How can I force myself to exercise when I hate it???

Momma_Grizz

Do you LIKE paying bills, flossing your teeth, putting out the trash, doing laundry? Me neither. But I do them because they need to be done or I'm going to be homeless and toothless, living in my own squalor, wearing smelly clothes.

I don't want a weak smushy body, so I exercise. I don't want to ever again throw out my back because I twisted weird cleaning up cat puke. That was humiliating.... walking around like a question mark, and having people ask what happened. "Freak hairball injury." :blushing:

I enjoy what I do NOW - which is lifting and running - but I didn't always like it. And hell, sometimes I still don't like it. But I know I like the results. Not only the physical results, but the emotional results. It's a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

I was one of those kids usually picked last in gym class, but I was really talented and successful at other things so I guess it just stuck in my brain that I'm not a sporty person, live with it...

Did I just step in a time machine? Are you sure you're not me, two years ago? Because that's exactly how I always felt. I'm an artist and a bookworm. But you know what's even more awesome than being smart and creative? Being smart and creative and able to bench press 100 pounds and run a 10k. I feel like a frickin' superhero now.

What started it all for me was the desire to run in a Warrior Dash. It appealed to my nerdy side, and eventually woke up my athletic side.

I so needed to read this today! Thank you! I'm a fellow artist and bookworm too - but I am currently struggling to get out there and burn some cals.......

sndiane

. I was one of those kids usually picked last in gym class, but I was really talented and successful at other things so I guess it just stuck in my brain that I'm not a sporty person, live with it... So I don't know if it's just laziness or some real block, but the "just do it" slogan does not work for me... Any suggestions? Thanks.

I was that kid, too. I felt that way until a relationship that I thought I was in completely feel apart when he got married to someone else. It changed a lot of things that I felt about myself. I was reading a weight loss book and it talked about doing something completely different.

I decided to walk a marathon. I signed up for a training. During that process, I became an athlete. I was probably heavier when I did it than now, but I felt like an athlete. Hey 26.2 miles on San Francisco street., I am an athlete.

Find something you like to do. I look forward to my exercise now. I have found things that I like and do something different everyday.

MoreBean13

. I was one of those kids usually picked last in gym class, but I was really talented and successful at other things so I guess it just stuck in my brain that I'm not a sporty person, live with it... So I don't know if it's just laziness or some real block, but the "just do it" slogan does not work for me... Any suggestions? Thanks.

I was that kid, too. I felt that way until a relationship that I thought I was in completely feel apart when he got married to someone else. It changed a lot of things that I felt about myself. I was reading a weight loss book and it talked about doing something completely different.

I decided to walk a marathon. I signed up for a training. During that process, I became an athlete. I was probably heavier when I did it than now, but I felt like an athlete. Hey 26.2 miles on San Francisco street., I am an athlete.

Find something you like to do. I look forward to my exercise now. I have found things that I like and do something different everyday.

You are totally awesome! Reading this just made my day.

thelovelyLIZ

Find a form of exercise you enjoy. That's the only way you're going the stick to it.

I used to hate running and lifting weights. Repetition, the joy of challenging myself, and the positive feelings afterwards have made me love both.

ScarlettVamp

I still don't "LOVE" exercise, but I love the way I feel after I do it. The feeling of accomplishment is awesome! Try different things until you find something that you can tolerate and push through it. I find that I miss it when I'm not able to exercise due to illness or a crazy busy schedule.

I haven't looked at your food diary, but I agree that if you're only eating 500 calories per day, you're not going to have the energy to exercise. I'm surprised you have the energy to get out of bed.

bodiva88

It was easy for me to swim. I loved the way it made me feel. Strong, weightless, in control. And it was worth the time I spent for the sense of well-being it gave me. But I couldn't do it more than 3 times a week without having trouble with my elbow. So I needed something else. I love to read. And I discovered that if I take my Nook and set the font size a bit large I can read while using the stationary bike. I got to exercise and read at the same time. At first that was fine, if not fun, but now that I've been doing it twice a week for more than six months I am cycling faster and longer and sometimes not even reading because I've come to enjoy the progress I make. I didn't love cycling at the beginning, I loved the scam of reading while exercising. But now I love the cycling.

Find something. Do it. Feel stronger and fitter. Come to love it.

Phaedra2014

Do you LIKE paying bills, flossing your teeth, putting out the trash, doing laundry? Me neither. But I do them because they need to be done or I'm going to be homeless and toothless, living in my own squalor, wearing smelly clothes.

I don't want a weak smushy body, so I exercise. I don't want to ever again throw out my back because I twisted weird cleaning up cat puke. That was humiliating.... walking around like a question mark, and having people ask what happened. "Freak hairball injury." :blushing:

I enjoy what I do NOW - which is lifting and running - but I didn't always like it. And hell, sometimes I still don't like it. But I know I like the results. Not only the physical results, but the emotional results. It's a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

I was one of those kids usually picked last in gym class, but I was really talented and successful at other things so I guess it just stuck in my brain that I'm not a sporty person, live with it...

