By Dave Warner

Bored with your exercise routine? Try something new

Let’s face it, nearly everyone knows by now that exercise is good for them.

And nearly everyone also knows that it’s tough to stick with it. You run, you run, you run, and after awhile, you lose interest.

But of course, the best thing for your body, and your mind, is to stick with some kind of exercise, even if you change what you do.

The reasons? Exercise helps you control your weight. It can do good things for your blood pressure, your cholesterol and your blood sugar readings, and can help you sleep better as well as reduce stress. 

There are actually three different types of exercise – strength training, stretching, and aerobic activities to get your heart rate up.
That’s where things like running come in.

So, you’re tired of pounding the pavement with your running shoes? Try in-line skating. Your heart rate can get to about 140 beats per minute that way and you can burn about 285 calories in 30 minutes. 

Not quite your thing?

Try dancing. You can make like a TV show, or go back a decade to line dancing, or salsa or samba dancing. You can work away some of those excess pounds and have fun while you’re doing it. 

And let’s not overlook swimming. It’s one of the country’s favorite sports activities, and you can get in a good aerobic activity that way. As with other forms of exercise, 2.5 hours per week is the recommended amount.  Swimming is particularly good for people with arthritis because it does not make symptoms worse. 

There is a wide variety of other activities you can do too, instead of whatever you’re getting bored with now.

Walk a 15-minute mile, do some yard work, go for a bike ride or try a water aerobics class. Or you can be a bit more vigorous than that by running, cross-country skiing, jumping rope, and playing organized sports like soccer. 

How many calories can you burn?

Here are some figures on the number of calories you can use in some exercises (the figures assume a 154 pound person):

• Hiking for an hour can burn 370 calories.
• Dancing can use 330 calories in an hour.
• Running and bicycling can burn 590 calories in that period. (The biking estimate assumes an average speed of 10 mph.)
• Swimming freestyle, slowly, is right up in the same range as running and biking, with 510 calories per hour.
• A vigorous game of basketball comes in at 440 calories in an hour. 

Some say all of that can help keep you feeling young. You just have to stick with it.

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Source: Clevelandclinic.org, Nyskate.com, Exercise.about.com