How long did it take before you actually ENJOYED exercise?

armywife1986

Personally, I loathe it. I know it's importance, and I know that it's vital for, not only weight loss, but everyday health. However, the amount of will that I have to gather just to get myself moving is ridiculous. I hate feeling out of breath, and I hate sweating. Lame, I know.

SO, my question is, "How long did it take for you to look forward, or, at least not mind, working out?"

I would love to be a runner, but I don't think I have it in me. Honestly, I don't think I've consistently exercise for more than 10 days (even taking 1 or 2 days off per week) without giving up.

johnny51981

I've always loved walking...specially on a really nice day on the 5K trail by my house since it is away from any traffic and along the river. Beautiful!! I don't run because I always tense up to where it starts hurting my back...though, I would love to change that. And weights...well...they're pretty much are the devil's creation! Leg and Ab workouts aren't so bad, but I LOATHE anything upper body.

Amie_46

8 Months

I was very inconsistent with my exercise until recently, when I signed up for a 10k. Now I train 6 days a week and I love it! I totally love the way it makes me feel, powerful, in control, fit, and like I am accomplishing something.

I recommend switching it up until you find something (or lots of things!) you enjoy. Don't limit yourself to just one thing, or you will get bored really fast.

Also, try to find a goal and then train for that. You say you want to be a runner? Try the Couch to 5 K program?

There are lots of exercise programs out there to try and follow. Commit yourself and don't look back!

Good Luck,

Fat_Chopper

I still feel sick before a high intensity resistance session... It's been a year and I haven't adapted to "heavy lift days"... they hurt!

Cardio on the other hand delivers a high.

kelika71

Been at this a little over a year and I still hate working out.

mejustmichael

It took a good 3 or 4 weeks... Just push yourself... You are doing it for you after all.

And i just started running a program i found here works well... and its nice to see your stamina improving... its called C25k

its a series of free podcast. I was surprised how good the music was... And dont get discouraged if you have to modify the plan a bit... I did week one for 2 weeks because i wasnt ready for it... JUST DONT GIVE UP!!!

http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/couch-5K-running-plan.aspx

Take a buddy or give up something you like...

I gave up drinking, smoking, SMOKING!, and sex... lol until I lose 30 lbs.

Ive lost 18... 12 more to go.. and its only been month...

qtpiesmom

When I first started I didnt enjoy it, it was hard work. Exercise shouldnt be something you need to do it should be something you want to do. It does get addictive and for me makes me happier doing it. I did realize Im very out of shape but Im working on that. My goal is to be skinny and fit. I used to only do 30 minutes a day when I started 30 days ago but everyday I added time and effort with setting small reachable goals. Now I work out 2 hours a day and I also want to be a runner, working towards that building my stamina by running 60 - 90 seconds, walking for 4 then running then walking. Once that is no longer a challenge I will move the length and speed of my running.
I look at sweating as fats cells crying, its not flattering but its something that has to happen for the fat to go away.
For me it took about 2 weeks when I reached one of my big goals 15 days early to be able to walk 5 miles a day and not feel dead from it, thats when the determination and devotion to myself really kicked in.

You will get there maybe you just have to find an exercise you love doing.

Crystal817

Personally, I loathe it.

Haha, I know how you feel! I workout 4-5 times a week. And although it does make me feel good... I still hate having to do it sometimes!

Shunhades

I wouldn't say that I hate exercise, nor do I enjoy it. I guess i'm just seeing it as apart of my routine. Like I was using my exercise bike while watching a movie and before I knew it i'd done about 15 minutes on it, and I thought i'd only done 5 minutes. I find distracting myself while working out works for me because I don't notice. xD

kayemme

i wouldn't say i love it, but i certainly don't mind it and it wasn't until i did it almost every day.

i got rid of my car 4 years ago and over the last year and a half have used my bike almost exclusively to commute to work & back (a 20mile rt). i do this 4 days a week and then on the weekends i usually have one day i don't bike at all, but have to use it in general just to get around town and run errands.

i won't lie. there are days i simply don't want to get on the bike. but usually after about 10 minutes in, i feel relaxed and happy and energized. i have coffee and water and music and a nice breeze, beautiful things to see (half of my ride is through a throughway that has a great bike lane and a running / walking path down the middle. it is lined with deciduous trees, so it is constantly an ever-changing landscape/

i burn about 1000cals /day so i don't worry about what i eat too much because i eat reasonably lean most of the time (i get a little fatty around the beginning of the month because i'm soon to start my girl time). i always log it though, just to be sure.

