I hate exercise. No, seriously, I despise it. Yes, I know we need to work out to be healthy, but getting to the gym some days almost seems impossible. I hate going to the gym and seeing the same equipment and doing the same boring exercises.

This summer, I've found so many ways to exercise without "knowing" that I'm exercising. I've learned my preferences and I've found ways to incorporate things that I love with working out. I know for a fact that I'm not the only person who feels this way, so I figured it'd be helpful to share some workouts that I have tried and loved!

Yoga

Okay, I know you're probably sick of everyone and their mother talking about yoga, and I don't blame you. It seems like the yoga culture trend has gotten more hype than the actual workout itself, but I'm telling you this stuff works! I started doing yoga about three or four years ago and it's done wonders for my stress and anxiety. There's nothing better than coming home from a long day of work and getting onto my yoga mat. It doesn't just help you physically, but it also helps you spiritually. No, you won't be shedding pounds like you would in an intensive cardio class, but you'll learn about discipline and the laws of balance.

Hiking

This is probably my favorite of them all. Let me be the first to say that I used to hate the outdoors. I hated the trees. I hated the bugs. I hated the dirt. I despised everything about it. Until I got lost one day and found one of my favorite hiking spots. Somewhere deep in a little forest preserve was a beautiful river that ran through our town. I would've never known it was there until I went wandering. From that point on, I started hiking up to that waterfall a few times a month. It takes at least an hour and a half to hike the entire forest preserve. You don't realize how long you've been walking until you've finished the whole trail. I guess the point that I'm making is to find your waterfall and push yourself to get to it every time.

Swimming

Whether you're heading to the beach or going to a pool, this is a great way to work out. With this Chicago summer being abnormally hot, I take advantage of any chance I get to be in the water. Practicing my front and back strokes have actually made my arms ridiculously sore, but somehow I can't get myself to stop. There's something extremely calming and relaxing about being in the water and feeling weightless. Find a local pool or head to a beach! I mean seriously, who doesn't love the beach?!

Tennis

Okay, I'm definitely no Serena Williams, but this is the one sport that I actually love. I am the least athletic person known to man and it should actually be illegal to allow me near athletic equipment, but tennis is the one sport that I can manage not to hurt myself. I started tennis camps when I was in fifth grade and I fell in love with it. A lot of the times I'll go to a local tennis court and just practice hitting by myself, or I'll drag one of my friends to come play a game with me.

Spend a day in the city

For those of who who do not live near a city, you can ignore this one! I have found myself spending a few weekends downtown and I always come back home being sore AF. You don't realize how much walking you do until you finally sit down and feel how sore your legs are. When I came back home from the city the other day it felt like I had been doing squats for three days straight (maybe I'm just out of shape. I don't know). The point is, once you start walking you sort of forget that you're getting great exercise. Who would've thought that by walking from Canal Street to Michigan Avenue to go shopping would be considered working out?