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The Best Exercise is the One You'll Actually Do
Youth Fitness & Wellness

The Best Exercise is the One You'll Actually Do

Girl practicing yoga and stretching at home

So, you've decided to exercise — great choice! You'll have more energy, improved health, less stress, a clearer mind, and better sleep. But you may need help choosing where to start. Read on to find your fit.

Start By Asking Yourself

Past Enjoyment What activities have you enjoyed in the past? (e.g., dancing in your room or biking as a kid)
New Adventures What's something new you've always wanted to try? (e.g., yoga or tennis)
Lifestyle Fit What can you realistically add to your current daily schedule?
Available Resources Is there a park nearby, a yoga mat collecting dust, or free online workout videos?

Explore Your Next Favorite Activity

🧘 Yoga

In yoga, you move through poses while focusing on breathing to stretch and strengthen muscles. Hatha and Restorative are great for beginners, while Vinyasa and Power yoga get your heart pumping.

What You Need: A yoga mat.

Why You'll Love It: Relaxes the mind and body while toning muscles.

☯️ Tai Chi

A gentle exercise like martial arts in slow motion. You move through graceful self-defense poses while breathing deeply to relieve stress and increase energy.

What You Need: Enough space to move around and an instructional video.

Why You'll Love It: Improves mood, boosts energy, and tones body gentle on joints.

🏋️ Kettlebell Workout

Adding a kettlebell to lunges and squats engages all core muscle groups for a fast, efficient full-body strength workout.

What You Need: A lightweight kettlebell.

Why You'll Love It: Builds full-body strength and burns calories rapidly.

🏓 Pickleball

Table tennis played on a larger court. America's fastest-growing sport is fast-paced, highly social, and a thrilling full-body activity.

What You Need: Paddles, a ball, and a local park/gym court.

Why You'll Love It: Action-packed, competitive, and super social.

💃 Dance

No specific rules! Just put on your favorite playlist or follow an upbeat video to get moving and boost your mood instantly.

What You Need: Open floor space and your favorite playlist.

Why You'll Love It: Invigorating, joyful, and great fun!

👟 Walking

The easiest activity to stick with. Walk with a friend, listen to a podcast, or stroll in a local park for 30 minutes a day.

What You Need: Comfortable walking shoes.

Why You'll Love It: Versatile and awesome for long-term health.

🤸 Pilates

Controlled strength training that targets core muscles (abs and lower back) to improve posture, coordination, and overall balance.

What You Need: A mat, small towel, and video guide.

Why You'll Love It: Long, lean look with improved posture and flexibility.

⚡ HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)

Quick bursts of 20-second extreme activity (sprinting, jumping rope) followed by 10 seconds of rest.

What You Need: Jump rope or simply bodyweight space.

Why You'll Love It: Full workout benefits in a fraction of the time.

🔥 Fitness Mini Challenge

Still not sure which one fits you? Try them all with our community challenge!

  • Try each of the 8 activities at least once (adapt to your fitness level).
  • Mark off each activity after giving it a go.
  • Complete the entire card — no shortcuts!
  • Take a picture of your completed card and share it on social media.
#AHHMFitAndFearless #AHHMMoveWithUs
Note: AHHM does not provide clinical therapy. We provide free health education workshops and community tools.

The best exercise is the one you’ll actually do. 

So, you’ve decided to exercise — great choice! You’ll be glad you did. You’ll have more energy, improved health, less stress, a clearer mind, and better sleep. But you may need help choosing where to start. There are many options! Read on to find your fit.  

Start by asking yourself:  

  • What activities have you enjoyed in the past? 
  • What’s something new you’ve always wanted to try?  
  • What can you realistically add to your lifestyle?  

For example: 

  • Did you love biking as a kid? 
  • Have you ever had fun dancing in your room? 
  • Do you enjoy walks in the park or a friendly basketball game? 
  • Have you always wanted to try yoga or tennis? 

Your answers are clues to the kind of movement you’ll enjoy now and keep doing. If you need more inspiration, these quizzes can help match your personality and goals to the perfect workout: 

Next, think about what’s already available to you: 

  • Is there a park nearby?  
  • A community center?  
  • Do you have a set of hand weights, resistance bands, or a yoga mat collecting dust?  
  • Do you have internet access or a streaming service? (These often offer workout videos for free or at a low cost!) 

Now that you know some basics, let’s explore some fun workout options that could become your new favorite activities! 

Hopefully, you’re excited about trying one of these activities. Still not sure? Do this fitness mini challenge to try them all! 

