Exercise doesn’t have to be boring. Remember when we were kids and exercise meant playing tag with our friends or seeing who could jump the highest on the trampoline? We used to love to move. But as we got older… Something changed. And it wasn’t our fault. Diet culture teaches us that exercise should be a punishment. In order for movement to matter, it’s supposed to be structured, strict, and burn the most calories possible. And that takes all of the fun out of the movement that we had so naturally as kids. If you want to break free from this toxic cycle and are looking for some joyful movement ideas to add joy back into your workout routine, you’ve come to the right place.
What Is Joyful Movement?
Joyful movement is an approach to exercise that emphasizes finding joy and pleasure in all the ways we can move our bodies. It’s exercise for the purpose of feeling good, being healthy, and having fun, instead of being solely focused on losing weight and burning calories.
Joyful movement doesn’t mean that exercise won’t still be difficult, build muscle, or make you sweat. But it takes away the expectation that movement is a punishment rather than a celebration of all the things our bodies can do. If you want to learn more about the concept of joyful movement, you can see my full post about joyful movement here.
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I’ve chosen 50 joyful movement ideas that will help you find the fun in movement again, even if you think you hate exercising. Ready to discover how intuitive exercise can change your life? Read on!
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Joyful Movement Ideas You Can Do Outside
I don’t know about you, but moving in the fresh air is one of the ways that I add joy to my movement. Get off the treadmill and get moving into the parks, forests, and streets around you. Here are some joyful movement ideas you can enjoy outdoors:
1. Go for a hike
2. Take an outdoor yoga class
3. Go for a bike ride
4. Rent a kayak or canoe
5. Go snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is one of those ideas that won’t be applicable to all of us (ie. any of you that are reading this from a hot climate. And if so… Send some of that heat up here to Canada, please!) But it’s one of my favourite ways to get moving in the winter and enjoy the crisp cold air. The snowshoes I use are from Amazon if you’re interested in investing in your own pair this winter!
6. Play tennis
7. Try skateboarding, scootering, or roller blading
8. Sign up for a charity walk/run
The perfect chance to get your body moving for a cause that you love. Find a team of friends, raise money for your cause, then walk, run, or stroll for your favourite charity. It’s a win-win activity!
9. Join a baseball or softball league
10. Walk your dog (or offer to walk a friend or family member’s furry friend!)
11. Go orienteering or geocaching
Orienteering and geocaching combine hiking with map and GPS reading skills. Using your GPS or map, you will trek through nature to track down geocaches or markers in the terrain. It’s a unique way to get moving while also having fun and building survival skills!
12. Try surfing or paddle boarding
13. Go skating
14. Do some gardening
It might not sound like hard work, but anyone who’s ever done some serious yard work will tell you it’s a great way to build up a sweat! Tend to your own yard, or vounteer to do some work at a community garden.
15. Go skiing (downhill or cross-country!)
16. Try scuba diving
17. Go horseback riding
Joyful Movement Ideas To Do At Home
Movement is a great way to get out of the house – but sometimes it’s great to have some ideas in your back pocket that can be done at home too. Especially in our COVID-era world, it’s more important than ever to find ways to move without ever leaving home. Here are some joyful movement ideas that you can do in the comfort of your own living room:
18. Play a fitness game like Ring Fit Adventure, Just Dance, or Dance Dance Revolution
19. Do some stretching
20. Follow an online yoga video
I have talked before about how much I LOVE Yoga With Adriene on YouTube. Her content there is completely free, friendly, and accessible to all levels of yogi. Her 30-day challenge videos are what made me fall in love with yoga in the first place! If you’re looking for more content you can also check out her paid subscriptions on Find What Feels Good.
21. Jump rope
22. Clean your house
And yes, this does count! Think about how much movement is involved in cleaning – reaching and bending, lifting and carrying, walking around your house or up and down stairs. Get scrubbing!
23. Bounce on an exercise ball while you work or watch TV.
24. Create an obstacle course in your living room
25. Play with your kids, nephews and nieces, or young cousins
26. Put on your favourite playlist and dance like nobody’s watching
You don’t have to be Fred Astaire to reap the physical and mental benefits of dance. When combined with a super positive, pump-up playlist, dancing is an amazing way to get your body moving while also having fun. Check out my playlist of empowering body-positive songs in the link below!
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27. Hula hoop
28. Jump on a mini-trampoline
29. Try a subscription to an online at-home fitness membership
Look outside the box for classes that make you excited. Obé Fitness offers 20 live classes per day and a huge catalogue of 6000+ on demand workouts, including themed classes like a dance workout inspired by Disney’s Cruella or a pride aerobics class taught by a group of drag queens (!!!) You might also want to check out Joyn, a free fitness app with a focus on joyful movement and body love in their diverse range of classes. Whatever you’re into… There is an online workout that’s perfect for you!
