Would you exercise if you didn't have to?

lawwang

Yes, when I lift, I feel as if I'm lifting all the weight of life's challenges off my shoulders. It has taught me to embrace these challenges and made me a (mentally and physically) stronger individual.

I love the feeling so much that I look forward to going to the gym.

GillianMcK

I only go to the gym for my PT appointments and a weights class once a week, everything else is done outside, I run with the dog rather than walk, outdoor bootcamps (I get on with all the people that go so it's like seeing my friends for an hour we all just happen to be sweating).
Yes I could lose weight just through my eating habits but they don't improve my cardio-vasicular health, I can now sprint for the train and recover now rather than still be huffing and puffing when I finally get to work.

I don't like being inside though so I find outdoor activities that I enjoy:)

aronao

At the moment I go to the gym to do classes- ShBam, BodyJam and Core. I love the dance-based class because a) it doesn't feel like exercise and b) it's a really good mental break as I'm so busy remembering the routine that I don't have time to think about all the stuff going on in my life. I think I would still keep going because I enjoy it so much, because there is a social element to it (seeing the other regulars) and I do it for mental health not just physical health.

Tillyecl1

Yep, but I don't set foot in the gym. I run, cycle and swim outside (swimming is in a lake) and I absolutely love it. I feel so great when I'm out, I would be miserable if I had to give it up.
It's just a question of finding something you really enjoy, as soon as you do you won't even think of it as exercise, just as something you really enjoy doing. Good luck finding your new hobby :-)

Frood42

I cycle commute, and depending on the weather, I will be doing anywhere between 20 to 60 miles in a day.
Now the day is getting longer I can spend more time out in the evenings.

I am not really one for getting up while it is still dark, but cycling gives me a mood lift, so it balances out a bit.


It always make me laugh when I tell people I only live 4 miles from work but that I commuted 40 or 50 miles that day :laugh:
.

meerkat70

Hold on a second, no one, unless medically required has to exercise!!?
I don't have to but i am still training twice a day 5 days a week....
I can't see myself not training for more than 2 days rest I take a week.

My point is that the job is getting done right now without it. I'm trying to build myself up to going. But .... blargh .... I walk about 30 minutes a day now (and that 30 is a slow walking the dog walk), but that never seems like "working out" to me.

But thanks for your answers.

Twice a DAY? Seriously, ain't nobody got time for that!

Depends how you define 'the job'.

If the job is losing weight, then no, you don't need exercise to do it. Obviously. You need a calorie deficit.

However, if you want to be healthy, and ideally be healthy for the rest of your life, then incoporating activity, increasing your movement, is pretty much essential. Human bodies aren't designed to be sedentary.

Moving about will also mean that you are less likely to regain the weight, and are more likely to recover well from your diabetes diagnosis.

But of course, ultimately, it's for you to decide what your goals are and how you need to live to attain and (perhaps more importantly) maintain those goals.

Roaringgael

If you'd asked me last year I would have said,no I don't want to exercise. I am 55yrs old.
Now 3 solid calendar months later I am reaping the benefits of exercise.

I don't gym it, my knee injury last year dictated that I find something that wouldn't hurt my knee.
Most exercise was out,
so I took up swimming and what a wonderful decision that was.

I now leap out of bed in the morning and hop to it!

Before all my joints ached after being in bed all night and I used to gingerly get out and hope my feet and legs wouldn't hurt too much.
Now I have slight thumb joint problems from arthritis and the rest of me feel 20 years younger.
I've lost weight of course.
Diabetes is in my family so I would have ended up with it sometime, exercise is an essential part of successful diabetes management, it prompts the body to do its job well - burn food like the furnace its meant to be.

MeanderingMammal

So, if you didn't have to go? Would you? And can you tell me seriously why?

The only reason to go to a place to train is if it's a swimming pool, personally I loathe gyms and I'm not too keen on training indoors. I'm quite happy to go for a run for anything up to three hours or so, or cycle, and enjoy both.

Weights, I'm bored in the space of 15 minutes and anything more becomes a chore.

misschoppo

For me the answer would be yes because I enjoy it.

