If you’re looking for a way to get fit, there is no shortage of opinions about clever regimens to try. There are HIIT workouts, barre sessions, boot camps, Peloton influencers and Pilates gurus. But there is one piece of advice that almost every athlete and fitness expert points to as the key to success: Find an activity you like, and do that activity. That’s it.
If you love to bike, run, swim, dance, golf, climb mountains or play pickleball, then build a fitness plan to support that hobby. Basketball, squash, underwater hockey — whatever your jam — make time to do it. No amount of discipline or body-hacking can replace genuine passion for a sport or exercise.
With that in mind, the Well desk created Why Not Try, a series that introduces readers to new and different ways to exercise. As we head into a new year, it’s the perfect time to find one (or a few) you could get into. Why not try …
Testing Your Skills
Balance
Switching Up Your Gym Routine
Rowing
Want a good upper body workout but don’t like weights? Hope to combine strength and cardio to save time? Like the feeling of rowing but hate actually being on water? Try erging.
Once known as using a rowing machine, erging is one of those rare exercises where you can get upper body, lower body and cardio exercise all at once. Classes are cropping up around the country, and this year, Peloton even created its own line of rowing machines. It’s not hard to learn, but there a few tips you should know to get the most out of the workout.
Battle Ropes
Want to make a little noise? Try battle ropes. That’s right, those heavy ropes in the corner of the gym that look like they were dragged in from a pier provide a great full body workout while avoiding injury. Jesse Grund, a personal trainer in Orlando, Fla., told The Times: “If I was on a deserted island and I could only pick one piece of exercise equipment, I’d take the battle rope.”
Just attach them to the floor, grab the ends and start moving them up and down or side to side to create waves in the ropes. Not only will you build strength in your arms, you can get a solid cardio workout at the same time.