After spending the afternoon at the St. Louis City Museum, I’m starting to think fun exercise is something I need fit in every week.
The grind that occurs at the gym is a big reason why I don’t go to one.
I don’t really do any exercise I don’t enjoy. If I don’t like it, I find some other way to work that part of my body, but I haven’t really had so much fun being active for a long time, with the exception of some days backpacking. A lot of backpacking is about immersion in nature and meeting constant challenges, but sometimes, it really just is a long slog up a viewless mountain in 85′ heat. Other times, it’s physically fun, climbing over weird terrain along the side of a cliff or scaling a pile of boulders. I used to actually dread that kind of thing, but the last four bits of complex rock terrain I’ve done[1], I actually recall quite fondly! Anything on the A.T. with a bad weather trail is generally awesome.
The only kind of gym I’d actually consider would be CrossFit, and I’m not doing that because it just means I will spend waaaay too much time commuting to a freakin’ gym. It’s certainly a different kind of workout experience, but it’s still mostly about meeting challenges. CrossFit supports a number of sport activities, but most people don’t seem to make time for those, and instead spend their time at the box. I know people get a big sense of accomplishment, but I also note that CrossFit and the Paleo world generally contain a lot of forceful, Type A personalities who are also free-thinkers or libertarians. CF is kind of an anti-gym already, but I sure haven’t seen anything about it that looks painful.
I’m thinking more along the lines of climbing more trees, and when I get back to Virginia, I’m going to hike a section of the Massanutten Trail that’s a knife-edge for a long way. The map is labeled “experienced hikers only”. 
I’ve done it before, so I do know what’s there.
[1] Off the top of my head: Blackstack Cliffs, Laurel Canyon, a big pile of boulders near the Vermont line (with it’s own blue blaze for bad weather) and Albert Mountain.
I do Crossfit at home. I already had a weight set, and I spent maybe another $1000 for some other equipment (pull-up bar, kettlebells, Concept 2 rower, medicine ball, rings). Now my only commute to the Crossfit gym is once every two weeks for a 1-on-1 session with a trainer who helps me with my form and teaches me new skills. He emails me workouts to perform at home in the interim. I figure eventually I’ll have enough background to go it alone.
The variety is great and challenging, and I’m seeing better progress than I ever have working out before.
But climbing trees and clambering over boulders would be more fun.
I have really tried for the last 2-3 months to find things that I enjoy that end up being a workout. I decided to try indoor climbing as I have ALWAYS wanted to learn and I LOVED it. I have not gotten to climb outside yet, but I find driving 25 minutes to the gym, hunting down new partners to climb with, etc is a piece of cake. I would NEVER have done this just to work out in a gym. My husband and I are hiking more as well, I really enjoy getting out into nature. We do hard trails with large elevation climbs to make it a serious workout, but its easy to get out and do that. Climb your trees I say!!
I need to find something that’s not the drudge of a typical workout. Yeah, yay, I lost 40lbs, but I’m still a flabby weakling, and monotonous routines just don’t work for me anymore whether it’s idiot cardio grind in a gym or flinging kettlebells around in the park. BORRRR-ING. Maybe I should check out some martial arts…
I’m switching to CrossFit at home. It supports everything else I want to do, and it doesn’t require much time or equipment. Since I’m still a sissy re: weights, I can start with a weighted bar and then move to an Olympic bar in a couple of months (which is a good deal heavier than the sissy-girly-weighted bar).
I’m getting my CrossFit education in STL since there are several gyms here.
Weights and equipment can be had on Craigslist at for a lot less money, when and if I decide I need weights.
We already have a pull-up bar, but I think we’ll have to move it to accommodate the rings, which I need to work up to actual pull-ups.
Also, medicine ball, jump-box, aforementioned bar and rings and paralettes (home made). I also need a 1 1/2″ Manila rope to throw into a tree, because I do want a more directly fun challenge to work on. And a couple of kettlebells, but those can be had cheap as well.
Just adding basic strength exercises made my last backpacking trip a lot easier – all the problems I had were friction (foot blisters, chafing from pack straps). For the first time ever, I did not fall down once. I really didn’t think my clumsiness was basic weakness. I thought I was just clumsy!