How has exercise improved your life?
NorthCascades
Posts: 10,968 Member
There are a lot of threads saying people hate exercise, struggle to find motivation, etc. I thought this would be a fun, life-affirming topic, and your story could make it easier for people to find motivation on days when it's a struggle.
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Replies
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Exercise really lifted me mentally. Sometimes, when you're a bit depressed or low, and you find it hard to like yourself, exercise helps immeasurably. When you know that you exercised seriously, even if it was just something fairly small, you get a boost.
In that part of you where you can't lie to yourself, you know that you did something positive and it feels good. When you keep doing it, you gain more and more self respect, because you know deep down inside that you're working hard and you respect yourself for it, it's a really good feeling.
I wasn't diagnosed as being depressed or anything, but I was in a pretty down state once. Exercise brought me out of it so hard that I suddenly realized just how blue I had been, how happy I was now and how much respect I had gained for myself.
Exercise is amazing for your self esteem and your general mental outlook.15 -
Weight training frames my life really. It’s like a structure I really enjoy it as a switch off from work and life stresses. And my dance aerobics classes are fun and the choreography is good for my brain though I’m never gonna be a dancer.
My body feels better when it’s moving. I also think I eat better when I work out. It’s like a positive reinforcement.6 -
I used to hate exercise I did not want to move this was when I was at my heaviest.
But I was honest to myself I'd always felt better when I did exercise and I also realised that I was uusually thinner then. I looked at when in my life I felt happiest, analysed what was in my life then and missing now. I started copying and/or working toward building my life to that base again.
It meant starting up yoga and walking more I started with some of the things I liked then and guess what I was hard it so so hard! Not as much fun as I had remembered it to be (mind you those extra 20Kgs did nog hep)
But I persevered and all of a sudden realised that it was not that hard to incorporate a walk a day. There was no need to do my shopping any other way but to walk. There was no real need to watch TV sit at the computer if instead I could go for a short walk.
From there my mindset git better my body got better and my mental heath got better. As my exercise increased so did my mental stamina. Exercise had become my go to way to deal with stress over food and I am finding that the pay off is much better.4 -
This is such a big question I couldn’t even try to answer it here.
Enough to say, I am someone who hated exercise when I started, and now have a mild dislike.
I have turned it into training. Not quite that though. I love to travel, I love getting all the experience I can get out of my travels, so I train for them.
Paddling through irrigation canals in India to learn how to make rope.
Hiking up sand dunes (really really big ones) to watch the sun set over the Arabian Desert.
Snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea.
Rock climbing, rappelling, etc in Mexico.
Pony trekking and leading the pony up through a tropical forest to swim in a pool.
These experiences, and so many more, couldn’t have been achieved without my 1x 60 x 5 day a week (min) dreaded exercise routines.
In a nutshell, I am experiencing life, not sat on the bus watching it pass me by.
Cheers, h.20 -
I met my husband through long distance cycling.
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middlehaitch wrote: »This is such a big question I couldn’t even try to answer it here.
Enough to say, I am someone who hated exercise when I started, and now have a mild dislike.
I have turned it into training. Not quite that though. I love to travel, I love getting all the experience I can get out of my travels, so I train for them.
Paddling through irrigation canals in India to learn how to make rope.
Hiking up sand dunes (really really big ones) to watch the sun set over the Arabian Desert.
Snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea.
Rock climbing, rappelling, etc in Mexico.
Pony trekking and leading the pony up through a tropical forest to swim in a pool.
These experiences, and so many more, couldn’t have been achieved without my 1x 60 x 5 day a week (min) dreaded exercise routines.
In a nutshell, I am experiencing life, not sat on the bus watching it pass me by.
Cheers, h.
Thanks for the reminder You are so right mentioning this wrt to travel Life becomes so much more with any form of exercise it The memories started flooding back with your post.
I did the Tongariro Alpine Crossing Something I always wanted to do but as it is such a huge hike scared me and I never dared. Now I did it and want to do it again
I also went Sea Kayaking Never ever though of going on an adventure like that before.
I am walking long distance bikes and find it both helps my mental state but also the huge sense of achievement (y record is 36km) but also Waked Hadrian's Wall and rediscovered my love of history. I Walked the Great Glenn Walkway and saw parts of Scotland I would have missed otherwise.
Luxemburg showed me a different side when walking up and down their hills.
