7 workouts for people who suck at running

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A few months ago, a girlfriend contacted me to tell me that she was sick of being overweight and unfit.

“I am DEFINITELY going to get fit in time for spring,” she told me. “I’m going to start running four times a week, and then I’ll finally be fit.”

You can guess what happened next, right? She got herself some awesome new running gear and downloaded some epic tunes onto her iPod, and she started running. After a few months of running four times a week, she managed to lose five kilos and build up her fitness to the point that she can now run 5km without stopping.

… Okay, not really. This is real life, not a movie montage.

What really happened was that she went running. Once. And then winter hit, and it was too cold to go running before work, and too dark to go running after work. And she couldn’t find the motivation to get moving on weekends. And she generally found running to be kind of boring and frustrating – especially because she got puffed after about 100m.

So she gave up on running entirely and decided to remain unfit forever.

Maybe you can relate to this story. I know that I do – I’ve tried taking up running many times over the years, with varying degrees of success. It’s definitely not my favourite kind of workout, but I keep at it, searching for the all-elusive Supreme Level Of Fitness that comes with being a runner.

But here’s the thing – and you might have to sit down for this truth-bomb.

Running isn’t for everyone. It just isn’t. And if it isn’t for you, you don’t have to worry – because, despite being held up as the pinnacle of fitness, you don’t have to be a runner in order to be fit.

Think about what fitness is. At its core, it is the ability to consume oxygen and transport it to your organs. There are a whole lot of things that affect this ability, including cardiovascular and muscular strength.

Yes, running is one of the best ways to build up cardio fitness. But it’s also just one of the many ways to increase your fitness – and if you’ve tried it, and you don’t like it, it’s okay.

You can be fit without being a runner. You can be fit without even running another kilometre in your entire lifetime. You can be fit without ever stepping on a treadmill. You can be fit without ever signing up for a fun run.

Here are a few alternative workout options that are EXCELLENT for fitness. Options that you may not have considered, because you’re busy trying to convince yourself to go for that run around the park.

1. Walking

Yes, walking is a form of exercise. It’s fat-burning and low-impact, which is excellent if you have injuries. Download some great podcasts, forget about your car and make it your personal mission to walk at least 10,000 steps per day. I just got a Vivofit from Garmin to measure my steps, and it sets me new (attainable) goals all the time which are oh-so-satisfying to beat.

2. Barre Body

It seems like an easy workout - after all, it's a combination of yoga, ballet and pilates - and yet it's one of the most challenging classes you'll ever take part in. It tones and strengthens your muscles, and incorporates cardio elements to make classes extra hard. (You can read our review of Barre Body here).

3. Paddleboarding

Until you get on a paddleboard, you don't understand how much is required to simply remain standing on the damn thing.

4. Touch football

This is one of the best forms of interval training you could possibly do. Unless you're playing against a very slow team, you'll be puffing within minutes - not that you'll even notice, because you're busy focusing on the game. Join a team or get some friends together for a run-around in the park on the weekend.

5. Surfing

It's one of Michelle Bridges' favourite ways to work out, which isn't really surprising. Even just paddling out on your board requires a whole heap of muscles that you wouldn't use otherwise.

6. Skiing

The perfect activity to take up in the wintertime, skiing involves much more cardio and muscular activity than you'd expect. Just make sure you're practicing your squats before you hire out those skis.

7. Trampolining

Did you know that doing a workout on a trampoline is 68% more effective than going for a jog? A whole lot of trampoline parks have recently launched all over Australia - why not visit one and go for a bounce?

How do you stay fit?

Looking for new workouts to try? Check out our series of Class Reports on current exercise trends:

Barre Body

Physicore

No Lights No Lycra