Fun Workouts!

I have a confession to make. I lost 65 lbs. in one year without entering a gym. 

Now, that's not to say that I didn't do it healthily or without any physical activity. On and off throughout the year, I played Volleyball, Dodgeball and Softball . I did Muay Thai Kickboxing for a couple of weeks before realizing it was beyond what my budget and time would allow. These activities were are fun, but they are not what I would call a workout, with the exception of Muay Thai - the ULTIMATE workout.

Now, my goals for the coming year of weight maintenance are:

1) Increase cardio ability

2) Increase muscle strength/definition

Let's get one thing off the out off the bat. I am not a runner. I've tried running for exercise, and I always end up feeling like I'm going to die at the end. I count down the minutes until I can stop the treadmill and move on to something else. I've heard that some (most?) people feel an endorphin after they've pounded the pavement for a while, but I have yet to experience this elusive rush.

Strength training comes much easier to me. I enjoy the muscle ache. I get a sense of satisfaction when the exercise starts getting too easy and I get to move up in weight/reps. The only problem is, I don't do enough of it!

 So here's my plan:

1)  Keep myself busy with physical activity that I enjoy and look forward to. I think like is too short to spend    my time miserable on a treadmill.  
2) Work more strength training into my weekly routine.

So over the past little while, I've been thinking about activities/sport that are a good workout (cardio wise at least), but that I might actually enjoy!

On my quest so far:

I've been to a couple of Zumba classes. I've really enjoyed it so far.

I've played some Ultimate. I played for the past two summers, but took this summer off as our team had disbanded. The past couple of weeks I have played on my friend's team, and newly discovered why I love Ultimate! It's just what I'm looking for... a cardio workout that is FUN!

My quest still continues for fun workout activities! I love to mix it up and keep it interesting! I am looking to try trying swimming (though I might need a refresher on the basics!), spin classes and dance classes.

I'm up for any suggestions anyone else might have!

R.