Do people actually enjoy working out?

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  • markswife1992
    markswife1992 Posts: 262 Member
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    i will be honest, i love working out, weight-lifting, at the gym. it makes me feel so much better about myself, and after, i have so much energy. i love to sweat. the gym is full of men who are bulked-up and they inspire me. the women are heavy lifters, and i love to watch everyone out of the corner of my eye to get new ideas for new lifting routines. i work-out at a gym very close to my home, and they have free childcare, so i really don't have any negatives.
  • CTcutie
    CTcutie Posts: 649 Member
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    I also used to be majorly cranky about exercise- I was single, no kids, had a great job, commute was 30 min so not bad... so, totally lame.
    I actually cried while working out once just bc I hated it SO much!! And all everyone ever says is how great the endorphins feel, blah blah blah. I wanted to punch all those people- WHO were they?! Skinny people, lol. I was very overweight at the time, but I just sucked it up bc that's what healthy adults do, and eventually I got my stuff together :smiley:
  • MeredithDeVoe1
    MeredithDeVoe1 Posts: 67 Member
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    It still depends on the day. Today was good. Some days I feel like I'm running through molasses. Other days I am like Hallelujah!!
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    kas1317 wrote: »
    I really just DO NOT enjoy it. It puts me in a terrible mood.

    hah. i like you.


    with that said, i wouldn't do what i'm doing if i didn't enjoy it. i hate the stuff that i hate far too much.

    it's not like i'm constantly in a state of disney-princess bliss about it. i don't go into the gym escorted by little woodland critters and with bluebirds of joy circling around my head or anything. sometimes just stump in in a totally lunchbucket kind of mood. here i am doing what i do because it's what i do. but stoicism for me has never been the same thing as active hatred.

    i still full-on hate all the forms of exercise that i hate. but idk if i could even tell you why i do the two things i enjoy, which are strength training and cycling. it's just some kind of weird 'click' thing between me and those two specific activities.

  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    edited June 2017
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    With my desk job, I make sure to take frequent walk breaks. My goal is 10,000 steps per day outside of exercise.

    I walk to the campus rec center or the yoga studio right after work. I change at the office. By the time I'm done and driving home, the traffic is much lighter.

    I lift weights, do yoga, and cardio. I hike on the weekends. I love it all!
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    kas1317 wrote: »
    I really just DO NOT enjoy it. It puts me in a terrible mood.

    Why? Bored? Don't like sweating? Unsure what to do? Time? What needs to change for you to enjoy fitness?
  • Bookworm1860
    Bookworm1860 Posts: 54 Member
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    CTcutie wrote: »
    I also used to be majorly cranky about exercise- I was single, no kids, had a great job, commute was 30 min so not bad... so, totally lame.
    I actually cried while working out once just bc I hated it SO much!! And all everyone ever says is how great the endorphins feel, blah blah blah. I wanted to punch all those people- WHO were they?! Skinny people, lol. I was very overweight at the time, but I just sucked it up bc that's what healthy adults do, and eventually I got my stuff together :smiley:

    So, eventually it started to feel good? I'm not there, three years in, I've yet to feel any endorphins. I continue to hate exercise. I am jealous of those who feel good when, and after, they exercise. All it does for me is make me hurt and tired, and grumpy from the hurting and tiredness.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Just wondering if the OP ever came back to read any of the replies/suggestions... :|
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,503 Member
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    How people "work out" is subjective to many people. For instance I've had many people do just yoga or Zumba and say it's the "best" workout ever. If that were all that were available, I probably wouldn't workout.
    Weight lifting on the other hand..................................heaven. I work out just about every day doing some lifting and even on vacation when I go. That's how much I enjoy it.
    It just sounds like you haven't found anything you like to do yet. Open your horizons. Self defense classes are great for many who have stressful commutes and jobs. Something about hitting something does it for them. My most stressed clients kickbox with me for 30 minutes.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
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    I absolutely LOVE lifting weight. I honestly couldn't picture my life without it being part of my routine.

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Bookworm1860 wrote: »
    CTcutie wrote: »
    I also used to be majorly cranky about exercise- I was single, no kids, had a great job, commute was 30 min so not bad... so, totally lame.
    I actually cried while working out once just bc I hated it SO much!! And all everyone ever says is how great the endorphins feel, blah blah blah. I wanted to punch all those people- WHO were they?! Skinny people, lol. I was very overweight at the time, but I just sucked it up bc that's what healthy adults do, and eventually I got my stuff together :smiley:

    So, eventually it started to feel good? I'm not there, three years in, I've yet to feel any endorphins. I continue to hate exercise. I am jealous of those who feel good when, and after, they exercise. All it does for me is make me hurt and tired, and grumpy from the hurting and tiredness.

