Would you exercise if you didn't have to?

Bounce4

I detest sports and do not like exercising either. Ugh. I do like hiking but that is a time intensive activity I don't really do anymore. I used to be more active because I did way more stuff (camping, boating, biking, walked around downtown to socialize or shop etc.). I don't do any of that anymore so I need to include some kind of formal activity. I do DVD's at home because there is no gym where I live.

Reasons I do the DVD's....
a) I do feel more fit and want to continue that but I'm sure that alone would not keep me doing them.
b) I want to see what I look like after one year. It is a project/prove to myself I can do it thing. So vain
c) I think it is really helping my blood pressure and that is a major win. I will keep up some level of fitness activity for that reason alone.

Thinking long term it is shocking how much muscle a person loses as they age. I'm not that old yet - ha! - but seeing my older relatives struggle with basic daily living things due to decreased muscle strength in core and legs has really given me a desire to stay reasonably fit for the duration and to want to put those habits into place now, while it is still easy. I complain a lot about it being hard at 44 ( and it is way harder than it was at 35 and 25 was a flipping breeze) but it is still WAY easier than what it is going to be at 65 - when things get a little more 'iffy' if there has been no prior fitness goals/work.

Beautifulbridgittlee7

Yes, because I feel a lot better than sitting and being miserable and very depressed. I like running and hiking outdoors, jumping rope, snowshoeing, and cycling/swimming, rock climbing, as well as swimming at a gym and doing a zumba or kickbox class, and the rowing machine/elliptical/bike. I also like kickbox/step dvds and kettlebell/jump rope/power yoga dvds

st_scrivener

I hate the gym as well, so I run outside.

Find an exercise you love and stick with it. Exercise is more about weight-loss.

Sbrn_

I'm not particularly fond of the gym but I go because I do weight training and I can't afford my own equipment (my gym is very cheap!), and even if I could my home is far too small for anything. I don't detest it, but I've never been into 'sporty' type things: team and tv sports, sporty clothes, sporty 'music' (if you know what I mean, and my gym plays atrocious music.. thank god for my ipod). I've always been active, in fact I enjoy it, but anything associated with sport just leaves me cold. The gym is routine for me, like brushing my teeth or bathing or cooking, things I don't enjoy in themselves but certainly enjoy the effects of, if that makes sense.

kdeaux1959

I DON'T have to. But I want to. I have not always been that way. One can lose weight using diet alone... Just about anybody can... It is harder to get it done without the exercise due to the amount of calorie restriction that is necessary; however, I like it. Now, concerning the gym... i am not crazy about the smell and the weights being dropped do bother me and I like the people who go there but there are times that their chatting can be annoying; but all in all, I am ok with it and take the bad with the good.

That being said, you are equating exercise with gym.... If you don't like a gym setting, don't go. Don't set up an exercise routine that you are not likely to follow through with long term anyway.. . Instead, find an activity that you DO like to do and follow through with that...

Treadmill = exercise
Weights = exercise

But also:

Tennis = exercise
walking = exercise
Running = exercise
basketball = exercise
biking... hiking .... etc... You get the point...

The primary error most people have is that they think that you have to do certain things to get exercise... However, for aerobic exercise, you just have to get your heart rate up for 20-30 minutes per day-- that means movement... For strength training, you just have to do move some type of resistance... whether it is weights or your body weight or 50# sacks of horse feed... For flexibility it can be stretching or yoga or whatever.... Just find something you enjoy doing that does these things and you are "exercising"... nobody ever said it had to be a certain thing.

Best wishes on your journey.

_lyndseybrooke_

Well, I don't HAVE to work out. But I do. So I guess the answer is yes. I don't go to the gym, though. I have lifting equipment at home and FitnessBlender videos that have been working just fine.

pennyks88

I had a 6 month membership to a local gym and only went for a month... I'm an introvert and I like to be alone. I've found I'm much more comfortable exercising in my own home. I used to have a really fast metabolism as a teenager and never exercised. I still hate it, but I know I need to do it.

