Be like Tom Hanks in Big

As Xmas approaches lots of my favourite films from my childhood start to reappear on tele, none more so than Big. If you haven't seen it, and you are old enough to read my blog, where have you been? Big tells the story of a boy who gets magically transformed in to an adult and there is an iconic scene where he plays "chopsticks" on a giant keyboard in a toy store by jumping on the keys!

Tom Hanks in Big

Everytime i see it i always want to jump on it and try it for myself (it would sound awful for everyone else I'm not very co-ordinated) It also gets me thinking of an experiment conducted in Stockholm. Basically over night they hooked up each step to play a musical note next to the escalator, and in the morning once people realised how much fun walking up the stairs was

66% more people took the stairs. Not only that some went back and forth between steps trying to play tunes. They took more steps than if they had just walked up them on a normal day! FUN made them do more exercise! If you want to watch the video click here

I believe fun is lacking from exercise. Just look around most gyms and you will see glum, bored faces. People doing anything to remove the monotony, listening to their own music, reading books, chatting! Exercise isn't fun!

Let's look at this situation, it's freezing cold, snowing and you are standing at the bottom of a steep hill. You have to sprint up it as fast as you can. Not once, oh no! As many times as you can in half hour! Sounf fun?! Nope! Sounds like most people's idea of hell! But let's make two changes, you are now a kid, and each time you get to the top you get to sledge back down. It's now FUN. The body however doesn't know that. The body only knows that you are running up the hill, for what purpose it doesn't care! You will still get fit when having fun!

In my Personal and Group Training i often hear things like, "wow i didn't realised i worked that hard" or "are we done? That session flew past" Fun is my number one core value! Life is too serious and we need to lighten up. Exercise shouldn't be seen as a workout but more of a play session.

When Dean blew up some balloons i thought what the hell is he doing? Five minutes later i knew! On my knees knackered but a massive smile on my face! I had never worked that hard before or had so much fun exercising!
Lynn Clarke

Reflect on your own training! Do you enjoy it? If the answer is no! Change it! There are many ways to skin a cat and you don't have to do things you don't enjoy! In fact the most recent studies show you benefit more from exercise you find fun, than by doing a more "superior" exercise that you don't enjoy! World fitness leader Scott Rawcliffe shared this wonderful infographic recently and I love it!

When you enjoy the exercise, or the exeprience whether that be your trainer, the group you do it with, the atmosphere, you are more likely to want to keep repeating it and when you start to struggle with motivation, will power and all the other reasons previous routines didn't work, fun is your best bet!