Yoga

In yoga, you move through different poses while focusing on your breathing to stretch, strengthen, and tone your muscles. These can feel awkward at first, but that changes with practice. Soon, you’ll feel like you’re flowing through them. Yoga has different styles. Hatha and Restorative yoga are great for beginners. They focus on relaxing the mind and body while slowly moving through the poses. More active forms are Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Power yoga. These quicker movements get your heart pumping. 

  • What you’ll need: A yoga mat. 
  • Why you’ll love it: It relaxes the mind and body while toning your muscles. 

Tai Chi

Have you ever seen people moving slowly through graceful poses at a park? They were probably doing Tai Chi, a gentle exercise like martial arts but slower and more approachable. You slowly move through different self-defense poses while breathing deeply. It’s good for most people and easy to learn.  Like yoga, Tai Chi also has several styles. Some are flowing. Some seem like dancing. Others are more like traditional martial arts with kicking and punching. 

  • What you’ll need: A space big enough to move around in and a Tai Chi video.  
  • Why you’ll love it: It improves your mood, increases energy, and tones your muscles. 

Kettlebell Workout

A kettlebell weight looks like an iron ball with a thick, rounded handle. You hold or lift it while lunging, squatting, and repeating exercises you probably know from PE class.  Adding the kettlebell to your workout helps you use all your muscles. (To avoid injury, make sure you learn the proper forms for these exercises first!) 

  • What you’ll need: A lightweight kettlebell. 
  • Why you’ll love it: It’s efficient, builds full-body strength, and burns calories fast.  

Pickleball

Maybe you’re not into poses, slow moves, or repeated lunging. Maybe you want some bigger action—some competition. Try pickleball. What is it?  Basically, pickleball is table tennis (ping-pong) played on a bigger court. And people love it! It’s the fastest-growing sport in America.  

  • What you’ll need: Paddles, a ball, and a court (check local parks or gyms). 
  • Why you’ll love it: It’s fast-paced, social, and a full-body workout. 

Dance

Everyone can dance! You don’t have to dance any specific way. Just move your body while listening to your favorite tunes or following along to an upbeat dance video. 

  • What you’ll need: A space to move around in and your playlist. 
  • Why you’ll love it: It’s invigorating and fun! 

Walking

The easiest activity to choose for exercise, walking needs no explanation! You can walk with a friend, as you listen to something (music, podcast, book), at a park, or in the comfort of your living room. Plan to walk at a steady pace for 30 minutes a day (this can be broken up throughout the day).   

  • What you’ll need: Walking shoes and a plan for where you’ll walk (or a walking video if exercising indoors). 
  • Why you’ll love it: It’s awesome for your overall health and versatile!  

Pilates

This is a form of strength and resistance training. You work through a series of slow, controlled movements and breathing that build up your core muscles (lower back and abs). 

  • What you’ll need: A mat, a small towel, and a Pilates video. 
  • Why you’ll love it: You’ll get a long, lean look while improving your posture, flexibility, balance, and coordination. 

HIIT

High-Intensity Interval Training is a workout that involves about 20 seconds of extreme activity (like sprinting, cycling, or jumping rope) followed by 10 seconds of rest, then repeat.  

  • What you’ll need: This varies depending on the activities you choose. 

You’ll never know what you like unless you try it! Here’s how to complete the challenge:  

  • Try each activity at least once. Remember to modify or adapt exercises to your fitness level. 

  • Mark off each activity after you give it a go. 

  • You win when you’ve completed the entire card—no shortcuts!
     
  • Once you’ve done them all, take a picture of your completed card and share it with us using hashtags

    #AHHMFitAndFearless and #AHHMMoveWithUs. 

References: 

Exercise quiz: Find the best workouts for you – CNN.com 

Quiz: Test Your Exercise I.Q. – The New York Times 

Yoga: 7 Types and Finding the Right Class  

Mayo Mindfulness: Tai chi is a gentle way to fight stress – Mayo Clinic News Network  

Instructional Audio and Video Files: Yoga, Meditation, Test Kits | Cleveland Clinic 

Kettlebell Workouts: 11 Exercises To Try 

Rules Summary – USA Pickleball 

7 YouTube Workouts You Can Do This Week For Free – Essence | Essence  

Dancing and the Brain | Harvard Medical School 

9 Walking Workouts Myths And Facts To Know In Harlem And Beyond, YouTube Walk with Rocky – Search Videos 

Get Moving: GirlTrek Prioritizes Radical Self-Care Through Daily Walks to Release the Pressure Among Black Women – Essence | Essence 

Pilates: What It Is and Health Benefits 

HIIT Benefits: 7 Reasons to Try High Intensity Interval Training 

High-Intensity Interval Training: A HIIT for Everyone with Katie Lawton, MEd | Cleveland Clinic 

© 2024 A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER ME.

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