The really fun things you can do when you start to learn that exercise leads to great memories and experiences I guess is one of the best things6 -
For me its the two things, losing weight AND regular exercise. The exercise sure boosts energy levels and raises stamina for all sorts of things. Plus I love being strong and able to lift heavy things. I can hardly remember a time now when I didn't work out, but that's probably because I have consistently been doing so for almost 8 years....and the habit has stuck. I'm working today to keep my future self healthy, strong and fit 6
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Rowing is just so much fun!
I get to be on a beautiful river, seeing how it changes with weather and seasons. I'm out in the fresh air and (sometimes) sunshine. I see wildlife, and get to observe them doing things most people miss. (Have you ever had swans fly close by you, at speed? Their wings make an amazing soft but powerful, musical whooping sound!)
Many of my best friends are rowers, and I have friends around the country I've met at rowing camp. I've gotten to row in the Charles River basin in downtown Boston at night, and after dark on a remote section of New Hampshire river: Both amazingly beautiful and so different. I've rowed in Florida, and Vermont, and more.
Rowing is mentally challenging: It's very technical, so there are always things to learn and improve. That's fun and stimulating. I need to know my body well, and sense intuitively how it's moving, at a very detailed level. Developing those skills helped me in daily life (as did the better strength, balance, etc.)
It was really exciting and gratifying to discover what I could learn and do physically. I'd been one of those "picked last in gym class" kids, and thought of myself as inherently clumsy and incapable.
Rowing was so fun, though, that I just kept chipping away at it, and I eventually surprised myself with my physical accomplishments. I even won some place medals!
And that lesson of applied patience and persistence has carried over into learning other rewarding but slow things (I'm working on visual arts skills, and learning to play bluegrass banjo now
).
I love rowing so much it got me to do other physical things to stay in shape in off-season or to improve capabilities for it. Some of those turned out to be fun, and made me more friends, too.
I'm a cancer survivor. I've learned that intense effort - heart pounding, sweating, pushing myself - makes me feel so wonderfully alive! (Alive is an excellent start on the rest of my day. ).
Great topic, NorthCascades!12 -
It's completely changed my life for the better and contributed BIG TIME to my weight loss journey. I was on a 16 year absence from exercise and once I stopped exercising, I lost control of my diet and even caring. I gained 100 lbs in the process and my health was in jeopardy! Last April my blood test was a complete failure on EVERY NUMBER with A1C being pre-diabetic range! From that point on, the switch was flipped in my brain and I haven't looked back. Just got my 6 month follow up labs and now every number was in healthy/normal range. I am no longer pre-diabetic, or have high cholesterol and my blood pressure is the best it has been in 16 years. (of course I changed my diet along with it but the two together created my success)7
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Losing 30 pounds helped me to regain flexibility so that workout moves became easier to perform, and that makes me more likely to do them regularly.
Looking in mirrors prompts me to stay focused on good posture. I have lots of big mirrors all around my house, and I also look at my reflection in windows when shopping for the same reason.
Recently i signed up for one year of 2x a week training at the gym for a 25 minute session each time. I've learned some bodyweight moves that I'm now adding to my daily routine - a 10 minute session that I do 3 times a day.
I feel better after I exercise. Even if it is just a 15 minute walk, or doing 30 ab crunchies.5 -
I feel so much more confident. There's a spring in my step and I feel really good.5
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It's taken me on a journey I did not expect.
Back story: My 9-year-old son at the time decided he wanted to do boxing. I quickly learned that sitting for an hour watching boxing practice is soooooo boring. I found a 24/7 type gym close to his boxing practice. I needed a workout that lined up with his practices, 3 days a week for about an hour. I happened across Stronglifts 5X5, which lined up nicely with the time I was able to put in at the gym.
I worked SLs for approximately 14 months before moving into an intermediate lifting program. I kept lifting. Son moved into advanced boxing practice which was 5 days a week, so I started hitting the gym 5 days a week, too. I got to where I could deadlift 315 pounds, and I thought, "I may be able to compete in this." I did some research into powerlifting, talked to my husband, and decided to go for it! I hired a powerlifting coach in February of 2016. I've done multiple powerlifting competitions at this point. I've held 5 state powerlifting records, although 3 of them have since been broken. I've deadlifted 385 pounds (still chasing the elusive 400 lbs). I've certified as a powerlifting referee. And I'm headed to Chicago next week to compete in Nationals for my second time.
