If you have a dog, take them for a walk each day. Dogs love exercise and it's a great way for you to start enjoying exercise as well. Take a hike with your dog, this gets you out of the traditional elements of exercise (a gym stuffed with sweaty people running on treadmills and elliptical) and it provides you with the opportunity to experience nature. Some of the best hikes are those with waterfalls at the end, this is your reward for your hard work climbing up the mountain. When you reach the top, you can just sit there are stare at the beauty of nature and it feels good to have the nice mist blow in the wind onto your face.

Look back to your youth and remember what used to make you happy. You didn't need to spend 4 hours in a gym to get your body in shape. Instead kids run around jungle gyms and they play ball, go swimming, and run through sprinklers. A great way to get motivated to exercise is to start spending time with your children outside. Participate in all the activities that your children do like playing basketball and jumping on the trampoline. Within minutes you will feel your heart rate increase and within a few days you will notice that your body is starting to tone up.

Make a list of all that activities you enjoy doing and then make a list of some new activities you want to try. Spinning class may not be your ideal exercise but spending 45 minutes in the swimming pool may suit you just right.

Exercise can be fun when you add more to it. Instead of spending your weekends at the gym, take a short vacation and go camping or to the beach. Do things that encourage you to get out and become more active. To stay motivated about doing this, call some of your friends or family members to come along.

Establish some goals before you begin exercising. Since it takes months to build up momentum, don't jump into exercise too quickly. Slowly work your way up to your end goal. For example, if you want to bench press your body weight, start by lifting 2-5 pounds a day. Set some goals as to how much you want to bench press by the end of the month and then your goal in 6 months. This is a fun way to track your progress. Set up some small rewards for yourself at the end of the month, this will keep you motivated about working towards your big goal.

Play games with your children. Pull out Twister and play it with your kids, go outside and play water balloon volleyball. Just doing little things to stay active will help your body get the exercise it needs to stay fit. Parents that live sedentary lifestyles are more likely to have children that live sedentary lifestyles and they are less-likely to have fit children.

It does feel good to exercise and it's even easier for you to do it when you are having fun. Playing Dance, Dance Revolution will help you shed some weight and spend some quality time with the family.