How do you motivate yourself to exercise?

stacy_1971

I hate exercise with a passion. I don't get that feel good endorphin release - what I get is back pain (herniated discs) or shoulder/arm pain (rotator cuff tendonitis). People say swim or do water aerobics (but my gym doesn't have a pool).

I would love to love to exercise. To me, though, it's torture and I would rather have a root canal done. So, I exercise rather infrequently, and when I do, I hate every minute of it. I realize that exercise, along with a healthy diet, is central to a healthy lifestyle, so I would really like to get over my aversion to working out.

Any suggestions/advice? Just biting the bullet is not working.

Thank you, all, for reading.

lishaalexis

Perhaps finding something you like to do that is active will help you ease into it. I hate working out too, but much like you a bite the bullet and do it anyways. Eventually i found something that I really enjoyed. It was spin class. It was sooo much fun, I love it! I try to make it when I can, but all of the other times I just put on simillar music to remind of spin class and I do my cardio that way. I enjoy lifting too, but that is because my job requires to have some strength.

ladyonaquest

Do you like walking? I started out doing the Leslie Sansone walk at home dvd's and I loved it!! I think those would be a good start. Too bad your gym doesn't have a pool!!

PennStateChick

There are A LOT of exercises out there. Find something you like doing. Some people enjoy running, others biking. Some do workout dvds at home. You have to find something at your level that you enjoy or you will never stick to it. What about walking? I do Turbo Fire, which is a dance/aerobics/kick boxing workout at home.

Chief_Rocka

Yeah, you have to find something you enjoy, or at least tolerate.

JustANumber85

I hate exercising too. HATE it. BUT I am going to find something that i love and do it. If i love it, ill be more likely to do it. I hate running, so i likely wont hop on a treadmill and run but i love love love swimming so swimming laps is a better choice.

bcattoes

I would suggest talking to your doctor about what exercises are safe for you before beginning since you have medical issues.

My sister has herniated discs and has had success at Curves. There is one machine she skips because it irritates her condition, but she's lost almost 60 lbs. just with Curves and cleaning up her diet. I don't know if this would be right for everyone with the condition though.

Also, get an exercise buddy if you can. Someone that will drag your lazy self out when you want to quit.

karensoxfan

I agree you need to find something you don't hate. What have you tried that you hate? What kind of things have you tried that resulted in pain/injuries?

deksgrl

I used to hate exercise too, but mostly just bad attitude, not because of body pain. But I got over it. I do have shoulder tendinitis too, and exercise actually helped that a lot. It used to be constantly irritated. Now it is only once in a great while, and I am doing pushups, planks and other upper body strength exercises with little or no pain at all. I can't speak to the back pain at all. What does your doctor recommend?

I also recommend Leslie Sansone for a low impact cardio workout.

_crafty_

Not being fat is pretty much the only motivation I need. When I don't feel like going to the gym for whatever reason I think about the size 16 jeans I was rockn this time a year ago and that pretty much does it for me.

pwnderosa

If you have a lot of pain you might consider asking your doctor for physical therapy. I went to PT for lower back pain earlier this year once a week for several months and they taught me a lot of exercises that won't strain my back or the supporting muscles and gave me lots of suggestions for what to do at home. AND they pushed me to get a great workout every time I went, it was like seeing a trainer only they were able to address my specific concerns and help me train the muscles to prevent pain outbreaks. Good luck, I hope you find something you can enjoy, it makes all the difference!

tubbyelmo

I've only been on here a few months, and I certainly didn't exercise much for a couple of years before I joined. I walk, pedal my exercise bike, and have just started couch to 5K, I'm getting more into this, however, the exercise I enjoy the most is dancing along with my Wii, I've had comments that it's not real exercise but if folk could feel my sweaty bits after an hour I'm sure they would believe me :laugh:

I guess you just have to experiment and find something you enjoy so much it stops feeling like exercise, good luck! :flowerforyou:

PeachyKeene

Try something like Zumba or dance cardio to start with, plus light weights and core strength training. The whole time thinking how great it will be to complete it. You can do it.

ceannesjourney

Think of "joyful movement" practices that you can participate in--and then don't consider it "exercise". Once you start moving, it will feel more and more better (good English, yes??) ;o)

jlapey

Walking is easy. Put your favorite tunes on an mp3 player or iPhone and step out the door . I like just walking, it's time that I don't have to think or listen to anyone else and it burns calories. Just me, the road and nature. Peaceful. Good for the body and the mind.

Even now that I have joined a gym (and I like it), if I'm having a bad day, I still like to go for a walk.

meeka472

I use exercise as a time of release from the stresses of the day. It is my "me" time and I look forward to it. I also find that mixing up the routine helps with keeping it fresh.

Have you tried group exercise classes? They combine exercise and socialization which can be fun.

