Yes, Working Out Can ‘Count’ as a Hobby

Day in and day out, we dedicate much of our time to completing assignments at work or school, nurturing relationships with family and friends, and ticking off countless errands and chores. But when do we get to take care of ourselves? 

Enter: Hobbies, which are a great way to allocate time and energy towards an activity that brings us joy. Your mind might go to gardening, baking, painting, or playing an instrument—but is working out a hobby too?

On the surface, exercise does seem to check the boxes. After all, we know regular movement can spark joy and leave us with a personal sense of satisfaction. But when does exercise truly “count” as a hobby—and why does it matter in the first place? To get a better sense of the benefits of viewing exercise as a hobby, we asked mental health experts and a Peloton instructor to weigh in.

Is Working Out a Hobby?

Exercise can be considered a hobby with the right mindset. It’s all about your motivation to show up, according to Brian Foster, an associate teaching professor of sport psychology at Florida State University. 

“I would consider working out a hobby when a person engages in it for its own sake,” Foster says. Exercise will feel more like a hobby when it’s considered an intrinsically motivated activity (meaning you work out because it’s fun or you feel personally motivated to do it) versus an extrinsically motivated activity (meaning you work out for external incentives, such as receiving social recognition or a reward for finishing a race). 

Both types of motivation can be useful, and you certainly don’t have to view exercise as a hobby to benefit from it. But there are perks of reframing working out as a fun, internally motivated activity you get to do (instead of some tedious task you have to do). Foster notes that people who engage in activities for intrinsic reasons are much more likely to keep at it long-term. For example, if you start running solely to impress others with your training regimen, your motivation to continue exercising will likely decline in the long haul. By contrast, if you start running because of the mental clarity it brings you or the inner drive you feel to move, that joy and fulfillment will sustain your desire to continue. 

Devin Markle, PsyD, a licensed professional counselor who specializes in sport psychology, agrees. She says that because a hobby is an activity pursued for enjoyment, exercise can definitely be considered a hobby if enjoyment is the goal. But she emphasizes that if the end goal changes—for instance, you start exercising purely to prepare for a long hike you’ve got planned on vacation—then the activity itself may lose its value as a hobby. That’s not a bad thing, of course—it just may change the way you view your workouts. 

How Do You Reframe Working Out as a Hobby?

So we know that if you’re intrinsically motivated to exercise and you work out because you enjoy it, you can consider it a hobby. And we also know that when you have fun moving your body or feel personally motivated to do it, you’re more likely to stick with it in the long haul. But if you’re currently struggling to enjoy exercise or you only work out for external factors and want to change that, how can you shift your mindset? 

Here are a few tips from our experts on how to reframe working out as a hobby.

Shift Your Self-Talk

Having a positive outlook can be just as important for your workout as a full water bottle or the right kind of sneakers. In particular, Markle stresses the importance of self-talk. 

“In sport psychology we often discuss self-talk; it is an important part of how we approach tasks mentally,” she says. “Using phrases like ‘I get to workout’ rather than ‘I have to’ can help us stay motivated and have a positive relationship with the tasks.” 

Try the 10-Minute Rule

If you want to feel more motivated to exercise but find yourself struggling to actually follow through, Peloton instructor Tunde Oyeneyin suggests starting with the 10-minute rule. 

“The 10-minute rule is simple: Make a commitment to yourself to fit in 10 minutes of movement three to four times per week,” she suggests. Walking the dog, hopping on your Peloton Tread, squeezing in a quick Pilates class on your lunch break—these 10 minutes can look like anything you want. However you move, after those 10 minutes are up, “you get to decide what’s next,” Tunde says. “If you need to stop there, great! You already put in the work. If you feel like you have more to offer, keep going!” (There are tons of 10-minute workouts you can explore on the Peloton App!)

Make It Fun with Friends

Oftentimes, the hardest part about turning exercise into a hobby isn’t getting up to work out, but staying consistent. Fortunately, your community can help you get there.

Having a workout buddy not only helps keep you accountable to your fitness routine, but it can also turn exercise into a fun bonding activity that you enjoy even more. Maybe you and your friend take a Peloton ride together and high five one another on the Leaderboard for encouragement along the way, or perhaps you hit the gym together and grab coffee afterward. 

Regardless of your circumstances, “Movement is always better if you have community,” Tunde says, “even if you can’t work out at the same time or if you’re doing different workouts for different lengths of time.”

Return to Your ‘Why’

Remember: A hobby is something that you do purely for the sake of doing it. A person with a woodworking hobby probably isn’t doing it to become a professional carpenter or win an award—rather, they do it purely because they love it. That personal joy and fulfillment is their reason for doing it—so if you want to view exercise as a hobby, consider your own personal “why.”

For example, maybe your love for cycling comes from the post-ride mood lift that turns your whole day around. Or perhaps the main reason you lift weights is the confidence you feel as you crank out your reps. Regardless, “you have to have a reason to show up,” Tunde says. “You have to hold onto your why.”