how to not hate exercise?

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  • brightresolve
    brightresolve Posts: 1,024 Member
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    If you are exhausted after exercise, I would believe you are starting out way too hard.

    If you suspect exercise intolerance, you might want to check with your physician and determine whether there is a physical condition you may need to treat that underlies your aversion.

    If your doctor rules out physical, and you really care about being stronger and the health benefits of exercise, possibly some therapy focused around this? I say this as a person who has benefited immensely, no judging here!

    If you are just working with your own attitude about exercise: nice looking, well-fitting, comfortable, kinda cute workout clothes and shoes are motivating even if you are the only one who sees them. Good tech fabrics reduce chafing/itching/sweating to almost nothing. Plus once you invest, there's the added motivation of using them so you don't waste the money :)

    Do you enjoy music? earbuds, cute workout clothes, dance in the living room while hubs is out running, shower, DONE.

    Yoga is wonderful ... and there are tons of online resources from demanding to contemplative. Again cute workout clothes, go.

    The new wearable fitness devices are great for tracking progress in goals. Step counting and heart rate monitoring are not just for athletes, they're for everyone trying to get stronger. Trick it out like jewelry, load the phone app and it's fun, too.

    Best of luck with improving your health :)
  • laurenq1991
    laurenq1991 Posts: 384 Member
    edited February 2019
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    englishmuffinruns wrote: »
    As @clicketykeys said, you basically have to suck it up and do it. Which do you hate more? Working out or lacking the strength you say you want?

    Part of the problem is that I don't know that working out would even do anything for that. When I was on the track team and doing intense runs and conditioning workouts 6 days a week for 2 to 2.5 hours a day, I didn't feel any different about my body and didn't think I looked much different either. I also didn't feel any stronger. In fact quite the opposite, I felt like my body was falling apart at the seams. So while society constantly talks up the benefits of exercise I've never really seen it. It never gave me more energy either, quite the opposite.
    lx1x wrote: »
    Ppl can give you advice all day.. not gonna matter unless you give up the "I hate"..

    Unless is medical reason that you can't. That's different story.

    Well that's part of the problem. I don't know if there is a medical reason or not. I don't know if it's normal to feel completely drained for the entire rest of the day after working out. It doesn't seem that other people have that problem.
  • laurenq1991
    laurenq1991 Posts: 384 Member
    edited February 2019
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    brightresolve wrote: »
    If you are exhausted after exercise, I would believe you are starting out way too hard.

    I don't think I am though because for example I can only run like a 12 minute mile now (as opposed to around 7 minutes when I was on the track team) and it still completely exhausts me.
    If you suspect exercise intolerance, you might want to check with your physician and determine whether there is a physical condition you may need to treat that underlies your aversion.

    I've gotten a bunch of tests and they have never found anything except low vitamin D.
    If your doctor rules out physical, and you really care about being stronger and the health benefits of exercise, possibly some therapy focused around this? I say this as a person who has benefited immensely, no judging here!

    Therapy isn't an option for me due to past abuses by a therapist. I have OCD and PTSD too but can't get treatment.
    If you are just working with your own attitude about exercise: nice looking, well-fitting, comfortable, kinda cute workout clothes and shoes are motivating even if you are the only one who sees them. Good tech fabrics reduce chafing/itching/sweating to almost nothing. Plus once you invest, there's the added motivation of using them so you don't waste the money :)

    Actually whenever I wear synthetic clothes to work out I itch really badly. I can only wear cotton pants and a cotton t-shirt.
    Do you enjoy music? earbuds, cute workout clothes, dance in the living room while hubs is out running, shower, DONE.

    Whenever I work out to music it just ends up ruining the music. I usually work out to the PBS News Hour or a true crime podcast. But finding media to play in the background isn't really the problem. It feels pointless even if I do that.
    Yoga is wonderful ... and there are tons of online resources from demanding to contemplative. Again cute workout clothes, go.

    I might look into it. I still don't really understand how it qualifies as a workout though.
    Best of luck with improving your health :)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't really see how exercise takes up half of your day. I lift weights a couple times per week during my lunch break...getting clothes on, getting to the gym, working out and getting back to work takes me all of an hour out of my day.

    Because it makes me so exhausted that I can hardly get anything done the rest of the day.
  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,310 Member
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    laurenq1991 wrote: »

    Well that's part of the problem. I don't know if there is a medical reason or not. I don't know if it's normal to feel completely drained for the entire rest of the day after working out. It doesn't seem that other people have that problem.

    When's the last time you saw a doctor.. check your blood work etc?

    Start there..
  • brightresolve
    brightresolve Posts: 1,024 Member
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    laurenq1991 wrote: »
    I don't know if there is a medical reason or not. I don't know if it's normal to feel completely drained for the entire rest of the day after working out. It doesn't seem that other people have that problem.

    Make an appointment with your physician, discuss these issues, and find out.

