20 Fun Ways to Exercise: How to Make Exercise Fun!

Even though you know it’s good for you, it isn’t always easy to stick to an exercise routine—especially if you’re dreading your workouts! But when you figure out how to make exercise fun, you’re more likely to stick with it and stay motivated for the long haul, according to the Association for Applied Sports Psychology.

If you’re hoping to get into a consistent fitness routine and even look forward to your workouts, check out these 20 fun ways to exercise, including: 

• Work out with a friend

• Pick something you like

• Try something new

• Pump up the jams

• Reward yourself afterward

• Join a group fitness class

• Join a sports league

• Add playful exercises

• Join a fitness challenge

• Watch a TV show

• Explore a new location

• Listen to a podcast or audiobook

• Sign up for an event

• Enlist your family

• Mix up your routine

• Make it a game

• Join a virtual fitness community

• Act like a kid

• Have a dance party

• Dress up

Let’s jump in! 

1. Work out with a friend

Enlist a friend (or friends!) you already enjoy spending time with and plan to do something active together. Instead of meeting up over a meal or for book club, go for a jog or a bike ride where you can catch up while you move your bodies. The time will fly by, and you’ll be less likely to bail on the workout knowing your buddy is planning to meet you there. 

2. Pick something you like

One surefire way not to enjoy your workouts is by doing something you know you don’t like. For example, some people really don’t like running. That’s OK! If that’s you, row, cycle, swim, dance—there are loads of cardio options to choose from that will feel way more fun than subjecting yourself to an activity you feel like you should do but you’re not crazy about. 

3. Try something new

If your same-old, same-old workout routine is no longer fun because it’s grown stale, it’s time to shake things up. Try a class at your gym you haven’t gone to yet, find a new YouTube workout video to follow along with, or visit a new park or other outdoor area near you where you can explore by foot or bike for the first time. 

Or, get really creative: Maybe you decide to finally try stand-up paddleboarding, water aerobics, skiing, kayaking, or something else you’ve been curious about. Remember, there is no one best way to exercise, and there are so many fun options to explore.

4. Pump up the jams

Your workout playlist should make you want to move! Carve out some time to craft a playlist that makes you smile. Add some tunes that are guaranteed to get you moving, like nostalgic throwbacks, family favorites, and party standbys. When it’s time to exercise, crank up the volume and see how much more you enjoy yourself.

5. Reward yourself afterwards

A little special something to look forward to after a workout can help you stay motivated and excited to exercise. This can be any small moment you savor, like a relaxing bubble bath, a cup of coffee, a manicure, the next episode of your favorite Netflix series, or a snuggle with your pet. 

You can even build in larger rewards to help you stick to a long-term workout plan. For example, if you stay consistent for the next month, you can treat yourself to a new piece of workout clothing.

6. Join a group fitness class

There are so many classes to explore at local studios or gyms or even streaming right to your home devices (like Hydrow’s library of motivating rowing routines) that you may not have checked out yet. These classes are designed to keep you engaged and help you enjoy yourself. 

If a new class feels a little intimidating at first, remember that everyone was new at some point. Many studios will let you take a free or reduced-cost introductory class so you can see if you enjoy it. 

Let yourself explore a few options until you find something that really feels fun.

7. Join a sports league

Finding a team sport you enjoy can help you get active without feeling like such a slog. Many towns and cities offer recreational leagues for sports like volleyball, soccer, kickball, basketball, and more. 

Visit a local bowling alley to find out when they hold league nights. Check out your local tennis courts for tennis or pickleball groups. You can even just play catch or kick a soccer ball around with a friend or family member in your yard or at your local park.

8. Add playful exercises

If you’re a fan of circuit workouts or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) cardio, you can make your standard routine more fun by switching up the specific movements you choose to do. For example, instead of 30 seconds of high knees, what if you skipped for 30 seconds? Movements like skipping immediately bring us back to childhood, and allowing yourself to feel that silliness and freedom can feel more fun than movements you only do in not-so-fun workouts.

9. Join a fitness challenge

Whether you follow along with a social media trend or simply text a friend daily, there are countless fitness challenges to try (or invent!) that can add some fun competition to your movement routine. For example, maybe you challenge a friend to do 10 push-ups every day for 30 days. Whoever makes it the longest without missing a day wins and gets treated to your next coffee together.

