exercise: what if i HATE EVERYTHING?

rothko999

so i'm 47 and it seems like i'm gaining a pound every day lately. i know i need to get moving -- i'm a very sedentary person. but i HATE working out. i don't like sports. yoga doesn't seem like it would be any help in losing weight. i lost 50 pounds with weight watchers a couple years ago, and i was managing to keep it off... until i started grad school this past fall... then i started stress-eating and slacking on my habits and pretty soon ten extra pounds just magically reappeared. doesn't help that i'm going through menopause these days either. like i said, i know i need to get moving on a regular basis but i don't even know where to start since i really do hate exercise, and "just find something you like!" is not helpful. "you should do it so you don't get sick when you're older" is also true but very abstract and not all that motivating in the moment. uuuuuuugh.

Theoldguy1

Do you have children or a partner? How about thinking of the benefits for someone that loves you and you love.

Do you want to subject them to helping you bathroom when you lose mobility and strength due to your lifestyle?

Panini911

walking is a fine exercise. find others who enjoy walking to go with to make it more entertaining.

and do little things like parking farther away to get more walking in just in your day to day life.

texasredreb

If you don't like exercise, don't do it! Just mind your calories (eat in a deficit) and you'll be golden. You could passively exercise by parking a little further away at work/shopping/etc; taking the stairs once in a while; thoroughly cleaning your house; doing yard work, etc.

snowflake954

Panini911 wrote: »

walking is a fine exercise. find others who enjoy walking to go with to make it more entertaining.

and do little things like parking farther away to get more walking in just in your day to day life.

This^^^ . Do you like to walk? It's just fine as exercise, doesn't cost money, you can do it anytime, can do it singly or with a partner or group, you can wear what you want ( just get a good pair of walking shoes), and you can walk as far and as fast as you want. Hard to beat.

IsETHome

We are of similar age - so I will be straight here. I supposed the first question is what is your weight and height. After that it's math. You will keep getting bigger if you don't move more and/or eat less. But you HAVE been through the drill. You lost 50lbs, you watched your weight. If you don't actively watch it, and your habits are bad - you WILL gain. FREEWILL. If you hate everything about exercise, and choose not to do anything, and have bad eating habits you can accept the fact you will keep getting bigger. You "don't" have to exercise, if you don't especially then you need to eat a very low calorie diet and work with a nutritionist. I live a sedentary life at work (desk job and then I teach at my desk online or am a writer), I can only lose weight when I eat about 1100 cals a day, and swim/water jog 3-4 times a week for an hour. My metabolism is SLOW. I am working with my doctor, a wellness coach - so my intake is monitored - and this app religiously. I have started to add a 20 minute walk at night around the block on days I don't swim, its slow maybe 100 cals reduction. Also change how you view exercise - its too bad you don't enjoy being active (sightseeing, biking, hiking, laser tag, gardening, volunteering (earth day etc - that can all be exercise)), you may wish to talk to a therapist about your barriers to movement - especially if NOT physically limited. Why do you hate exercise? Did someone tease you when you were a kid in gym class? I have a spine issue I have to be mindful about, and that creates some limitations. Consider yourself LUCKY to be able to move. I had a friend who was in the MIL and became a quadriplegic - he said if he ever recovered his feeling (which he did not), he would run run run - I've always remembered that moving is a privilege that not everyone has. So get up and be thankful you can move, breath. You asked the question - I've answered.

lovelylosses

Your headline made me giggle. But seriously, if you don't like exercise, don't do it - for now. Just concentrate on your calories. I do think that strength training / walking / balance work is ESSENTIAL as you get older. That's the way I feel any how. My goal is to keep active, because "move it or lose it", as they say. I'm sure you don't want to lose your mobility or fall & break a hip, etc when you're older. Maybe that's not motivating now, but imagine how you'll feel in the future - really put yourself in your body in that kind of pain... is that something you want for yourself?

For motivation, I would take it one day at a time. Each day, do something SMALL that you didn't think you liked and/or didn't think you could do - ie: 10 squats. 10 minutes of yoga. A few laps around the block. A short bike ride. 7 minutes of bicep curls and shoulder presses with light weights. Over time, those small gains will add up and I truly think you'll feel the benefits, both mental and physical. You'll also feel a certain sense of pride in yourself for pushing your body beyond what you thought it was capable of / what it likes to do. There's so much to be gained, even from gentle exercise - eventually, push through your dislike and just do it!

kimny72

So focus on logging your food and hitting your calorie goal. All you need is to be in a deficit to lose weight, or eating your maintenance calories to maintain weight.