so i don't know if it's something that you really enjoy doing until you do it often.

galaxysue

well I really was overweight and I hated exercise, I started off exercising at home far too embarrased to show my body in a gym. That was all throughout the winter, in the spring I took to jogging on a mini trampoline in the garden, by then I had shifted some weight then I joined a gym I was already slightly fit with work done at home, and now I just LOVE my exercise routines, just stick at it!!!

nahhan12

You have to find something you enjoy...something you crave and can't wait to go do. Zumba worked for me. I feel MORE energetic after an hour of Zumba than when I started. It's the only thing I've found where when I realize it's almost over I'm contemplating doing another round of it. I've never liked treadmills/ellipticals because they're too boring and repetitive. With Zumba, I don't have time to think about anything besides keeping up.

Swimming, dancing, hot yoga, spinning classes...just keep trying things out until you find what's enjoyable for you.

chic_mama_25

I hated running. HATED it. After a week of running every other day, it suddenly became way easier and I started to like it! Stick with it and it gets better.
Good luck.

Also agree with everyone saying find something you love doing. For me that's ice hockey. But I can't afford to train at the moment so boring gym it is! Or running outside, which is nice in good weather.

wan2b21

About 3 months into it I started loving it I still think of it as work but I love the afterglow and the good feelings I get when i'm done working out.. If i go two days without working out I really hate how I feel. (more tired, lazy..) Anyways now i'm addicted to it so I'm at the gym almost every day Hope this helped.

FaeFae

I feel good about myself after I have worked out but I HATE it before and during!!!! Right now I am injured so I am not working out and I kinda love it however I should be forcing myself to do like abs and arms and stuff. If I cant do cardio I can still do weights but right now im just enjoying the excuse of im injured!!! lol

taso42_DELETED

One thing I can suggest is to scale back the intensity of your workouts just a bit. Just enough so that when you think about your last workout it doesn't have a negative feeling associated with it. When you reflect on your last workout you should feel accomplished and proud. Do it for several weeks this way, and once you have a routine going, then ramp up the intensity.

SabrinaJL

I said pretty much this exact thing to my husband this afternoon. That exercise sucks because I hate being sweaty and out of breath. I'm doing c25k and I dread those days. Doing the 30 day shred isn't as bad, but I don't care for that either. I also don't feel good when I'm done, I just feel relieved that it's over.

elliecolorado

I have a love hate relationship with exercise... I struggle to get motivated to do it, but once I start I just want to keep going and I love the feeling after a really good work out And I love all the outdoorsy things I can do in the summer like hiking and mountain biking that burn a lot of calories, but are so fun they don't even feel like a work out.

Dipmom

My favorite part is when it's finally over! Seriously though, I have a few workout partners now, so it is always a bit of a "social hour" for me and I actually look forward to it. Plus I hit the gym during lunch so I am happy to get out of a work for a bit.

annabellesmile

I hated exercise until I found Zumba. I bought the DVD's and I have been doing them since the New Year and have lost 20lbs and feel great. I actually look forward to doing Zumba and haven’t missed many days since I started. Yesterday Wii Zumba arrived so I now have even more variety to add to the exercise routine otherwise I get bored! This is the only exercise I have ever enjoyed. It is easy, fun and it works.

kelseyfaith

you just need to stop doing the things you dont enjoy and find something you do like.... swimming works for me and burns loads of calls and I walk to work and back whenever possible you dont have to be an exercise freek to make a difference. xx good luck xx

Cassienz

I knew I'd be the same as you and give up if I didn't enjoy it - I'd have 101 excuses for not walking for instance! So when I decided to do this I chose to do exercise I knew I would enjoy. I like playing computer games, so I use the wii for a large portion of my exercise. Even though I'm only aiming for 30 minutes a day 5 times a week I often go over that. Also making the effort to take my kids places which will require me to participate like the local swimming pool. So doing all that I've been doing this for a month now and I'm very happy to continue and also am very happy with the weight loss so far. This is so much easier doing something I like to do than if I'd struggled through trying to keep up a walking programme for instance (which I find so boring!).

