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Jan 08 2024
Why Combining Fun and Fitness Can Transform Your Health
If someone told you to “have more fun,” you may scoff at the idea. Especially on the hard or busy days, it can feel nearly impossible. Besides, fun isn’t just something that magically appears—it’s something that happens to us. But the mental and physical benefits of a more joyful lifestyle prove that cultivating fun into our routines is a health gamechanger. Here’s how fun supports your wellness, plus actionable ways to add more fun into your fitness routine.
Science-Backed Health Benefits of Fun
Studies on human mood and emotion have shown that when you take a more lighthearted approach to life, it can boost your focus and retention. For example, if you’re trying to learn something new, you’ll gain more from that experience if you’re playful and laidback versus serious and competitive. Why? When something is fun, it releases dopamine in the brain and improves your mood. Simply put, you’re more receptive to learning more when you’re happier!
Generally, having more fun leads to less stress, and stress management is vital for both mental and physical health. The benefits that come with reducing stress are no joke; lower blood pressure, higher sleep quality, more energy, better memory, and increased creativity.
When teaching her classes, Jazzercise FitPro Emily Newlands says, “We enjoy taking class as much as we enjoy leading class because it's a community experience that relieves stress. It’s the stuff that you're NOT feeling that is important—distraction, pain, worry, or anxiety. You get to leave all that at the door, do something important for your health, and walk out feeling accomplished with a smile on your face.”
The More You Love It, The More You’ll Do It
Studies also show that when you enjoy something, you’ll keep doing it, which is why it’s important to choose activities and routines you find joyful! Choosing a fun workout you look forward to, versus something that feels grueling, will help you achieve your health goals faster.
Aside from keeping you consistent and healthy, a phenomenon happens when you
truly love an activity, which is you become more passionate about being part of the community. Community involvement offers its own incredible wellness benefits, including an increased sense of belonging and connection. Engaging in a community, like the friends you meet on a Jazzercise dance floor, offers you the rewarding chance to both give
and receive support.
Fun Has NO Age Limit
Play is an important part of children’s development that encourages social skills, imagination, and self-expression but adults have been conditioned to “stop” play. That sense of wonder and freedom actually supports mental + physical wellness. Being present and in the moment of a fun activity can help combat anxiety and depression. In fact, as we age and endure more serious life events, it’s crucial that we lean on fun to bring brevity and joy to our routines. When we say “fun,” we’re talking about any activity that inspires connection, playfulness, and flow. Think about what activities bring forth those sensations and try to add MORE of that to your routine.
“Movement-wise, we PLAY. Every class is full of hip shakes, skips, and main character energy,” Emily continues. “These actions may make you feel self-conscious at first, but I believe people need movement that offers a sense of relief. It challenges what they feel like they can't do as adults.”
Easy Ways to Fuel More Fun
Star Jazzercise FitPro, Claire La Breche, loves to challenge her class by saying, "I WILL bring a smile to your face!" Here are her key tips to adding more fun to your fitness routine:
- • Make your workout something you look forward to by grabbing coffee or breakfast at your favorite spot after.
- • Bring a friend to class! It’s rewarding to have a shared experience and crush something HARD together.
- • Music is an integral part of class, but also in life. Make a feel-good playlist and blast it while you’re doing the dishes or driving to class.
- • Celebrate your progress! Your forward momentum is just as important to enjoy as achieving your goal.
- • Don’t force yourself to do stuff you don’t want to do. There are so many options, be open-minded, explore different activities, and do more of what makes you feel good!
In conclusion, you can add small doses of fun to your everyday life by creating space for connection, playfulness and doing MORE of what makes you feel good with supportive people. A great way you can start incorporating more of that fun energy into your life
right now is by meeting us on the dance floor at Jazzercise! Once you take a class, you’ll FEEL the difference.