All that to say - what had just been something I was doing to kill time has become a serious competitive sport for me.18 -
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I'm a hiker and a runner, primarily. I love being outside, spending time in different environments. I've hiked all over the country, sometimes for months at a time. I've seen a lot of amazing things and enjoyed a lifestyle that made me truly happy. I met a lot of interesting people from all over the world who also love to hike.
Now that I can't do long backpack trips, I run. I've enjoyed getting stronger and thinner. I love setting goals, working hard and achieving them. I qualified for and ran Boston. That was an amazing experience.
I've been regularly active for more than 30 years. Now if I don't exercise, I get depressed. I am 62, and all my health markers are good. Low cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, etc. I know that wouldn't be true if I lived the sedentary lifestyle that I had in my 20s.8 -
I love to dance. I have 2 left feet and no sense of rhythm. No one in Zumba class cares. Or jazzercise. I lose weight and feel better by just turning on the music and dancing like no one’s watching. Body and mind.
I love to swim.
Yoga helps to heal my aches and pains. It also makes me very aware of exact locations and types of pain so I can communicate with the Doctor more productively. And it’s not hard.
Personally, I never liked lifting weights ——until, I started lifting light weights while watching tv. Win-win. Build muscles, keep my mind off snacking, keep my hands busy, don’t feel like I’m just wasting time. It’s all good.
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Exercise is the reason I was able to go to college, and I firmly believe sports kept me out of trouble when I was younger.
Now I appreciate it for the self-care aspect. With chronic pain, I can't do most physical activities anymore, so I walk and sometimes have the energy for dance fitness at home. Long walks have given me such an opportunity to know myself further in the new phase of life I am in. I am quite isolated these days, so I listen to podcasts a lot and it's like having a conversation with a friend. I get to see all the happy dogs on the trails, see the trees in all seasons and appreciate change and time, and have something just for me.
Exercise doesn't have to be 5 am HIIT treadmill sessions, or bootcamp classes. Get your heart rate up, move a little, and enjoy
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I'm bipolar with a history of polysubstance abuse issues (and they're not all history). Lifting is the backbone of my mental health - with it comes the motivation to eat for a goal, which leads to drinking less, which prevents me from chain smoking like a freight train.
It's also just therapy. Music and weightlifting is probably one of my only non-maladaptive coping strategies for lifes stresses.
Non mental health wise, it allows me to be fit enough to have active hobbies...cycle, hike, dirtbike, snowboard, etc. Which gives me things to do on weekends other than hang out in bars, which in turn helps my overall mental health. And my wallet too.
EDIT: What a great topic. I get so down sometimes seeing people on here talk about how they hate something that has done so much for me throughout my life...11 -
It was really exciting and gratifying to discover what I could learn and do physically. I'd been one of those "picked last in gym class" kids, and thought of myself as inherently clumsy and incapable.
This is exactly it for me.
I always thought, I could never run. Until I ran a half marathon. I could never cycle (especially on a bike that moves!) until I did a triathlon.
For much of my life, I saw exercise as a tool for weight loss and something my body could never be good at. I was never successful until I allowed myself to see all the amazing things that my body COULD do, with our without the weight loss.
I could always do more than I thought I was capable of, even at my highest weight. Even now. What a life changing revelation.6 -
I have met the best friends/supporters/sisters at my boot camp and through walking and hiking with Girl Trek. I am doing things I never thought I would like and I have met people I would never have connected with if not for exercise.5
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My wedding ring fits again.
I am starting to wear suits / pants / shirts, even shoes again I haven't worn since last century.
I can cut my own toe nails.
I can tie my own shoes.
I can wash bits and pieces on my body I didn't know existed.
I can wear my car safety belt again.
I can turn around in bed without waking up half the house.
I can differentiate between "hungry" and thirsty".
I can start chasing young ladies again...(I wish, not going to happen...wife is watching!)
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After many years on zero exercise and being top end class 2 obese I have been back at it for just over 4 months. My prompter was on our 25th anniversary holiday I had to be removed from a ride at a theme park as they could not close the seat belt and was too heavy for the water slide and helicopter ride.
I AM LIVING LIFE instead of watching it.