You can resign yourself to eating at a lower calorie level because you are sedentary, or you can do more and eat more.

If "I want my heart and lungs and blood vessels and joints and muscles to be healthy and strong" isn't motivation enough, I'm not sure what else would be.

My exercise is pretty much much walking and weight training. I don't go to the gym. I find I am generally more energetic, less moody, and make better food choices when I'm active. YMMV. :drinker:

slbbw

Well first any exercise is good. So if yoga seems interesting to you, try it out. it can be great for weightloss because it activates muscles used for balance and you get a mild strength workout. If you are under stress and it helps to manage your stress eating that is also a win. You say you do not like exercise. Are there activities you do like? do you like art, or gardens. Fitting in trips to museums and new gardens can be great exercise. What about hiking. surely there is something you like that does not involve sitting still. It seems like you may need to redefine what you call exercise.

Machka9

rothko999 wrote: »

so i'm 47 and it seems like i'm gaining a pound every day lately. i know i need to get moving -- i'm a very sedentary person. but i HATE working out. i don't like sports. yoga doesn't seem like it would be any help in losing weight. i lost 50 pounds with weight watchers a couple years ago, and i was managing to keep it off... until i started grad school this past fall... then i started stress-eating and slacking on my habits and pretty soon ten extra pounds just magically reappeared. doesn't help that i'm going through menopause these days either. like i said, i know i need to get moving on a regular basis but i don't even know where to start since i really do hate exercise, and "just find something you like!" is not helpful. "you should do it so you don't get sick when you're older" is also true but very abstract and not all that motivating in the moment. uuuuuuugh.

Walk to get around, rather than driving. I take the bus into the city, but from there, I walk. I walk between work and uni and to catch buses and to shop etc. etc. It's easy to get anywhere from 2-5 km/day.

If you do drive, park some distance away and walk from there. Several of my coworkers park about 2 km from where we work and walk from there.

Take the stairs whenever you can. Climb a few extra flights when possible.

Be inefficient. When the commercial comes on TV, stand up, pick up one thing and put it away or clean one thing or fold one thing. I end up walking back and forth in my house many times in an evening.

InspectorRed

I'm going to be blunt and say it sounds like "attitude" may be your issue. The word HATE is a very strong word and if that is how you feel about getting active, I don't know that any suggestion given here is going to help you. You are in grad school so obviously you have to have some drive/ambition, and there are probably parts of continuing your education that you aren't fond of but know it must be done to achieve your goal; maybe try using some of that drive/ambition to try to achieve your goal of weight loss even if that includes things you aren't that fond of...

rothko999

i'm 5'9" and about 155. i'd like that to be about 147. so it's not like i have a HUGE amount to lose, but i see the scale going *up* instead of down lately and i'd really like to at least maintain if not lose. weight watchers changed the way they do the "points" though, and it just doesn't work for me the way they're doing it now. i lost that 50 lbs by just eating differently and better, never actually added any activity. counting calories has not worked for me in the past, but i guess i'll try it again. it's just hard when i have 600 calories left at 3pm and have no idea what else is left for me to eat. i haven't got a clue how many calories a given item even is. it just makes me anxious and panicky.

i do like to walk... summers here in austin are absolutely unbearable, though, and i don't tolerate heat very well -- i can easily end up in heat exhaustion if i'm not careful. also, i need to be careful about plantar fasciitis. i suppose i could always join the ranks of the early morning mall-walkers. that's just depressing though.

Mbierschbach

I actually enjoy working out but on those days I feel tired, or blah, or sick, or whatever I think of this. Every day this. Whether it's seeing an elderly person shuffle just to get around or a person in a wheelchair I think of this.

Theoldguy1

Mbierschbach wrote: »

I actually enjoy working out but on those days I feel tired, or blah, or sick, or whatever I think of this. Every day this. Whether it's seeing an elderly person shuffle just to get around or a person in a wheelchair I think of this.

For sure. I'd hate it if I got to the point I couldn't exercise

mom23mangos

rothko999 wrote: »

i'm 5'9" and about 155. i'd like that to be about 147. so it's not like i have a HUGE amount to lose, but i see the scale going *up* instead of down lately and i'd really like to at least maintain if not lose. weight watchers changed the way they do the "points" though, and it just doesn't work for me the way they're doing it now. i lost that 50 lbs by just eating differently and better, never actually added any activity. counting calories has not worked for me in the past, but i guess i'll try it again. it's just hard when i have 600 calories left at 3pm and have no idea what else is left for me to eat. i haven't got a clue how many calories a given item even is. it just makes me anxious and panicky.

i do like to walk... summers here in austin are absolutely unbearable, though, and i don't tolerate heat very well -- i can easily end up in heat exhaustion if i'm not careful. also, i need to be careful about plantar fasciitis. i suppose i could always join the ranks of the early morning mall-walkers. that's just depressing though.

