I Hate Exercise

clicketykeys

I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate the way I feel while I'm doing it (tired, out of breath, sometimes nauseated, achey). I hate how I feel afterward (tired and sweaty). I hate the way I feel the next several days (tired, tender, achey). I hate how much time it takes out of my days. I hate how poor it makes me feel, because gym memberships and equipment don't come cheap and most of it I can manage with bodyweight stuff and dumbbells but pull-ups just aren't a possibility.

I hate feeling weak and tired. When I don't exercise, I don't feel weak. I'm able to do everything that my day requires and I have energy for other stuff that I want to do. When I exercise, I feel tired all the time. I'm sick of it. I hate it. Did I mention that I hate it? I don't think it's possible to convey how much I hate it right now.

Therealobi1

Keep at it when you get fitter you will feel better about it

Dutillini

I've always hated it too, but I've tried different types of exercises and found things that work for me. Maybe you need to look around for something that doesn't make you feel tired all the time?

jgnatca

I suggest you give it up and switch to an activity you enjoy. Try a bunch and stick to the ones you like.

Some ideas: bowling, belly dancing, softball, Pokémon Go, Zumba, running, rock climbing, Parkour, Cycling, Hiking, ....

Lifting and cardio can be done to support your activity. I hate exercise all by itself too. But when I combine it with an activity or goal I have I don't lose sight of its purpose.

Alisonswim46

Why are you doing something you hate? There's no hard and fast you rule that you must have a gym membership. Go for walks, take dance classes, hike, yoga, swim! So many things to do and try that you might love!

SylviazSpirit

Maybe you need to change what you are doing? Maybe do more low impact at first and build up? Also, do it at home and skip any fees. The more you do it, the better it gets. I use to hate it and then i found something I really loved....dancing. I started small and built up. Now, I'm doing stuff I NEVER thought I would and I actually enjoy it! So start small, start slower, do something you actually like. The possibilities are endless, but if there isn't at least something you enjoy about it at first, it's hard to stick with. Try new stuff, keep trying until you find what works.... dancing, swimming, walking, kickboxing, water aerobics, zumba, hip hop, ballet, yogax pilates...... There is SO much out there.

dreamsignals

Do you eat enough to support your exercising? If you're on the big caloric deficit, it could be partly responsible for low-energy workouts, slow recovery, etc.

I don't love exercising, but I love climbing. I end up doing lots other exercises in support of my climbing. I don't like low-intensity cardio in general , and the thought of HIIT irks me, but apparently I like jump rope - which is a great warm up for climbing.

RoxieDawn

Oh my goodness.. it seems very unhealthy for you.

Solution to your pocket book, cancel the membership and sell your equipment

solution to your hating exercise, stop doing it. Grandma used to say if "it hurts when you do that, stop doing that". same principle here..

Do something else, you don't have to exercise..it not a prerequisite or anything..maybe find an active hobby.

girlwithcurls2

You are SO not alone here. I hated it for 45 years. And I come from a family with 5 sisters who are athletes. Naturally my family crowned me the "non-athletic one." Nice. FF to now. We're all in our 40s and 50s and guess who is in the best shape? It started slowly, mind you. I started in a dance class that was a combination of cardio, nia, yoga, whatever. It had great music and great people. I really went for that because I grew up believing I couldn't dance either. Then I started "mogging" with my 9-year-old ("mom jogging"--incredibly-barely-above-a-walk jogging). Little by little, I could go farther. Found out that when you jog at a conversational pace, it's kind of fun. Then I hurt my foot and went back to an aqua cardio class after 20 years. Ooh, more fun with great people and music! (Get where this is going? If it's not fun, I'm not doing it.)

At this point, I still run once a week with one of my sisters. We get to work out and have Sister Time. I still do the pool class because it kicks my butt, but sweating in a pool feels great. I learned to swim laps over the past 2 years, so sometimes I do that. A nagging voice on mfp (lots of them) have been reminding me that I really need to be doing a structured weight program. I downloaded You Are Your Own Gym and I love it. Yes, it hurts. Yes, I sweat like a crazy person. But each session is a little different. None of them take longer than 36 minutes, and frankly, I love how strong my body is.

