Prioritizing fun in your life can be tricky as an adult. With a busy work schedule, a long to-do list of things you need to accomplish, and way too many obligations, fun often gets put on the backburner. But Jenny Jaucian, a California-based trainer, says that needs to change. Not only for your mental wellbeing—for your physical health, too.
“As we get older, and as we have children, and as we have busy jobs, we forget to prioritize fun,” she said in a webinar for Intuition. “But I’m telling you—having fun is the key to living a joyful and happy life.”
According to Jaucian, the best way to prioritize fun in your life is doing something that gets you moving. “A past study measured people’s subjective feelings of happiness, stress, and anxiety doing either sedentary or non-sedentary pastime activities,” she says. “They found individuals who were more physically active are happier than those who are just sitting at home.”
That means spending less time scrolling, playing games, and watching Netflix, and more time getting outside, playing fetch with your dog, going for walks, and playing with your kids at the playground. Some of these activities might be harder right now with the global pandemic, since you’re very limited as to what you can do outside and with other people. But she says it’s still important to find creative ways to get outside, get your heart rate up, and add more movement into your day.
“As we all know, a sedentary lifestyle gives you an increased risk of becoming obese and developing diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, so making sure that you prioritize movement in your life is important,” she says. “People who are living a more active life—and especially prioritizing fun—are going to live a happier and healthier life.”
The next time you have a busy week, take a step back and reevaluate what’s important and what you can hold off on in order to make more time for fun. When you look back at your life, those are the moments you’ll cherish—not all the extra hours you spent in your office.