JunkFoodJane

I hate it now- When I was younger I did gymnastics and played basketball for fun and stayed in shape without ever thinking about exercise. Now I love the feeling after a cardio workout, but it takes a lot for me to get on the treadmill (I even post my stats sometimes before I do it so I can't back out). I do enjoy biking, but it's too cold herefor so many months you get less than half a year you can bike and not look CRAZY. I also hate every minute on the treadmill. I really, really hate it. Some day I hope to be past it and keep in shape in more enjoyable ways, but it's my own fault I can't flip and twist anymore. I hated the elliptical and stationary bike as well. Exercise for exercise sake is boring.

becka63

It's taken me about 36 years and 1 1/2 months!

Always enjoyed walking, but never did it for exercise - since January, have really got into aerobic exercise and loving it!

jesster64

3 months. After that, you really start to see changes in the mirror and that keeps you going.

MonkeyWithNoName

Absolutely detest exercise and all all the stuff about it releasing endoprhins to make you feel better doesn't work for me, infact it makes my mood worse.

Have you tried playing a team sport? When you feel like not going you have to or you'll be letting the team down and sometimes it's enjoyable being social!

seadog1

After I lost about 40 lbs. and three to 4 months, now I look forward to it. I use a treadmill mostly and I have a Kindle where I can chance the size of the print and read at the same time. Makes the time pass a lot faster, I usually save my favorite book at the time and just read it on the treadmill. I listen to books on tape when walking. Right now I am alternating walking one day and reading a book one day followed by a swim. I will prob added some distance swimming in the ocean, at one time was up to half mile. I went thru this loss gain weight 4 or 5 years ago, this time plan to make a life habit of useing MFP.

jolarocknrolla

never. i do like lifting weights and i like walking but not anything cardio related.

vzllewis

Didn't take long at all when my trainer was cute. Now that I am trainerless, it's quite difficult, but you gotta learn to push through. My body now actually misses all the exercise I used to get...

marlene718

I'll try and make this loooong story short in hopes of helping. In 2004 a friend suggested doing 1/2 maration with a non profit organization. I'll never forget the first day of training...It was supposed to be a 2 mile walk and it turned into 4 miles. I spent the next two days on the chair not able to move. At that point my decision was to quit or get mad at myself for letting myself become so unfit. I chose to get mad at myself and have been working out 5-6 days a week since. To answer your question, how long will it take? It should take your body 2-3 weeks to feel small improvements but the most important change you will need to make is your mind set. I kept a journal and every 3 months I would read back on what I've accomplished and be very proud of how far I've come.

Make a list of one small thing you can do each week at the gym or at home. If you're doing 15 ab crunches add another 5 each workout for one week. You will start to feel so much better that you will want to do another "small" challenge.

Change it up. On days I just don't want to do cardio I do interval training...1:30 at a moderate pace, :30 sec. at "high" pace. I would do this for a total of 15mins and you can't believe how quickly the time goes and you'll start to extend the time each workout. Find a friend to go with...new music to listen to...I know it sounds crazy but even a new workout outfit can encourage you to go to the gym.

For me, I have to workout first thing in the AM or I won't do it. It's done and off my mind and it also gives me more energy to get though the day as well as gives me a better frame of mind.

Hang in there...do it for your mind, body and spirit and I promise you really will look forward to going

suzooz

It took me about a month before I started to like exercising.

Just like the others, I had to find something that I liked to do. For me, it was the Wii Fit. I let it choose some of my exercises, and one day, it took me on a short run over a virtual island. I was SO out of breath and totally sweating -- I HATED that exercise. I kept trying the other exercises, and found that things were becoming easier -- then tried the short Island run again. I could actually make it! A couple of weeks ago, I started doing the free run -- first 10 minutes, now 20. During my last run, I was watching the "mile counter" as I ran -- I had set a goal to do 2 miles. When that past, I asked myself, can I do 3? Yes, I can do 3! Now I am actually thinking about training to do a 5k this summer -- MAYBE. Who knew that after all these years, I could experience a runners high?

I'm not saying that I'm always motivated -- I skipped last night, and it should have been Zumba day. It's a really fun exercise, too and I had NO excuse -- just plain didn't feel like it. If I had started the exercise, I probably would have felt better. I find that changing into my workout clothes seems to be my biggest hurdle.

My advice to you is to find something that you love to do -- or set a goal of something that you have always wanted to do, but couldn't since you were too out of shape. (I have had a goal to bike the trails around here). Logging the exercise calories on MFP also helps.

Good luck --