Exercise as Entertainment

As the weather starts looking as though it’s going to be warmer (as in, no more snow!), my husband and I are gearing up for enjoying the great outdoors. Enjoying nature is not only calming, but can help you save money. Here’s how. Today’s experiment: Exercise as Entertainment.

What?!?! Exercise and entertainment in the same sentence! Yes, I dare to go where no man has gone before.

Now, I have to open this by letting you know that my husband and I are no Bob and Jillian. We hate exercise as much as the next guy, but we do like the benefits of exercise, both on our bodies and our wallets.

So how to make it fun? Find something, anything, that you enjoy doing that is physical, and get to it.

For me, that is walking. I love going on walks. It seriously is entertainment for me. I enjoy pushing the stroller at the mall so that I can watch people and look for sales. I love walking through my neighborhood so that I can learn about those who are living around me. And I really have fun walking at our local wildlife preserve, soaking up the beauty and variety of nature.

My husband does not find any particular pleasure in walking. His enjoyable exercise is playing frisbee.

I know what you’re thinking because I thought it too. There is no way that throwing around a frisbee can be exercise.

But you would never have seen an ultimate frisbee game. Those guys are running up and down the field the whole time. Thankfully, there’s a frisbee there to distract them from thinking about how much running they are doing!

If you discover a form of exercise that you enjoy, it is going to save you money in two ways.

First of all, have you noticed that, as you become an adult, all forms of entertainment involve food? Fun is meeting friends for coffee, going out to eat together, seeing a movie and gorging on buttery popcorn. You’ll save money by taking up your time with fun exercise instead of going on outings that cost $20 a pop.

This also applies if you are staying at home for fun, to watch tv or movies, or even read a book. At least for me, fun, even at home fun, is always associated with junk food.

Secondly, you will save money because the exercise will be good for your body. When you exercise, you have less desire to pig out on junk food. When you aren’t pigging out, you are saving money. In turn, your portions may get smaller and your food money will last longer.

When warmer weather hits your area, what will you do? What exercise brings you the most enjoyment?

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