Why Fun Is the Best Fitness Strategy After 55
Somewhere in a class this week, someone will laugh so hard they lose count of their reps (usually me, to be fair). Good. That's the class working.
Fun isn't the treat you get for surviving the exercise. Done properly, fun is the exercise. And if you reckon you've earned the sort that's actually good, you're right.
Proper fun, not the fake kind
There's a counterfeit version doing the rounds. Grinning through your ninth identical rep while somebody hollers encouragement at you. That isn't fun. That's endurance with a soundtrack.
The real thing feels different. You learn a movement you've never done before. Andy walks you through a Tai Chi form that makes no sense at all until suddenly it does. Row's Zumba playlist reaches your feet before your brain has agreed to anything.
New skills, then, and a pile of instructors who each know something you don't.
Then there's the company. A hello at the start, a laugh along the way, a wave at the end. And later, someone in the members' WhatsApp says the exact thing you were thinking, and you laugh again, because you were both there.
Mandy summed it up: “Not only are his exercises excellent and geared to all levels, his classes are hugely entertaining. James makes them fun with his laughter.”
Which is a generous way of saying I laugh at my own jokes. She's not wrong.
What the science says
Enjoyment is the thing that makes the rest of it happen.
A 2025 review of what keeps people exercising found the main factor was doing it because you want to, with enjoyment at the front of that [1]. When researchers asked what actually gets people turning up, enjoyable, sociable and convenient all outranked the health benefits. Very few people said they were active for the health benefits alone [2]. Ask people why they exercise and fun comes back as one of the most common answers [3].
Programmes built around fun keep people going long after the programme stops. One German study taught karate, table tennis, handball and archery to people over 60. Around 97% were still training regularly after it ended, and a year on, 87% held a sports club membership [4].
Playing about counts as training, too. When researchers measured a game-based activity called Boccia XR, the muscle load came out comparable to walking on a treadmill. It also lifted people's mood more than the treadmill did [5].
Company multiplies all of it. In a study of a community sports club, the people who joined the group sessions were about 3.6 times more likely to still be exercising regularly months later [6]. Social connection keeps showing up as a reason people carry on [7], and how welcome the instructor makes you feel shapes whether you come back at all [8].
Having a say in when and where you exercise, mixing up what you do so it never goes stale, and pitching the difficulty so you feel capable: those do more for sticking with it than willpower ever will [9].
Every daft dance step is buying you balance. Every laugh is buying you next week.
Quick questions, straight answers
Does enjoying exercise actually matter?
More than almost anything else. A 2025 review found that doing it because you want to, enjoyment most of all, was the main factor in whether people kept exercising [1]. In another study, people rated exercise being enjoyable and sociable as more important than the health benefits [2].
Isn't fun exercise less effective than a proper workout?
No. Researchers measuring a game-based activity called Boccia XR found the muscle load was comparable to walking on a treadmill, and it lifted people's mood more [5]. Dancing, Zumba and Tai Chi all load your muscles, work your balance and get you puffing. Your body doesn't know it's meant to be serious.
What if I find exercise boring?
Then you haven't met the right class yet. Variety is what stops exercise going stale, and having a say in what you do makes you far more likely to stick with it [9]. With 15+ live classes a week and 1,000+ on-demand videos, you can keep hunting until something clicks.
Does doing it with other people help?
Hugely. At one community sports club, people who joined the group sessions were about 3.6 times more likely to still be exercising months later [6]. Social connection is one of the main reasons people carry on [7], and Jim's Gym classes are live on Zoom with a private members' WhatsApp group of 219 behind them.
How do I find exercise I enjoy?
Try things, keep the ones that make you smile. Book a class you've never done, then another one. Feeling capable matters, so start where the difficulty suits you [9]. Many Jim's Gym classes offer seated and standing options, and free live workouts run in the Friends of Jim's Gym Facebook group.
Your next step
Start with the free Fitness MOT. Five exercises at home, no scoring, and you retake it every four to six weeks to watch things shift.
Then join Jim’s Gym and go hunting for your fun. It's £12.99 a month with a 30-day money-back guarantee, no contracts and no joining fees. Join for the year and get 2 months on me.
Pick the class that looks the most ridiculous. Do that one first. It's never too late.
Our affordable monthly membership is great for those just starting out or may need to take a break for a big adventure! The yearly option gives you two months FREE membership with a 30 day money back guarantee.
References
1. J. Villone and F. Correa, "Physical activity in older adults: benefits, risks of inactivity, and motivational factors", SAP Primary Care, 2025. doi:10.62486/pc20256
2. E. Boulton, M. Horne and C. Todd, "Multiple influences on participating in physical activity in older age: developing a social ecological approach", Health Expectations, 2017. doi:10.1111/hex.12608
3. J. Cancela, K. Pereira, I. Mollinedo, M. Ferreira and P. Bezerra, "Reasons why older adults engage in physical exercise: comparative study eastern Europe versus southern Europe", Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 2020. doi:10.1123/japa.2019-0450
4. A. Schumacher, M. Krumpolt, L. Sannemann and K. Witte, "Influence of a sport-oriented exercise concept on motor performance and sustainability in healthy but sporting-inactive older adults aged 60+", Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2026. doi:10.3389/fspor.2026.1702331
5. M. Kataoka et al., "Is Boccia XR an enjoyable and effective rehabilitation exercise for older adults?", PLoS ONE, 2025. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0320369
6. K. Kawaguchi, M. Yokoyama, K. Ide and K. Kondo, "Associations between group exercise and exercise adherence among older community-dwelling adults who attend a community sports club: Resol no Mori Wellness Age Club longitudinal study", Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi (Japanese Journal of Geriatrics), 2022, 59(1):79-89. doi:10.3143/geriatrics.59.79
7. B. Jin and E. Roumell, “Older adults' motivation and volition in sustaining exercise after a structured program”, Innovation in Aging, 2025. doi:10.1093/geroni/igaf122.3985
8. C. Killingback, F. Tsofliou and C. Clark, “Older people's adherence to community-based group exercise programmes: a multiple-case study”, BMC Public Health, 2017. doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4049-6
9. T. Palombi et al., "Motivation, psychological needs and physical activity in older adults: a qualitative review", Age and Ageing, 2025. doi:10.1093/ageing/afaf180