Find something fun. Find someone to do it with. And start slow. How about one or two days a week? Yes, you'll want to work toward more, but if you can put something workable into your life and have fun, you'll be more inclined to find room for other things. Plus, you'll get fitter and you might find that there are things you never even considered before that you now want to try.

Good luck, OP. Keep looking! It's a fun world out there, and fitness is big business, so people are always trying to create new and fun things to draw people like us in

heatherheyns

Find something you love! I got into climbing (bouldering, specifically, so I didn't have to have a partner) and I really enjoy it. This not only givese exercise I love, but weight loss, cardio, and strength training now help me achieve what I want, to climb harder problems. So look around and find an activity you really enjoy!

Cherimoose

clicketykeys wrote: »

I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate the way I feel while I'm doing it (tired, out of breath, sometimes nauseated, achey). I hate how I feel afterward (tired and sweaty). I hate the way I feel the next several days (tired, tender, achey). I hate how much time it takes out of my days. I hate how poor it makes me feel, because gym memberships and equipment don't come cheap and most of it I can manage with bodyweight stuff and dumbbells but pull-ups just aren't a possibility.

I hate feeling weak and tired. When I don't exercise, I don't feel weak. I'm able to do everything that my day requires and I have energy for other stuff that I want to do. When I exercise, I feel tired all the time. I'm sick of it. I hate it. Did I mention that I hate it? I don't think it's possible to convey how much I hate it right now.

Rant noted. Let us know if you have any questions.

Sara1791

Walk, hike, swim, dance, skate, ski, bike. And I'm not even using my imagination.

luv2shimmy

Echoing what everyone else has said. Cancel your gym membership if you hate it so much. I didn't like the gym either. So, I started belly dancing. And I try running a couple of days per week because I enjoy it. I do Tabata a couple of times per week because I need to build strength.

There's a wealth of options out there for you - what are you interested in doing?

runningforthetrain

make sure you are drinking water and fueling your body- I was told to eat something with protein within hour after workout. And as others have suggested --find an active activity that you enjoy.

rickthexpreacher

Don't do it then. Utterly pointless to make yourself a slave to something that obliterates your desired quality of life. I offer no further advice just in case it makes your frame of mind even more negative. I too loath exercise but as I have COPD- a lung disease- I have no option to doing cardio if I'm to avoid being strapped to an oxygen tank 24/7 before expiring within a few months. Also I am lower limb disabled thru a car crash and I need to keep my ankle & knee joints working hard to slow down the creeping arthritis. If you discover a method of my lungs and joints getting stretched without having to exercise, let me know.

ajnb88

I may be wrong, but I suspect that you're pushing yourself too hard and not eating enough to sustain it. Aching sure, if you've hit yourself particularly hard, but nausea, tiredness, breathlessness etc? Sounds like you're forcing your body to do too much on not enough energy.

canadianlbs

clicketykeys wrote: »

I don't think it's possible to convey how much I hate it right now.

for some reason i want to say 'thanks for this.'

amusedmonkey

ajnb88 wrote: »

I may be wrong, but I suspect that you're pushing yourself too hard and not eating enough to sustain it. Aching sure, if you've hit yourself particularly hard, but nausea, tiredness, breathlessness etc? Sounds like you're forcing your body to do too much on not enough energy.

I'm inclined to agree. If it makes you too tired all day and even affects next day then you are likely doing too much and/or not fueling your activity enough. If cardio is hard, start by taking a walk and gradually increasing your speed. If strength training is hard, start by picking up a smaller weight/doing a modified body weight exercise. If you hate the act itself, look for something that you enjoy better. Maybe some some team sports with friends? Some Wii exercise games (if you have one)? "Adventure" type group hikes? Even some goat yoga. The possibilities for all kinds of activities are endless, from conventional to flat out weird.

bketchum1981

I've gone from saying I can do anything for a minute, two minutes, three minutes...you get the picture. I LOVE the group fitness place I've discovered near my home. The instructors and attendees have pushed me beyond where I thought I could ever go in my 50's including my first 5K's this summer. To me it's worth the feeling of being strong!

