Does anyone else dislike exercise?
Replies
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I will expand.
That some group exercise activities are successful (albeit temporarily) and personal trainers make out like bandits proves the point.
It is not fun to exercise. And the older you get, the more outright pain there is.
But bring in a social aspect, and the positives of social interaction outweighs the negatives of doing pointless and repetitive physical activity. Look at the franchised exercise programs.
For that matter, look at the diet programs that are "successful."
There is a big positive social component.
You can realize intellectually the positives of exercise, and then do it and get used to it. It becomes painless and routine after a while, but...I'd rather be in Paris, and so would you.
For that matter, eating food is fun and satisfying.
Learning to skip breakfast isn't "fun" but you learn to get used to it- especially if you realize the long-term benefits.
Grand sweeping statement is grand and sweeping. It's also incorrect.
YOU don't think exercise is fun. Your personal feelings are not the personal feelings of every other member of the human species. This should be rather obvious.
^^^^ this
there are several kinds of exercise that I have done in my life that are enjoyable that I did for no other reason that that they're enjoyable. Skating is a prime example - not just hockey, skating too, as in going to a public skating session, without friends (usually with friends but if they weren't around I still went without them), and just skating around in circles (because what else can you do at a public session in an ice rink) - health and not getting fat were not on my mind at all. I just did it purely for fun. It was a lot more fun on the public sessions where there were few enough people that I didn't have to just skate around in circles and could do all kinds of other things like sharp turns, circles and all the rest though... busy public sessions were less fun because you had to skate slowly to avoid collisions with people who couldn't skate so well.
most of the exercise I've done in my life I've done for fun. Ice hockey, judo, hiking, cycling, playing games in the street with the other kids... some kinds of exercise, like cross country running, netball and rounders, i hated and would not have done at all had PE teachers and judo coaches not made me do it.
I didn't get fat until I quit ice hockey and carried on eating like I was still doing all the training i used to *facepalm* - only then did the concept of doing exercise to stay healthy and get thin even dawn on me. So no, the above is not just me intellectualising the benefits of exercise or enjoying the after effects of it........ I enjoyed it all for its own sake, other than running and sports that I found boring like netball. (netball isn't even exercise anyway, mostly it's standing around as players aren't even allowed in the entire court, hence why it's boring)
My kids too - they love running around and playing outdoors. I don't need to make them exercise. They do it all by themselves. I'm also inclined to think that this is the natural way for humans to be, and people get conditioned out of enjoying exercise, probably due to a combination of overbearing PE teachers and becoming unfit due to being too sedentary, so they lose the ability to enjoy exercise, and may never regain it (although I think people do regain the ability to enjoy exercise).
For people who genuinely hate all forms of exercise... well I admire your dedication for sticking at it. And also, coming at this question from the opposite perspective... I do find it hard to believe that anyone would hate *all* forms of sport and exercise (not saying that these people don't exist, just that it's hard to imagine)... I totally get not liking specific ones, but it is hard to imagine someone hating every single kind of exercise there is.... I guess that's because it's hard for people to imagine other people having vastly different experiences to their own. I also want to know if this is a genetic thing, or if people are conditioned to hate exercise through negative experiences, perhaps due to a combination of being unfit as a child and unable to keep up with the other children and overbearing PE teachers who humiliate kids for not being good at sport (which was very common in the 70s and 80s unfortunately).
Is there an ice rink in Paris? I might rather be there... or, even better, in Canada skating on natural ice (never had the chance to do this, would love to one day).
I totally agree with you about post PE teacher stress disorder! Particularly in Britain in the 70s and 80s. I think that's my problem I'm traumatised from being forced to play hockey in the snow in a gym skirt and being laughed at by the teacher for being uncoordinated. My husband grew up in Australia and sailed, surfed and all sorts at school. His mum was a PE teacher in 70s Australia and she is horrified by some of the things I experienced. Consequently everyone around me these days loves to be active except me.0 -
I will expand.
That some group exercise activities are successful (albeit temporarily) and personal trainers make out like bandits proves the point.
It is not fun to exercise. And the older you get, the more outright pain there is.
But bring in a social aspect, and the positives of social interaction outweighs the negatives of doing pointless and repetitive physical activity. Look at the franchised exercise programs.
For that matter, look at the diet programs that are "successful."
There is a big positive social component.
You can realize intellectually the positives of exercise, and then do it and get used to it. It becomes painless and routine after a while, but...I'd rather be in Paris, and so would you.
For that matter, eating food is fun and satisfying.
Learning to skip breakfast isn't "fun" but you learn to get used to it- especially if you realize the long-term benefits.
