exercise for my mental as well as physical health but it was sometimes hard to make myself get going. So I started planning, engaged a PT specifically for that purpose, and have been seeing what it is like doing things according to a plan. Turns out I like it.
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    I am naturally competitive, so I have a hard time with not trying to be better, stronger faster, last longer than I did the workout prior...but, that IS fun for me, too.
    It's just what makes me tick.

    I get frustrated if I don't see progression, and when I finally do, I'm super happy.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,440 Member
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    All my exercise is mainly for fun.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    I just found out that my colleague at work likes to use "Dance Dance Revolution" for exercise with her kids. I hope to try it. Now, that's exercising just for fun! (I'm currently a swim (x), ride, run, hike, kind of guy.)
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
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    I enjoy all the exercise I do. I would say I lift weights because I know it's good for me and makes me look better. I walk and hike a lot for fun.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,594 Member
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    Every workout I do is fun. Otherwise I would never get my lazy butt off the couch to do it.

    If it’s not intrinsically fun or I’m not feeling it, I make it so with a great podcast (powerwalking) or a kindle book (exercise bike). I can get so absorbed I totally forget where I’m at or what I’m doing.

    My favorite weight training and mat classes generally involve some new pose, new equipment, or something heavier to try. That’s the funnest of all. Friday we hung these big *kitten* chains from the barbell and plates for squats. That was fun! Sounded like a ghost rattling chains in a haunted house.

    Life is too short for un-fun.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    I do several forms of "cardio" for fun. Skiing cross country, riding a bike, hiking, stuff like that. I would do this stuff if it was bad for me; that it improves my health and fitness and burns calories and keeps me from boredom eating ... icing on the cake. The memory of doing this stuff over the weekend carries me through half the work week and then planning the next adventure gets me the rest of the way through.

    Lifting, not so much, although sometimes I'm not looking forward to it but I get into the zone and I'm glad I did. Otherwise I lift for my health and to be better at the "cardio" stuff I love.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I don't hit the weight room for fun. I'm not all that concerned with progressing on my lifts either...I see it as a necessary "evil" to mitigate the loss of muscle mass as I age and remain strong and physically competent. There are many more things I would prefer to be doing exercise/activity wise for fun.

    I'm a cycling enthusiast and I am currently following a structured training program with dedicated workouts, but I also "free ride" for fun quite a bit. My dedicated workouts on the bike trainer are often strenuous, but can be fun as well...particularly seeing incremental improvements in areas I'm working on.

    I also hike and golf exclusively for fun and enjoyment.

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