Seriously, sat in your house - what do you see? Who do you see? Exactly the same things every day. Get outside and see things, see people. When / if you travel don't sit in a complex going nowhere doing nothing.
This has made such a difference in such a short time. Until you do it you have no idea how good it is to know you can see the best sights, climb the stairs to the best viewing points. I want to go back to our holiday location for our 25th and take those rides!!!!9 -
Weight training : You can't fail to find rewards...you get stronger, everyone will see strength gains and it is soooo rewarding and motivating to feel yourself getting stronger.
Cardio - ditto, for those who never do it, it isn't uncommon to find it difficult to walk to being able to run 5 km in a few short months.
I7 -
I started doing PIlates daily (unless I'm traveling) last December and it has been life changing for me:
Body overall looks so much better- "waddle" under arm is gone, gut is slowly shrinking
Huge confidence builder
Better balance
Much stronger
Mood booster
More energy7 -
It's a major stress reliever for me. I have a horrible commute to and from work. On a 'good' day, it's an hour there,and an hour home. On a 'bad' day, you can double that....sometimes triple that. The first thing I do when I get home is change, and workout. Really helps relieve the stress - AND - I'm in better shape now at 53 years old than I was when I was 20 something LOL! Actually, I've always worked out - but the past decade or so I've focused on weights - and it's pretty cool to have muscles, I gotta say!7
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Exercise has not improved my life at all! The two hip replacements I got two start 2019 did! Exercise has become my "enabler"...to keep, to maintain and improve upon the second chance in life and related benefits the surgeries have given me!3
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I never thought about this until losing it after giving up and gaining 70 lbs. Looking back and thinking about everything that exercise has granted me.
It enabled me to explore and live in the wilderness for weeks. It enabled me to climb mountains, explore the depths of the the oceans, explore caves, dive under the Antarctic shelf. It enabled me to complete the most challenging evolutions offered by the US military. It enabled me to survive a career ending injury.
What I underestimated is the impact this had on other aspects of my life - mentally and spiritually - until losing it. Once engaging in deliberate exercise again this woke up other aspects of my life - hitting those smaller goals enabling motivation and confidence to look to higher goals.
I draw massive inspiration from reading the victories and accomplishments of others. Reading threads like these make me question all my previous knowns and limitations and push against these.
Awesome thread!12 -
I have Ehler danos syndrome type 3, and just today a Facebook memory came up where my knee had popped out 3 days earlier and I was still unable to walk. I used to sublex or dislocate on a very regular basis sometimes simply falling to the floor.
Now I strength train and exercise my rate b of injury has gone down to once in the last year. Currently suffering from nurse maids elbow thanks to my son tripping over several times in 5 min .while holding my hand. Recovering a lot quicker than
I used to and a few years back it would have been a complete dislocation9 -
Physically, exercise (particularly strength training) has allowed me to achieve an appearance and physical capabilities I did not thing possible 5+ years ago. When I took the leap and bought my beginner barbell + weight plates in 2016 I recall telling me wife, after loading it all in our SUV, that I couldn't imagine ever needing more weight than the 300 lbs I'd just bought... my profile picture shows a 385 lb deadlift. Being strong is so fun, liberating, and helpful. It's not as taxing to do household tasks, help friends move, etc. At roughly the same total weight I've added ~15 lbs or more of muscle and look and feel more like I've always wanted.
Mentally, exercise has been like a cheat code. Practicing self-discipline, mental toughness, and spending time on my version of self-care has been a boon to my mental health. My overall daily routine is better when I exercise; I get to bed on time so I can easily get up early to lift before work, having time to myself before I get to work and having been up for a few extra hours when I get to the office lets me hit the ground running as soon as I get to my desk.8 -
I'm one of those people that grew up hating running and in my late 40s I started playing old timer soccer. I was horribly unit and ready to puke after 5 minutes on the pitch so I decided to start "running" to get into shape.
Fast forward about 14 years I've long since retired from my soccer career but developed a love for running that saw me run my first race (a 5K) in September 2009 and have since gone on to half-marathon distances and Olympic distance triathlons 3 & 4 K swims etc.
Exercise has changed my life in so many positive ways I feel better now than when I was a couch potato in my 30s & 40s and I learned the valuable lesson that I was the only one setting limits on myself. My runs are my therapy, they've gotten me through deaths in the family and other rough patches and when my kids were younger and still at home they gave me a way of spending real quality time with them.
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