Ha ha!
So much fail.
As others who train alone have pointed out - there is no social component. Yet, we still love it.
You just don't like exercise. I get it. Other people don't like exercise. I get it. But you cannot speak for all of us. You don't have the knowledge or the right.
Paris is very nice, but it's a different qualitative experience going there for a long weekend than it is engaging in a structured training programme that you love. Don't try to get too confused about the fact that there are myriad human experiences that are their own unique thing and are meaningless to compare.0 -
I love exercise now but I used to hate it. Turns out I was doing the wrong kind of exercise for me. I love to lift, but I hate body weight exercises. I kept trying to do them, or I would keep trying to mindlessly pedal on the exercise bike at the gym, and then I'd get fed up and quit because it wasn't enjoyable.
And yes, I enjoy the exercise itself not just the benefits. And I lift alone-- I prefer no social component when lifting. I love to talk about lifting with other enthusiasts but when it comes to the lifting itself I'd rather be alone.0 -
I do it because I need to in order to lose weight. Although I may enjoy the feeling of finishing the workouts (Insanity), I do not "enjoy" the work it. After all it's physically exhausting. I enjoy it the way I'd enjoy winning at a video game, a sense of achievement, progression, but by no an enjoyable sensation.0
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I absolutely believe that for some people, exercise carries a negative connotation as a result of bad past experiences..And too, people who qualify, "I hate exercise" with "but I enjoy _____ (swimming/dancing/bicycling-- fill in the blank)" don't really REALLY hate exercise.
With me, it is genetic. I was born this way. I hate exercise. ALL exercise.0 -
Hate it. Hate sweating, hate my face getting flushed, hate working out in a gym with others around.
My main exercise is walking.0 -
I HATE exercise every morning before pressing play, I HATE it through the warm up, and then I LOVE it when I'm done. I have to just do it, and then I know I will feel great afterwards. It's like waxing my legs - I dread it, contemplate just skipping it (who wants smooth legs anyways?), but then I suck it up and do it anyways, and after some pain and cursing, it's always worth it; my legs are smooth and I feel fantastic and confident.
Exercise is the same, you have to endure the unpleasant parts to enjoy the benefits.0 -
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I will expand.
That some group exercise activities are successful (albeit temporarily) and personal trainers make out like bandits proves the point.
It is not fun to exercise. And the older you get, the more outright pain there is.
But bring in a social aspect, and the positives of social interaction outweighs the negatives of doing pointless and repetitive physical activity. Look at the franchised exercise programs.
For that matter, look at the diet programs that are "successful."
There is a big positive social component.
You can realize intellectually the positives of exercise, and then do it and get used to it. It becomes painless and routine after a while, but...I'd rather be in Paris, and so would you.
For that matter, eating food is fun and satisfying.
Learning to skip breakfast isn't "fun" but you learn to get used to it- especially if you realize the long-term benefits.
Grand sweeping statement is grand and sweeping. It's also incorrect.
YOU don't think exercise is fun. Your personal feelings are not the personal feelings of every other member of the human species. This should be rather obvious.
^^^^ this
there are several kinds of exercise that I have done in my life that are enjoyable that I did for no other reason that that they're enjoyable. Skating is a prime example - not just hockey, skating too, as in going to a public skating session, without friends (usually with friends but if they weren't around I still went without them), and just skating around in circles (because what else can you do at a public session in an ice rink) - health and not getting fat were not on my mind at all. I just did it purely for fun. It was a lot more fun on the public sessions where there were few enough people that I didn't have to just skate around in circles and could do all kinds of other things like sharp turns, circles and all the rest though... busy public sessions were less fun because you had to skate slowly to avoid collisions with people who couldn't skate so well.
most of the exercise I've done in my life I've done for fun. Ice hockey, judo, hiking, cycling, playing games in the street with the other kids... some kinds of exercise, like cross country running, netball and rounders, i hated and would not have done at all had PE teachers and judo coaches not made me do it.
I didn't get fat until I quit ice hockey and carried on eating like I was still doing all the training i used to *facepalm* - only then did the concept of doing exercise to stay healthy and get thin even dawn on me. So no, the above is not just me intellectualising the benefits of exercise or enjoying the after effects of it........ I enjoyed it all for its own sake, other than running and sports that I found boring like netball. (netball isn't even exercise anyway, mostly it's standing around as players aren't even allowed in the entire court, hence why it's boring)
My kids too - they love running around and playing outdoors. I don't need to make them exercise. They do it all by themselves. I'm also inclined to think that this is the natural way for humans to be, and people get conditioned out of enjoying exercise, probably due to a combination of overbearing PE teachers and becoming unfit due to being too sedentary, so they lose the ability to enjoy exercise, and may never regain it (although I think people do regain the ability to enjoy exercise).