The most surprising feeling was when I reached in my back pocket and felt the results!!

Chadxx

Exercise is great for you and going to a gym isn't the only way to exercise. There are lots of fun things to do to get exercise. Many are cheap or free and some don't even require you to leave the house.

kimny72

Exercise is just moving. If you hate what you're doing, do something else. Walk, jog, ride a bike, swim, dance in your living room, jump rope while watching TV, do calisthenics and body weight exercises at home, play soccer, do yoga.

What is it that you are trying to accomplish by spending so much time and money on something that makes you miserable? Chances are there is another way to get there. You don't have to be miserable and in pain to get fit or healthy.

Karb_Kween

I hate it too

ROBOTFOOD

I hate resting. But you don't HAVE to exercise in a gym. Go hike a mtn. Rock climb, surf, wakeboard, hell go golf.

Packerjohn

The ability to move is a gift. Don't waste the gift, find some form of movement you like and do it.

girlinahat

dreamsignals wrote: »

Do you eat enough to support your exercising? If you're on the big caloric deficit, it could be partly responsible for low-energy workouts, slow recovery, etc.

I don't love exercising, but I love climbing. I end up doing lots other exercises in support of my climbing. I don't like low-intensity cardio in general , and the thought of HIIT irks me, but apparently I like jump rope - which is a great warm up for climbing.

This sort of thing.

I used to hate exercise that made me sweat. But I enjoyed swing dancing, which made me sweat. Exercise doesn't need to be the gym, it could be walking, hiking, cycling, climbing, dancing etc. I started running to improve my CV fitness and to be a better hiker and dancer. Now I'm starting strength training to be a better runner.

It's about finding something you enjoy. BUT. If you are feeling that lethargic after exercise then two things are going wrong - you are not eating enough to fuel it, and you are pushing the exercise too hard. Lessen the workouts, increase the fuel and work on levelling out the two.

Sara1791

Packerjohn wrote: »

The ability to move is a gift. Don't waste the gift, find some form of movement you like and do it.

Yes. & it's not guaranteed to always be there.

jgnatca

Sara1791 wrote: »

Packerjohn wrote: »

The ability to move is a gift. Don't waste the gift, find some form of movement you like and do it.

Yes. & it's not guaranteed to always be there.

Which reminds me. I passed a stunning fall leaf the other day. Being in a hurry, I didn't pick it up. Now the wind has blown it away and today the snow covers. Opportunity lost.

Sara1791

jgnatca wrote: »

Sara1791 wrote: »

Packerjohn wrote: »

The ability to move is a gift. Don't waste the gift, find some form of movement you like and do it.

Yes. & it's not guaranteed to always be there.

Which reminds me. I passed a stunning fall leaf the other day. Being in a hurry, I didn't pick it up. Now the wind has blown it away and today the snow covers. Opportunity lost.

I stopped and photographed one today. Made me so happy.

billglitch

I used to be a jock now i am just an athletic supporter ;-)

MsRuffBuffNStuff

Just take a walk...it doesn't have to be crazy. If exercise is sucking up your time, energy and finances, something is wrong

cnbbnc

I guess my question is...do you even want to exercise? It just comes off sounding like you're finding every reason in the world why it wont fly for you.

Not every exercise is for everybody, but there is something everybody can find to do and enjoy. It doesn't have to cost money. It doesn't have to leave you breathless or exhausted. It doesn't have to take a lot of time. And it doesn't have to involve pull-ups....

Try some different things and find something that's fun. Or at least tolerable.... There are a ton of things out there. It is hard getting started, I'll give you that. But once you find your niche I think you just might enjoy it. That being said however, the defeatist attitude has to go because what you're doing now is talking yourself out of everything which is going to leave you stagnant.