It sounds like you lack planning. You shouldn't have to put yourself in the position of ending up with calories at 3pm and not knowing what is left for you eat. If you plan out your meals ahead of time, there will be no anxiety. Make a weekly meal plan, prep all your food, weigh and log it AHEAD OF TIME into MFP. You will then guarantee you hit your calorie and macro goals. All you have to do is eat what you said you were going to eat, when you said you were going to eat it. Guaranteed weight loss.

PrincessMel72

You mention that you don't have a clue how many calories a given item has - you can look almost ANY food up on MFP's database or by Googling.

Do you have access to a pool? Swimming is one of the best exercises you can do and even if you don't swim laps, just swimming around helps. Or water aerobics. I live in FL and walking outside during summer is unbearable but my pool saves me!

Good luck. I hate exercise too, but I like to eat and when I get moving, I get to eat more so that's the only reason I do!

lorrpb

rothko999 wrote: »

so i'm 47 and it seems like i'm gaining a pound every day lately. i know i need to get moving -- i'm a very sedentary person. but i HATE working out. i don't like sports. yoga doesn't seem like it would be any help in losing weight. i lost 50 pounds with weight watchers a couple years ago, and i was managing to keep it off... until i started grad school this past fall... then i started stress-eating and slacking on my habits and pretty soon ten extra pounds just magically reappeared. doesn't help that i'm going through menopause these days either. like i said, i know i need to get moving on a regular basis but i don't even know where to start since i really do hate exercise, and "just find something you like!" is not helpful. "you should do it so you don't get sick when you're older" is also true but very abstract and not all that motivating in the moment. uuuuuuugh.

You don't have to exercise if you don't want to, despite the many health and fitness benefits. If this is too abstract (bold) I suggest you spend time in a nursing home or help care for an elderly person who is in failing health. It would help out someone else and make this more real.

hesn92

What about walking. Make it a habit. Every evening after dinner, say, go for a 30 minute walk. Maybe find some nice trails to go on to get out in nature.

You can also just fake it til you make it. Most people don't like exercise when they start out but once you get into the habit you realize how good it makes you feel, and you know that you are taking care of your body, that you end up enjoying it. Use it or lose it. Watching different people age, those who are active vs those who are not, what a difference.

AnnofB

I live in the deep South and I sort of lose the will to live when walking in the summer heat. Years ago I stumbled on exercise videos specifically geared as low impact. The moves consist of side steps, knee lifts, kicks, etc... no jumping. There are lot's of good workouts on youtube. Search for walking workouts. Leslie Sansone and Jessica Smith are good instructors. Invest in a good pair of tennis shoes. Have you thought of weight lifting? Plenty of workouts on youtube for that too. I started lifting weights because I wanted to be strong and it also occurred to me that I don't want to end up in a wheelchair like some relatives. Or if that is my fate, I want to at least be able to transfer myself from chair to bed or whatever with no assistance. I want to stay active as long as I can. Doing nothing means that slowly over time you won't be able to do for yourself. Use it or lose it is a real thing.

If you can conceive it, think of exercise as a "necessary evil." It's going to keep your heart healthy, it's going to strengthen your bones and joints and it will even improve your mood by lowering your stress level. You might even grow to love it.

Good luck to you,
Ann

P.S. Just remembered something that motivates me: A friend posted a quote: "When motivation fails, fall back on discipline." There are many times we have to do things we don't want to do. Just do it. Another one: "You never regret the workout you did."

mariabee

I think your mindset right now is just in a negative space, so you will find any excuse to not exercise (too hot, your feet hurt; too busy; too stressed) - that's all of us. Look at the positives that exercise brings: mental clarity (great for your studies); stress reducer; you'll meet new people. Try something new, try Zumba, pilates... you have a million options, you've just got to do it. Just Do It.

AnnofB

Mbierschbach wrote: »

I actually enjoy working out but on those days I feel tired, or blah, or sick, or whatever I think of this. Every day this. Whether it's seeing an elderly person shuffle just to get around or a person in a wheelchair I think of this.

Awesome! Thank you for this!