For people who genuinely hate all forms of exercise... well I admire your dedication for sticking at it. And also, coming at this question from the opposite perspective... I do find it hard to believe that anyone would hate *all* forms of sport and exercise (not saying that these people don't exist, just that it's hard to imagine)... I totally get not liking specific ones, but it is hard to imagine someone hating every single kind of exercise there is.... I guess that's because it's hard for people to imagine other people having vastly different experiences to their own. I also want to know if this is a genetic thing, or if people are conditioned to hate exercise through negative experiences, perhaps due to a combination of being unfit as a child and unable to keep up with the other children and overbearing PE teachers who humiliate kids for not being good at sport (which was very common in the 70s and 80s unfortunately).
Is there an ice rink in Paris? I might rather be there... or, even better, in Canada skating on natural ice (never had the chance to do this, would love to one day).
I totally agree with you about post PE teacher stress disorder! Particularly in Britain in the 70s and 80s. I think that's my problem I'm traumatised from being forced to play hockey in the snow in a gym skirt and being laughed at by the teacher for being uncoordinated. My husband grew up in Australia and sailed, surfed and all sorts at school. His mum was a PE teacher in 70s Australia and she is horrified by some of the things I experienced. Consequently everyone around me these days loves to be active except me.
Those teachers at our school were total barstewards though Sis, and looking back I'm sure a couple of them had lesbian tendencies when they forced pre-pubescent girls to go through cold showers without their costumes on after swimming lessons0 -
I thought it was only me and believe me I am so glad that I see how many people dislike exercise.....
No matter what they say, I never felt that great after swimming or a work out...I do feel good while I am doing it but not afterwards; it's weird, isn't it?
The only thing I want is to just go home and rest after a long day at work not run up and down in a park.....0 -
Nobody loves exercise. We do it for the benefits...
Speak for yourself. I get so excited when I'm going to go for a cross-country run or a long hike in the hills. I
it so much. I do sometimes have to force myself to the gym to do weights (mostly cuz I hate the crowds), but once I get there I'm all in and having a great time. :drinker: 0 -
Our bodies were made to move, not be sedentary. That is why people feel better when they move. Moving does all kinds of good stuff to your body. I bet that if you tried the following, you might increase your chances of learning to enjoy exercising:
Technically, you are correct -- however, so is the OP. I feel my body was intended to lie on a chaise and be fed bonbons by a staff of eunuchs. I am currently in a recliner feeding myself blueberries and will force myself to move later because both of you are correct. I hate exercising and it makes me feel better. Dammit.
I love this. ;-)
However, I love working out. I think the key is to look for stuff you look forward to doing. I tried strength training, but didn't like exercising alone. Then I started taking classes found a bunch that I liked, with instructors that I liked, and started building from there.
I love the benefits of exercise, but I find they are secondary to my participation. Again, I believe that's in direct correlation to choosing workouts that I am excited to go to. I have my days, but for the most part, I look forward to each class.0 -
If you like exercise you are either crazy or delusional.
You don't LIKE exercise, you like the way you feel afterward, or you like how you look after spending several weeks on a program.
No one LIKES exercise itself.
Want to lose weight?
Learn to control hunger.
Skip breakfast and make your mornings useful without stuffing your stomach.
:laugh: This is perhaps the most absurd thing I've read on MFP all week. (Previous Poster: If you don't share my views, you're insane or delusional.) That's a really dysfunctional worldview. :huh:0 -
I force myself to exercise because it's healthy. I found something that I don't hate, the rowing machine, so I stick to that and then lift weights.0
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I like exercise but I have finally come to accept that I hate running! I can do it for about 20 minutes and then I get bored and frustrated which then leads to loss of interest and morale. I enjoy strength training though0
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Saying you dislike exercise is a bit of a silly thing to say. It's like saying because you don't like carrots you hate all food. Do you dislike playing on the beach with your family on a sunny day? Do you dislike walking through National parks taking in the countryside? Do you dislike walking around shopping malls? These are all exercise. It's a mindset any activity is exercise. you may dislike doing DVDs or going to a gym but there are so many things to keep you active that are exercise but just not what you may classify as such. You don't have to do official 'exercise' to exercise.0
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I used to think I hated to exercise until I started doing things at my own pace.
I was always trying to do the typical gym class, p90x DVD workout / HIIT routines I found on the internet, things like that, I couldn't keep up and hated it.