JessieSky

I get a lot of my exercise outside of gyms, or when the gym is less busy....so while I might consider skipping the gym to opt for exercising elsewhere, I wouldn't cut down on the actual exercising even if I "didn't need to" do it. It definitely is a mental thing, it has to be something you want...even if the only excitement you can muster is for pushing through enough for the workout to be done.

lizziebeth1028

Ok. For all you gym lovers, good on you, get down with your bad selves.

I. I am NOT a gym lover. I hate the smell. I hate the chatters, I hate the non chatters. I hate the people who slam the weights down and I hate the tv channels. I hate running shoes and my shirt rides up uncomfortably.

I'm also Type 2 Diabetic (newly diagnosed.)

The thing is, since I started restricting my carbs to more reasonable levels, and started a drug regimen, I am dropping a consistent and pleasing amount of weight. I'm losing about 4 pounds a week which my doctor is quite pleased with as my nutrition plan is being followed.

So, if you didn't have to go? Would you? And can you tell me seriously why? I know for me it's mental and I will most likely eventually have to do it as the carb cutting won't be enough and I'm trying to mentally prepare myself.

I would absolutely without a doubt still work out even if I didn't have to. Actually..I'm not sure what 'didn't have to' means? Are bodies were meant for motion. I exercise for fitness and because it makes me feel awesome. Weight loss is not the only reason people work out!! Any who - I'm not much of a gym person either. So most times I work out at home or walk, hike, jog outside.

KameHameHaaa

You don't have to go to a gym to get your exercise in, if you find something you actually enjoy that's physically active guess what..you're exercising You don't have to exercise to lose weight BUT...

1) Exercise helps with muscle tone and loose skin
2) Helps with skin tone and acne
3) Prepares your heart for moments of stress
4) Decreases your risks of stroke
5) Helps prevent cognitive decline
6) Releases endorphins so you feel happy!

And soooo much more. I'd just recommend finding something you enjoy doing that's active. Doesn't have to be the gym. It could be taking walks and soaking up vitamin D. Or if you want to stay home you can create your own work out plan, even use stairs (If you have them in your house) as a little gym.

spicegeek

Well I don`t HAVE to go to the gym - and I go - sometimes twice a day - so yes I would go even if I didn`t have to

I love my training program. my trainer and the coach I work with - I have serious goals and I love that I have people supporting me and helping reach those goals

TiberiusClaudis

If I could have the body I desire (male model type) without exercising, then ya, I'd forgo exercising. Why? Because the things I COULD do with that body would be more fun than spending time getting it.

If you get my drift.

ndj1979

I don't 'have' to go now ..but I like to go because I like picking up heavy stuff and putting it down. I also like how it makes me feel, and I find it to be great stress relief …and I want to be shredded when I take my shirt off

If you view working out as a "chore" then you are not going to like it. Find something that you enjoy doing and commit to it…

onefortyone

Yeah, I actually like our apartment complex's gym. It's quiet because hardly anybody uses it, and I can just get into a zone. I like having goals, like running faster, for longer, and lifting more. I like the measurable accomplishment. Exercising also seems to release negative energy from me that I am prone to bottling up.

I probably won't go to the gym for the rest of my life though, right now I'm using it as a tool to get my fitness where it needs to be for my health and weight loss. Eventually I want to be incorporating more fun outdoor activities into my life instead, like walking/hiking, swimming, cycling, etc. which will be better for me when I have a family of my own. One of my fondest memories of being a kid was going on bike rides as a family, and us all being in the swimming club together.

Capt_Apollo

Thanks for your replies. I just need to get in my head that exercise is just movement. I've got it in there that it's annoying and filled with jumping leotards. Which is funny, cause I grew up on every sports team imaginable, and that was never "exercise" it was just fun and competitive.