Addicted2Fitness

I exercise with BodyRock and ZWOW, which is only 10-20min a day (depending on the workout). When I have those days when I don't feel like working out, I ask myself, "What's 10, 15, or even 20min? What do you have better to do?" The answer to myself is nothing only an excuse, so go workout! Then I feel better having exercised.

mmapags

I don't motivate myself. I just do. There is power in taking action intead of waiting for a feeling of motivation.
"Do or do not. There is no try". Yoda

tyrantduck

i absolutely LOATHE exercising. any type really. but i push myself to do it because i know i need to be healthy. i do all my workouts on the Wii Fit Plus... and the two best parts are the running and the cycling.... because you get to watch other Mii characters run around and trip and fall on their faces. with the cycling you can run people into walls as they try to get out of your way.

my husband bought me some dance games for the Wii for x-mas so at least I can throw that into my routine a couple of nights a week. i love dancing and want to do it to regain the ability to shift my weight from side to side easily so I can eventually do Zumba.

bcattoes

Try something like Zumba or dance cardio to start with, plus light weights and core strength training. The whole time thinking how great it will be to complete it. You can do it.

I LOVE Zumba and for a healthy person this ^^ is great advice IMO. But my sister (who has herniated discs) was told absolutely no Zumba by her doctor so PLEASE talk to your doc first.

ma_oeuvre

I love listening to music, so I play it really loudly when I go on my cross trainer. So, even if I don't feel like going on it I *do* feel like listening to music. Works for me

LorinaLynn

I love the results of exercise more than the exercise itself. The actual act of lifting weights isn't all that fun. Watching my body transform is amazing.

And as far as running... I don't know if I feel good from running, but I feel worse if I don't run. It's like xanax for me.

Plus, it allows me to eat a lot more than I'd be able to otherwise.

But when none of that works, I just tell myself to suck it up and quit being a pansy. So what if I don't want to? I don't want to pay my bills or clean the catbox, either.

FitCowgirl8

I have actually found that the reason I started to hate exercise is that I get bored doing the same thing all the time so I try to change what I am doing constantly to keep my interest. As far as the pain goes talking with your doctor is probably the best option and they can help you figure out what you need to do.

Mnecka

Having my job, which is chaotic and my boss, who is psycho, is my motivation to leave this place and run off frustration!!

MemphisKitten

Exercise will make it better. It won't be fun, but if you strengthen those muscles, it will help relieve the pain. Or you can just end up like my mom. She has had back, shoulder, and neck problems and multiple surgeries. She decided everything hurt too badly, so now she spends her life laying in bed with severe dystrophy of her muscles. She has given up on life because she refused to fight against her pain. She is no longer living, she is existing, just waiting to die. Don't end up like her!!

skinnybitchbarbie27

I look in the mirror.............


Ok all joking aside I starting doing it becuase it was a part of my program. Just bottom line I would drag myself into the gym to strength train just because on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays it was required. Then something happened, a spark if you will. Now I don't have to push myself to go, I am bummed out if I CAN'T go. I started riding a bicycle that then turned into me using it as my first mode of transportation and have expanded my exercise to spinning classes, zumba dance classes, and kickboxing.

I get such a high after a good burn that I don't think I'll ever stop. I haven't felt more like a powerful human than I do after a class.

claritarejoice

Great question that a lot of people deal with. Is there something active that you liked to do in childhood? For example: Lots of people on MFP do Insanity videos, but I know that those type of extreme workouts aren't sustainable for me, even though it would be nice to burn that many calories. However, I was always a dancer. So I do dancer-type exercises - I'm taking a cardio barre class right now which I love so much and does not feel like exercise at all. For you it will be something else - don't worry about what anyone else is doing, do something that's fun for you.

Secondly, I agree with going with a friend - this helped me get into fitness so much. I started walking and hiking with some friends and I lost 10 pounds without even noticing or trying. Again it wasn't "exercise" because I was having fun talking with my friends. I exercise with my husband too. You can find a running club, challenge group, aerobics class (the other people in the class always motivate me), or even virtual challenge groups like on MFP can be helpful.

When I have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning to work out, I come to MFP, see all the morning workouts that my virtual friends have already done, and it motivates me to do mine too. But the downside is you can get sucked into MFP! I can't spend too long on it!

Mentally, I remind myself that I often don't want to exercise beforehand, but afterwards I always feel great that I exercised and happy about what I accomplished. I remind myself of that good feeling I always get and tell myself that it's worth it.

I hope these tips help.

lizziebeth1028

Do you like walking? I started out doing the Leslie Sansone walk at home dvd's and I loved it!! I think those would be a good start. Too bad your gym doesn't have a pool!!

^^^^Yep walking! Outdoors or indoors with Leslie Sansone (I love her DVD's)!!

Crochetluvr

I try to do exercise that I enjoy. Walking is my favorite so I dont have to push myself to do that. I do have to push myself to go to the gym but I still do it because I know its important. But with any exercise, I always feel better when I am done.

dalehall64

I was that way when I first got started. Then I got to where I looked foward to the workouts.. They are just fun to me now.. Other times when I'm not feeling it, I look in the mirror and that's all the motivation I need to get out there and just do it.

jenniferrow

Attitude plays a big part. Get a positive perspective about exercise. You don't HAVE to exercise, you GET to exercise. Some folks, confined to hospital beds or wheelchairs, would give anything to have the opportunities that you have. I run with bulging discs because I can.