When Did Exercise Become Another Chore?

When did moving our bodies become another thing we have to tick off a list?

10,000 steps. Gym three times a week. Strength training. Stretching. Get your cardio in.

I've worked in health and fitness for more than 30 years, so I'm certainly not going to argue that exercise doesn't matter. But I do wonder whether we've made it more complicated than it needs to be.

Movement doesn't always have to be a workout!!

Walk while you're talking on the phone. Put some music on while you're cooking and have a dance around the kitchen. Park a little further away. Get outside and do something in the garden. Take the stairs when you can. Play with the kids or the dog.

None of it needs activewear, an app or a spot in the diary.

These days my own movement looks very different to what it once did, and I've had to rethink what "exercise" means for me. What I can do matters more than whether it fits the traditional definition of a workout.

I'm curious about everyone else. What movement do you genuinely enjoy enough that it doesn't feel like exercise?

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When Did Exercise Become Another Chore?