10. Watch a TV show

There’s nothing wrong with distracting yourself with a favorite show while you’re rowing, jogging on the treadmill, or cycling at home or at the gym. Pick a fun one and exercise until the end of the episode. Some people find it extra motivating to pick a popular new show and only allow themselves to watch it while they’re working out. This way, they want to exercise so they get to watch their latest episode. 

11. Explore a new location

Sometimes a simple change of scenery makes fitness feel more fun. Instead of jogging your usual route, for example, download an app like Strava and see where locals in your area are running. Make a list of five routes you want to try and vary your routine for your next five workouts. 

If you like to walk or hike, pick out a handful of parks or trails you haven’t explored yet and make a date with yourself (or a friend!) to try them next.

12. Listen to a podcast or audiobook

If you don’t like to watch a screen or don’t have access to one while you exercise, download some fun podcasts or audiobooks and listen to them while you walk, run, hike, or do any other exercise you enjoy. Allow yourself to get lost in the story, and you’ll find you had a lot more fun than you might expect.

13. Sign up for an event

Marathons get a lot of attention, but there are shorter, smaller road races, fun runs, charity walks, and group bike rides you can join to feel like part of a community, get active, and have some fun. All you have to do is search online for local fitness events and sign up. 

Having the event on your calendar might just inspire you to exercise in the meantime to make sure you feel ready for the distance when the day comes.

14. Enlist your family

Kids, parents, and pets can help you feel like exercise is less of a drag. Chasing after little ones, playing fetch with furry friends, or encouraging older adults to move more can get you moving in new and different ways that get you out of a rut.

15. Mix up your routine

If you do the same type of exercise every day, you might get bored and lose your sense of fun. For example, shake things up by rowing one day, meeting a friend for a walk another day, doing strength training another day, and signing up for a dance cardio class another day. The variety will keep you energized and motivated.

16. Make it a game

Arcade games like "Pump It Up" and "Dance Dance Revolution" popularized the gamification of exercise. Players dance up a storm, competing for points often without even realizing they’re exercising. There are a number of fitness games you can download on your home computer or play on various gaming consoles. There are also apps that can inspire similar types of movement. Some even use virtual reality to further envelop you in the fun.

17. Join a virtual fitness community

Social media, fitness apps, and brands like Hydrow are natural places to find social support for your exercise goals even if you can’t or don’t want to meet friends or join groups or leagues in person. Many of these platforms rely on message boards to keep members connected, so share your goals, milestones, progress, and obstacles in whatever ways feel most enjoyable to you.

18. Act like a kid

Channel your childhood self to find some fun workout options you might be overlooking: How did you like to play that didn’t feel like exercise? Can you revisit those hobbies? For example, consider ice skating, rollerblading, playing tag, gymnastics, hula hooping, or swinging on the monkey bars. Then, go find the nearest place where you can get reacquainted with these fun forms of activity.

19. Have a dance party

You don’t have to learn choreography or wear any special gear to throw an impromptu dance party in the privacy of your own home. Turn on your favorite tunes and dance—literally like no one’s watching—to a few in a row and see how your heart’s racing by the end. 

20. Dress up

Invest in a few pieces of exercise clothing that make you feel great, whether it’s because of how they fit, the color, the pattern, or the material. Reserve these only for exercise, and when you’re ready to sweat, put on your power suit and feel the excitement of looking and feeling your best.

Time to get moving!

Remember, what’s fun for one person isn’t always fun for another: It will take some trial and error with the ideas above to find what works best for you. But don’t give up! With all of these options, there’s something for everyone when it comes to finding fun ways to exercise.

If you are looking for a highly effective workout to add to your fitness routine, consider investing in a rowing machine like Hydrow. Indoor rowers offer an immersive and efficient total-body workout, targeting 86% of your muscle groups in each rowing stroke. And, because rowing is both a cardio and strength workout, all you need is just 20 minutes to torch calories and build strength. 

Hydrow rowing machines also come with an extensive library of workout content led by our team of world-class Athletes and filmed in gorgeous locations around the world. Our rowing, yoga, Pilates, and circuit training workouts will transport you to stunning global destinations and keep you motivated to come back again and again.

Learn more about the benefits of rowing and a Hydrow rowing machine today!