30. Learn the choreography to your favourite song or music video
31. Take the stairs
32. Follow along to a pilates, Zumba, barre, or other free fitness class on YouTube
Joyful Movement Ideas to Try With Friends
Everything is better with a pal… Or a group of pals! Exercising with your friends, family, or partner can reinvigorate your workout routine that so many of us are missing. Lots of the activities on this list are great for groups, but the following joyful movement ideas were literally designed with groups in mind. Don’t have a workout buddy? Trying some of these ideas solo could be a great way to make new friends to move with!
33. Try a spin class
34. Go rock climbing
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34. Try a pole dancing class
Pole dancing gets a bad rap sometimes… But it’s a super empowering workout to help you and your friends build strength, stamina, and confidence! Plus pole dancing studios tend to be super accepting spaces to people of all sizes, shapes, genders, and abilities.
35. Go to an indoor trampoline park
36. Try a swing dancing class
37. Go bowling
38. Build a snow fort or snowman
This is another one that’s just for my cold-weather friends. If you haven’t spent a lot of time playing in the snow, you might not realize just how heavy and hard to move around snow is. Despite how cold it is, spending time playing out in the snow will make you sweat. And it’s a great way to honour your inner child with some winter fun!
39. Visit an archery or axe throwing range
40. Attend an aqua fitness class
41. Play tag, hide and seek, spotlight, or any other active games you loved as a kid
Yes, I am serious. These games taught us that moving could be fun when we were kids, and I can’t think of a better or more fun way to find that fun again as adults! Plus, the added competition makes you run, jump, play, and laugh even harder!
42. Register for a colour run or mud race
45. Have a water balloon or snowball fight
46. Play capture the flag
47. Take a self-defence class
Self-defence is an important life skill as well as being a great opportunity to get moving. Try your standard self-defence class or try boxing, karate, muay thai, or judo!
48. Join a dodgeball league
49. Play laser tag or paintball
50. Attend a hot yoga class
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Joyful movement doesn’t mean that you’re not allowed to go to the gym or run on the treadmill ever again – on the contrary, if those things bring you joy, then they can be a part of your joyful movement routine! Joyful movement will look and feel different to all of us, so the most important thing you can do is get out, get moving, and start finding out what exercise moves your body while making your soul happy. I can’t think of any better workout routine than that!
Which of these joyful movement ideas have you tried? What are your favourite ways to make movement fun? Share your story in the comments below!
And above all, keep moving, reaching, walking, running, and climbing towards the healthiest and happiest version of you. You deserve it! All my love,
I’m not really a fit person and I don’t like to exercise, but when I feel the need to do something, I go for any of the following three: I do an online Yoga workout (usually from Yoga with Adriene), I walk at least 30 min around the neighborhood, and/or I do a deep clean of the house 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment, Diana! I LOVE Yoga With Adriene too! She just has such a lovely energy. All of these are totally valid. Good on you for making movement work in your life!
WOW!!!! This is such a great list of ideas, really like it! When I was reading it, I noticed that there are a few things e.g. hula hoop that I have not done in years…time to go back and have some fun 🙂
Thanks so much, Nicolle! I feel the same way. We loved combining fun and movement as kids so why can’t we find that same joy as adults?
What a joyful post! These are awesome ideas. I always try to teach my clients that you need to enjoy your exercise routine. It should not be a chore to workout. And, as you pointed out, there are so many ways to exercise. Hating your fitness routine is not necessary.
Thank you so much, Patricia! And thank you for being such a wonderful inspiration to your clients. There are so many coaches out there who push the idea that fitness = not fun. What you’re doing is so important!
I love dancing and skateboarding. I used to skateboard more when I was younger would love to do it again.
Thank you so much for your comment! You definitely should! Watching the Olympic skateboarding on TV this summer totally blew my mind. What an amazing sport! It looks like so much fun.
This is a great list. I was curious to look, not because I do not enjoy exercise but because I was curious to look at some new ideas.
Hi Elise, thanks so much for your comment! And this is such a great point. Joyful movement means finding joy in whatever exercise you choose to do, so if you’re finding fun in your current routine that means you’re already doing it! But it’s never a bad idea to add some extra elements to your current routine. Hope you got some inspiration here!
This is great!!! Thanks for all the ideas. It’s very doable.
Thanks so much for your comment, Lani! I think “doable” is the most important descriptor of any health or fitness changes you want to make. And adding some fun definitely helps achieve that!