    My experience is when I dive into a new exercise program or intensify, I have a couple of tough weeks with feeling tired, needing more sleep, needing good calories (protein and healthy carbs!) and having sore muscles. This is adaptation. Rest days build the muscle, so those 6-day weeks from high school may not be your friend now that you're not a teenager (I assume?)

    You are not the only person who has a hard time choosing to exercise. Every time I let myself get deconditioned it's hard to want to start up again. Hugs and good luck!
  • laurenq1991
    laurenq1991 Posts: 384 Member
    edited February 2019
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    englishmuffinruns wrote: »
    If you feel that bad after working out, you really should see a doctor. You could be anemic, have a thyroid issue, or any number of things. Last year I started falling asleep at 8:00pm, after working and going to the gym. I felt like crap. Had some tests done and it turns out I have myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease that can cause weakness and fatigue. I'm by no means saying YOU have this, but if you feel that bad you aren't doing yourself any favors not to be seen by a physician.

    Blood tests have ruled out anemia and thyroid issues, and it's possible something else is causing the problem but whatever it is, they haven't found it. The weird thing is that I have chronic insomnia and even though exercise exhausts me, it doesn't help me go to bed any earlier when I do exercise.
    lx1x wrote: »
    When's the last time you saw a doctor.. check your blood work etc?

    Start there..

    Last August (in fact it wasn't just a regular blood test, it was an endocrinologist and they tested all my hormones) and they didn't find anything.
  • StargazerB
    StargazerB Posts: 425 Member
    edited February 2019
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    Low vitamin D will absolutely cause fatigue and it can cause depression. Has your doctor prescribed you a supplement?
  • laurenq1991
    laurenq1991 Posts: 384 Member
    edited February 2019
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    MommyLifts3 wrote: »
    Low vitamin D will absolutely cause fatigue and it can cause depression. Has your doctor prescribed you a supplement?

    Yes. Unfortunately, taking them is another thing I have trouble remembering to do every day. I usually only remember at night and it's not recommended to take them at night because they could cause insomnia. I did take them almost every day for a few weeks recently though and it didn't really seem to help.
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I also honestly have to wonder if part of the problem is how you are defining "exercise" based on some of your responses. If you don't have specific fitness goals other than all-around wellness, just work out at a lower pace/lower weight/shorter time so you aren't exhausted. The goal of exercise isn't to be huffing and puffing and sweating. It's just to get your heart rate up a bit or challenge your muscles a little to keep them strong or to stretch yourself out a little so you stay limber.

    It's hard to be much slower than an 11 to 12-minute mile.
  • englishmuffinruns
    englishmuffinruns Posts: 70 Member
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    Get a second opinion. Get a third opinion. It took four physicians to figure out that I had MG. It took SIX OB-GYNs to find one who agreed that I needed a hysterectomy and didn't tell me to suck it up and wait for menopause.

    Point being - YOU are your best advocate for your health and well-being. If your current physician can't figure out what's wrong, keep going until you find someone who can. If your vitamin D is low, and you're not being treated, ask WHY. Ask what else could be going on, if it's not thyroid or anemia.
  • laurenq1991
    laurenq1991 Posts: 384 Member
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    englishmuffinruns wrote: »
    Get a second opinion. Get a third opinion. It took four physicians to figure out that I had MG. It took SIX OB-GYNs to find one who agreed that I needed a hysterectomy and didn't tell me to suck it up and wait for menopause.

    Point being - YOU are your best advocate for your health and well-being. If your current physician can't figure out what's wrong, keep going until you find someone who can. If your vitamin D is low, and you're not being treated, ask WHY. Ask what else could be going on, if it's not thyroid or anemia.

    Unfortunately the problem is that whenever doctors find out I have mental health issues, they just assume everything is caused by that.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    laurenq1991 wrote: »
    MommyLifts3 wrote: »
    Low vitamin D will absolutely cause fatigue and it can cause depression. Has your doctor prescribed you a supplement?

    Yes. Unfortunately, taking them is another thing I have trouble remembering to do every day. I usually only remember at night and it's not recommended to take them at night because they could cause insomnia. I did take them almost every day for a few weeks recently though and it didn't really seem to help.
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I also honestly have to wonder if part of the problem is how you are defining "exercise" based on some of your responses. If you don't have specific fitness goals other than all-around wellness, just work out at a lower pace/lower weight/shorter time so you aren't exhausted. The goal of exercise isn't to be huffing and puffing and sweating. It's just to get your heart rate up a bit or challenge your muscles a little to keep them strong or to stretch yourself out a little so you stay limber.

    It's hard to be much slower than an 11 to 12-minute mile.

    I take 50k Vit D, once a week - as prescribed by my doctor. Yours may or may not make a similar recommendation. Just FYI. ;);) (Totally not giving medical advice here!)
  • englishmuffinruns
    englishmuffinruns Posts: 70 Member
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    Maybe you should ask your mental health professional if they can refer you to someone who would be more understanding.

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