There is plenty you can do at home with little or no equipment, loads of free workout videos online, walking/running outdoors, or maybe swimming or cycling if you have access to the right facilities/equipment. Or you could try classes, maybe something dance based, if you like that kind of thing it can feel more like fun and less like exercising.

You have had loads of great suggestions on this thread so if your goal is not just to lose weight but to improve your general fitness and wellbeing then just try out a few different things and see what works for you, I am sure you will find at least a couple of things you quite enjoy :flowerforyou:

stuffinmuffin

I would do exercise if I didn't have to. I guess being at m goal weight for the last couple of years - I don't really have to but the reasons I do are....
Because I love physically pushing myself.
Because I love the fact that I get to eat loads when I work out.
I love the endorphin rush you get with exercise.
The sense of achievement from reaching goals or just doing really well at a workout.
I love the people I meet through exercise.
I love that wonderful 'really tired' feeling you get from a hard workout and some of the best sleep ever.

From what you've written, I would say that you haven't found what you enjoy. Even walking is classed as exercise so maybe start with something gentle. I found as I lost weight it gave me more confidence to try other things out. I now have a really varied execs regimen which I love.

Get out there and find what you will love - there is so much available.

novembersuse

I Completely agree with you about gyms! And I like your hate list

I lost weight a couple of years ago by eating 1200 cals a day (weekends I ate and drank what I liked) and I did no exercise. Now I'm trying to exercise it it off, but it's much slower. I'd always rather eat and exercise though, instead of not eating and not exercising.

djslickrix

Yes I would, and I don't go to the gym anyway, I have the equipment I need in my garage so I just train there everyday.

I have a Treadmill, a bike machine, a weight bench, and dumbbells.

Capt_Apollo

i like going to the gym to lift. it's gotten fun. i used to be really really serious at the gym, but i've grown to have more fun with it, playing around and enjoying myself.

as far as cardio goes, i prefer my cardio outdoors, as often as possible.

kuolo

As others have said, if you hate it find something you like our at least don't hate.

I don't have to exercise but I choose to because it makes me feel better, physically, emotionally and mentally; because I know that fitness will likely play a big part in how I feel as I get older, and the state of my health then; because I want to be happy, healthy and mobile.

It's all about what your goal is.

kuntry_navySD

keeps me from partying...but damn does it feel good to hit personal records in there! so yep

Therealobi1

The gym you do not have to go to as I do not go to the gym. I have used youtube, fitness blender.com and Hasfit.com.
If I never had to exercise I wouldnt, I find the whole thing so tedious, and I cant say I enjoy it after a year of continuous exercise. But in saying that I like my new body, I like having more choice when clothes shopping (infact there is so much choice I get confused) I like not feeling tired all the time. I like not getting out of breath just walking up a few stairs. So I just decided to include it as part of my daily routine like bathing and brushing my teeth and going to work. You can do it.

einzweidrei

I don't really exercise. The only exercise I seem to do is walking AND when I can, I go hiking. (Which I would do more often if I didn't have to drive a bit to get there.)

What did I always enjoy? I always enjoy things that didn't feel like exercise. Sports (tennis, softball, swimming) were always fun for me, whereas I HATE running because that feels like working out. ;-)

SarahxApple

Yes.

I rarely use an actual gym - I am going tomorrow for the first time in a long time, substituting my weekly 5k for the gym as I can use the exercise bike there and I am going to start training for a Triathlon soon.

Find something you enjoy, indoors, outdoors who cares if it's just walking, go for a long walk up some hills on a nice weekend.

I do CrossFit 3x a week (CrossFit gets a lot of crap I know) personally I love it, this morning I did a class (I have only been going 3 months) and I was told my form for a clean and jerk was really good (for someone who is 5ft 2.75in and never lifted before) this is a real achievement. I went heavier than I had done before, I mastered skipping last week, all of this helps dispel those Monday morning blues.

I really hope you find something you enjoy, as personally I find exercise to be the best mood booster and self confidence boost.

KingofWisdom

No. I started out of necessity. Either I could cut calories and go hungry or exercise and still get to eat.