Then I found a workout program that was low impact, geared for begginers, with workouts I could finish but that were challenging enough for me to notice an inprovement in my fitness level. And this is where I started to love working out. Now I can do all of those other things I used to hate, but since I'm way more in shape I can actually keep up and feel great.
Find the type of workouts and the intensity best suited for your fitness level.0 -
If you like exercise you are either crazy or delusional.
You don't LIKE exercise, you like the way you feel afterward, or you like how you look after spending several weeks on a program.
No one LIKES exercise itself.
Want to lose weight?
Learn to control hunger.
Skip breakfast and make your mornings useful without stuffing your stomach.
:laugh: This is perhaps the most absurd thing I've read on MFP all week. (Previous Poster: If you don't share my views, you're insane or delusional.) That's a really dysfunctional worldview. :huh:
I don't like sauerkraut. Therefore no one likes sauerkraut. Anyone who thinks they do is just delusional.
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at first yea, wasnt a huge fan. but then again i didnt like beer the first time i tried it either, that opinion didnt exactly stick around for very long0
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I did before I joined Crossfit, now I love it. I used to get so darn board.0
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Exercise is like everything else in life. Some people will like it a lot, some people will sort of enjoy it and some people will hate it.
People who make claims about how hating exercise is just because you're unfit are spectacularly ignorant (and apparently unable or unwilling to look outside their own mindset).
Instead of trying to force yourself into the mold that certain noisy people have created for how "fit" or "healthy" people must behave instead look at activity rather than exercise.
I don't enjoy structured exercise but do enjoy walking... so I walk a lot. The activity for you might be gardening, or dancing or something else entirely. Find the activity you enjoy and ignore the narrow minded people who think everyone must enjoy the same things they do.0 -
I don't like exercising until I get up and do it anyway. The getting started part is the worst part but, I push past that because you can't lose weight and get in shape sitting on your rump. It is a necessary part of improving your health in more ways than one. Once I get off my butt and stop procrastinating, I am always glad I did it and feel I accomplished something good for myself. I may not always be in the mood to do it, but now, I feel so guilty it's unreal if I don't do it. It's just part of my daily routine now.0
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You know, people come to the forums to look for info or sometimes for confirmation of their diet/exercise strategy.
Here you have a lot of people in the "exercise sucks/no one can enjoy it" camp. It's so easy to get sucked into that and just sit there being inactive.
Don't let the insipid quagmire of these attitudes bring you down - find your thing and excel.0 -
I also dislike excercise, but I find some more tolerable than others. Have you tried yoga? It's challenging, but much more enjoyable (in my opinion) than walking on a treadmill for 45 minutes.0
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Often you get really demotivated when you feel a lack of progress, or have too high an expectation!
Don't run before you can walk... (both metaphorically and literally), do a bit at a time and work it up. As you get fitter it becomes more fun and you become addicted to the progress!0 -
I would have said that 15 years ago, and I still do with one glorious exception: outdoor walking. In 2002, then on my city's Zoning Commission, I thought it would be at least useful to walk and see every street in our 9 square miles. I colored in each walk on an old zoning map, soon found I could easily do 5 miles, often 10 or more. After that, I did another city. And another 20 cities including the Minneapolis (58 sq miles). I'm now about 60% done with St. Paul (56 sq miles). It's amazing what you can done even in winter months. So explore options - swimming, sports, martial arts, yoga, you might find your own exercise you like.
I love this idea - I'm going to do this next winter when we have our Winter Warrior challenge.0 -
I HATE exercise every morning before pressing play, I HATE it through the warm up, and then I LOVE it when I'm done. I have to just do it, and then I know I will feel great afterwards. It's like waxing my legs - I dread it, contemplate just skipping it (who wants smooth legs anyways?), but then I suck it up and do it anyways, and after some pain and cursing, it's always worth it; my legs are smooth and I feel fantastic and confident.
Exercise is the same, you have to endure the unpleasant parts to enjoy the benefits.
That's the thing though... still don't love it when I'm done. I wish I could say I'm enjoying the benefits, but short of sore muscles and weight loss (which is due to a calorie deficit) I can't say I've noticed that much of that either. Ok, I can lift heavier weights now (although progress has been incredibly slow), and I can finally do push ups...
I'm not totally unfit, I mean I can run a 5k, although only in 35 minutes, and I'm not exactly new at this, considering I've been exercising 6 or 7 days a week for 1.5 year now... I've tried Zumba, different classes at the gym, weight lifting (not heavy heavy but heavy enough for me, but I'm not noticing huge progress either, but probably again because it's such a chore for me)... not my thing. As a kid I didn't like anything but volley ball, I did some tennis but I wasn't good in either of those.