Are there any adult sports leagues in your area? We have one that offers a wide variety of sports from kickball to basketball to dek hockey (my sport of choice) Anyway, that may be something to look into.

be careful of those!! some people get really really competitive.

bacamacho

I enjoy playing sports and participating in races of all sorts, so yes. I make time for two-a-days if I'm training for a race, and I will go into a gym if I have to, to stay fit for my hobbies. I'm no gym junkie, but I deal. Losing weight is something I end up having to do when I'm injured and can't do my thing. That's why I'm here at MFP.

rosebette

I enjoy walking for 30 minutes a day in good weather, and I also enjoy yoga at my gym. But I must admit that if I weren't trying to keep my body fit and keep my weight at a reasonable level, I wouldn't spend as much time at the gym as I do. If I had my choice, it would just be the walk and yoga.

I wear a pedometer and try to do 5 miles a day in steps, which usually includes walking, but might also include steps in zumba or kickboxing. I also try to do some strength training a couple of times a week. When I get busy, or if the weather is bad, as it has been this winter, I get "behind" on my step and strenght goals, and end up having to do a marathon session at least once or twice a week of 2 hours or so to "make up" for the time I didn't exercise. When teen-age girls do this, we think they have an ED, but when you're short, 55, and burn only around 1500 a day just staying alive, you don't have any choice if you want to eat anything substantial. Sometimes, I get very resentful of all the time I have to put in doing fitness activities just to stay reasonably in shape and healthy, not body builder status or anything. I teach, so I have other stuff to do -- papers to correct, lessons to prep, etc. I also have family obligations. Sometimes the gym trip means staying up late to do work or missing out on a relaxing activity, maybe an hour with a book or watching a movie on TV. Sometimes my joints hurt, but I push myself anyway and just take an Aleve.

At times, I worry because I'm in my mid 50s, and I won't be able to keep this up forever. What will happen when I'm in my 60s and can't do as much? Will I become morbidly obese? Will I have to drop my calories to ridiculously low levels just to stay at the weight I am now because I won't be able to spend an hour in a circuit training class? I know there is even a theory about eating as we're aging where people who constantly eat at a deficit live longer and are healthier, and sometimes I wonder if.this is the direction in which I may ultimately have to go when I can no longer be as active.

Maybe I'm just panicking because I'm at the end of the semester and probably won't have time to go to the gym until early next week, but why should I feel that the gym is as important as my work responsibilities?

MyChocolateDiet

no

amystoryteach

I just started working out again 2 months ago, partially to help prevent an inevitable diagnoses of diabetes if I don't take care of myself (due to family history). BUT I stick with it becasue1) it makes me feel more confident, 2) This goes with one but when my kid runs off i think "hey, I can catch him" in stead of 'oh crap, how am I going to catch him? 3) my husband wants me to learn to ski/snowboard (I live in one of the snow capitols of the world). I was reluctant to try because I was so out of shape I know I would look like and idiot (or more like a cow on skis) but getting into shape and losing weight makes me feel like I could try it and wouldn't look like a total idiot. It also gave me more energy and a drive to change other things in my life because I proved to myself I can do better!

eganita

Thanks for your replies. I just need to get in my head that exercise is just movement. I've got it in there that it's annoying and filled with jumping leotards. Which is funny, cause I grew up on every sports team imaginable, and that was never "exercise" it was just fun and competitive.

Are there any adult sports leagues in your area? We have one that offers a wide variety of sports from kickball to basketball to dek hockey (my sport of choice) Anyway, that may be something to look into.

be careful of those!! some people get really really competitive.

That is true.. but I think it highly depends on the sport and also the team. I played kickball for a long time and was on all kinds of teams... from VERY laid back (one guy was actually too drunk to know which way was 1st base... that part, i did not appreciate so much haha) to pretty competitive. Hockey is a lot more intense and competitive (that's how my team is... but not every team is like that)... but I love that. So I guess it depends what you like as well. The adult sports league in my area also does a running club every Thursday.. something like that would be less competitive, I'd think. Anyway, if the adult sports thing interests you, couldn't hurt to try out for a season..