    What exercise do you do? Have you tried other things?
  • heavensshadow
    heavensshadow Posts: 264 Member
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    Yes and no. Some days I just want it done, and other days I could spend an entire afternoon hiking a trail or sweating outside doing yard work. I especially love how I feel after a run.
    My least favorite part is drumming up the motivation to do it on the days that I just want to go home, watch a horror movie, and stuff my face with beer or ice cream.

    I've also had to get creative with my workouts, since in addition to working FT with a husband/kid and a 30 minute commute to and from work, I also go to school. I've mapped our building's parking lot, and one lap around is just over half a mile. I make 2 laps around at least once a day. And the building also has a tiny gym that I've started using before heading home (I just take a shorter lunch to make up for it on the days I use it). While far from ideal, it keeps me moving and working towards my goal.

    Eventually I *will* be able to get to a gym or purchase my own equipment and I *will* start picking up heavy *kitten* and putting it down again. :grin: Find something you love to do, and do it often! And on the days that it just needs to be done, but your big kid britches on and get after it.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    I absolutely love to work out, seriously having been at the point where I couldn't walk across a room without crutches I fully appreciate everything I can do now. It's taken me a while to discover what I enjoy though, and it's not spending hours on a treadmill/stationary bike/elliptical. I love to challenge my body and push myself to new heights, I love lifting, trying to lift heavier than last month. I love to run longer distances (although I do run/walk intervals) and am always looking to the next challenge (marathon next year then maybe ultra year after). I love all the high intensity work I do in classes, learning to do burpees, press ups, mountain climbers (even though I *kitten* about how I shouldn't have learnt then I wouldn't have to do them). I love the way there's always something new to learn and master. But most of all I love the high I get after a particularly tough session, whether it be a high intensity class or a heavy lifting session or learning to hang from a bar (harder than it looks).
  • Brabo_Grip
    Brabo_Grip Posts: 285 Member
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    I loathe traditional gyms. I get bored very quickly with weights and cardio and that is part of the reason I packed on the pounds in my mid 30s. I discovered BJJ/MMA and was hooked instantly. I dropped 85lbs, kept it off for going on 3 years (15 lb creep around the holidays every year that come off in the spring) and am in the best overall shape of my life. I still don't lift and very rarely run. I get everything I need excercise-wise out of my training. I get antsy and eventually angry if I don't get these "workouts" in. It's as natural and necessary as breathing and eating to me.

    You have to find something you love - not just a "workout."
  • CTcutie
    CTcutie Posts: 649 Member
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    @Bookworm: yes, it has turned around for me a lot! Of course part of it was just losing weight so I had less to move in the first place, but I tried a bunch of different things along the way. Its a process. I liked strength training, and knew that I should try to lift a bit heavier than most of the other women I saw. So I did a circuit 1-2x a week, just to try it out. Then I got into C25K (which was torture; I failed several times around weeks 3-4 before I FINALLY finished the whole series of workouts, repeating sessions and entire weeks if I thought I needed to. When it was done, I think I could only run around 3.2 mph on the treadmill, even! SLOW wins. Then I joined a C25K type group in my town that was new- and finished that, started doing a few 5K races (yup- still "slow"). Added in some casual hiking, walks at work, and now I'm doing Spinning, yoga, and balance/strength training workout my new gym planned for me. The new gym is worth the extra $- I was NOT motivated staying at 10$/month gyms bc of the crowds, noise, etc.
  • CTcutie
    CTcutie Posts: 649 Member
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    PS those "endorphins" only kick in when you can do a "workout" for longer duration, so you need to build endurance to get there. No-one told me that before, and so I thought I couldn't handle it... Once I got to jogging and spinning and hiking for 45 minutes at a clip a few times a week, it started to fall into place. You shouldn't always feel hurt or in pain, either. Sometimes DOMS, but it doesn't need to be after or during every workout you do, that's for sure.
  • ShibaEars
    ShibaEars Posts: 3,928 Member
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    Yes, I really do love working out. It took a few years of quitting and restarting to get to this point though. And that doesn't mean I love it every day. Some days the thought of going to the gym sounds like torture, so you know what? I don't go those days haha.

    Cardio machines bore me, and while I enjoy some weight lifting, I need circuit training, HIIT and cardio group fitness classes to get my heart rate up and get that endorphin rush. I will do DVD's or made up workouts at home if I don't want to drive the 25 minutes to the gym. Walking my dog and hiking outdoors are also fun & don't feel like exercise. In fact, I love working out so much that I now teach a group fitness class at my gym. :smiley:

    I totally agree with previous posters that you need to find an activity YOU enjoy. If you are serious about wanting to exercise, keep trying different things. There are so many options out there that there is bound to be at least one thing you enjoy.
  • Brizey93
    Brizey93 Posts: 9 Member
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    I loathe cardio, but lifting and yoga make me happy.
  • gerla_k
    gerla_k Posts: 495 Member
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    I really enjoy working out and that feeling when you're doing push ups and sweat is dripping from your nose on the floor hahaha. I feel super energized for the day after it.

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