I like walking, but unfortunately that ranks pretty low when it comes to activity. And the reason I like it is because it's time for myself when I'm not pestered every two seconds by my kids or something... so, gotta laugh at the 'sociable' aspect of exercise being the best part of it, because it's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I've started to run a bit but I can't say I love it, I just do it to burn calories... although I guess it's nice to see that I can do it. And yeah I'll ride my stationary bike while watching TV, no problem there either, I don't mind.
But the problem again is that, well, I can't just do cardio, lol.0 -
I don't love working out either. But I've actually learned to like it a little...very little. I think I mostly just like the results I've gottena dn the way that it makes me feel.0
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I have never loved exercise. When I was young and slender, I hated to exercise except for splashing in the pool, (never swimming laps, that's work), going fishing (casting and reeling in counts right?) and riding my bike (on flat surfaces only. Since I live in a mountainous region, that limited my bike riding to about 1 mile tops round trip per day that I bothered to take the bike out.)
I always walked the mile run in gym class and finished dead last with the overweight girl - we made it our goal to take as long as possible so we could avoid the sit ups and other parts of the Phys. Fitness testing day. When my then-new-husband and I went to the mountains in Virginia (Shenandoa Nat'l Park), early in our marriage I struggled to hike up a 2-mile mountain hike and complained the entire time.
When had my 3rd child and discovered I was 60-80lbs overweight, actually obese, I whined because I had to "exercise" to lose weight. I did what I could without exercising beyond walking the dog. I did OK but when I got close to goal, I gave up walking the poor dog and also gave up paying attention to my food. Then I deveopled plantar fasciitis and could not walk without severe pain. This scared me. I was afraid I'd end up in a wheelchair all my life.
To go from not wanting to exercise to not being able to walk was a scary thing. I got the plantar fasciitis taken care of. But I also gained back all the weight I had lost and then some. And here I was again. And I got depressed. But I decided to buy a kayak. That seemed like an easy, low impact way to get some exercise in. I did, and I took the kayak out every chance I got. Since all I did was paddle around at a very leisurely pace, I doubt I burned many calories, but I did enjoy my time outside, immensely. I craved getting the kayak out on the water and resented when my job made it impossible (working till dark, etc.)
And for some reason I decided to buy a bike. I don't know what possessed me. I was never particularly fond of bicycling and thought the people who rode their bikes around here were insane. But buy one I did. And I liked it, in spite of feeling like I was going to DIE on these damn hills - they are so small they are humiliating. I was determined to conquer them. I haven't conquered them yet but I will.
Then my brother posted a pic on FB of he and his wife after they climbed Rattlesnake Ridge in WA state. I wanted to do that. I remembered my poor pitiful attempt in VA and wanted to erase that. Last summer I went to WA with my family and my profile pic is of me, an obese woman, who climbed the big little mountain. I'm now a fan of hiking.
This summer I rode an 11 mile loop in the Smokey Mountains on my bike. I am addicted and want to ride my bike everywhere. I've ridden my bike more this summer than I have ever in my life.
All my wordy pontifications to say: find something you like doing, and it will open up a whole world of adventure for you. I am not a fan of the gym. I go there in the winter and for yoga class....otherwise, I want to be outside. That stuff, I like.
And it's time to walk the dog.0 -
I found that I didn't like what I was trying to do...and that made me really dislike the whole exercise thing. Despise it actually. But, I love to dance and found a great workout DVD set that really keeps me moving and sweating, Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs. The music is great, it's fun and I don't feel loathing toward it after I've finished.
When I go to the gym, I found that when I first started out I would get unmotivated really quickly. I mean come on, nobody likes grinding it out on a treadmill for 45 minutes or more. So I used the free trainer visit that my gym offered and she got me on a circuit so I was balancing weights and cardio and I freaking loved it. If I was having to wait for a machine that was next on my rotation, I went and did some jumping jacks or used the aerobic steps to keep my heart rate up until the next person was finished. I found I was spending 2 hours or more working out rather than being bored after 45 minutes and leaving. I never realized how long I'd been in there until my workout playlist started to repeat. I felt better, slept better and found the folks in the weight pit were more than willing to help me out and pushed me a little harder, which was just what I needed.
If you're struggling in the gym, focus solely on you. Everybody else is off in their own little world too, so don't worry about what they're doing and do what you have to do to stick it out. We're all in there with flushed faces and sweat dripping and clothes getting soaking wet from a good workout. Don't let it deter you. That euphoric feeling afterward will come, and when it does look out, because it's like an addiction.0
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