Did I just step in a time machine? Are you sure you're not me, two years ago? Because that's exactly how I always felt. I'm an artist and a bookworm. But you know what's even more awesome than being smart and creative? Being smart and creative and able to bench press 100 pounds and run a 10k. I feel like a frickin' superhero now.

What started it all for me was the desire to run in a Warrior Dash. It appealed to my nerdy side, and eventually woke up my athletic side.

I love your reply!

katz22

I am already at a healthy weight but would like to be more toned and fit, and for me to stay thin, my calories have to be low, which for me is much easier to do than exercise. I just have a block against it. I've tried hypnosis CDs, subliminal CDs... I've been trying to walk a bit in my neighborhood, but all I do is think about other things I could be doing with that time that would be more creative or enjoyable. I really want to LIKE exercise, because liking something is the only way I'll do it. If it were something you could just do a few times and get it over with, I'd be fine, but the idea that you have to do it daily or regularly for the rest of your life is just overwhelming to me. I've always been more of an arty, creative, indoor type, never the outdoorsy, active, sporty type, and I don't know how to suddenly become one of those people who love exercise... I eat very healthy foods, take supplements, don't have any medical problems, but know I have to exercise to be truly healthy and get the body I want. Does anyone know of a specific hypnosis CD, hopefully one I haven't tried or SOMETHING, anything that will motivate me to do it? Or a good way to start that's not too time consuming? Also, I don't feel comfortable working out in front of other people and feel really awkward at a gym, especially LA gyms where everyone is obsessed and has perfect bodies and I feel like some kind of goofy sitcom character just trying to figure out what to do with the equipment or even goofier trying to follow yoga classes. I was one of those kids usually picked last in gym class, but I was really talented and successful at other things so I guess it just stuck in my brain that I'm not a sporty person, live with it... So I don't know if it's just laziness or some real block, but the "just do it" slogan does not work for me... Any suggestions? Thanks.

Maybe take up some kind of sport, where the motivation to keep fit is to help you succeed at the sport, and it can be much more fun than being alone at a gym.

Don't worry about feeling a bit goofy taking a class, just go for the beginners class. Everyone starts somewhere. See if you have any friends who would want to go to the same class. It's coming up to New Years, so it could be a good suggestion to get a group of friends to start taking classes as part of a healthy New Years resolution.

kobiemom

Here's a thought: Gym classes are based on average physical development. Kids who are ahead of the curve excel. Kids who are average plug along. Kids who are a little behind the curve spend the rest of their lives avoiding physical skills because they've been convinced of their inability to do anything right. If they tried the same skills later, they may have excelled at them, but that's not how it's done. My son spent years in physical therapy and occupational therapy for developmental delays. When he emerged with strong skills, there were absolutely NO soccer or baseball or any other classes or teams to join because you had to be playing at an expert level by age 10. It made me think long and hard about the rest of us. Try it again. Shake off the ideas from your past.

SorchaRavenlock

Don't you ever do anything you don't really like, but it's needed so you do it anyway?
I do plenty of things every day I don't like: the dishes, cleaning toilets, paying the bills. I do them because I know it needs to be done. It's the same with exercise. Your body needs it to stay healthy and to function properly. So spending half an hour a few times a week on exercise is just something you'll have to make yourself do.
If you can find something you enjoy, it's all the better of course, but the truth is that that isn't needed. Simply make it part of your routine, just like your other chores.

zentha1384

I am not big on exercise and have trouble getting started. However once I get going it is a lot easier to keep going.

For me I have overcome this some by setting up some rules. I love watching TV so for me I pick a show that I can only watch if I'm working out. If I want to see what happens I have to keep going. I also set up points to earn when I get to certain goals in my exercise. Those points can be "Spent" on rewards for reaching my goals. I keep myself at low calorie and can't really afford any indulgences like coffee (i love a lot of cream in my coffee) or desserts. So if I want those I either have to really plan for them in my diet or work out. Sometimes I also plan on more fun work outs (kick boxing, swimming, or sword fighting) with my husband.

I recently signed up for a weight loss competition starting in January. It will go for 16 weeks and I will be working with a personal trainer. So we will see how that motivates me

Lesa_Sass

Honey, I just looked at your food diary.

Do you really only eat 500 calories a day?

If so you are NEVER going to be able to do any exercise.

OMG RIGHT! You are starving yourself and why? Please get help.

LorinaLynn

Honey, I just looked at your food diary.

Do you really only eat 500 calories a day?

If so you are NEVER going to be able to do any exercise.

OMG RIGHT! You are starving yourself and why? Please get help.

Really... my Pekingese eats about 500 calories a day. And he's only about 20 pounds. :frown:

I went down that road, too. It's a dead end. Eat to fuel your body. It needs it.

AllonsYtotheTardis

Generally - I would rather clean toilets than exercise.

So I picked something I didn't completely hate, and started doing it. Then I got used to it. Then I started to kinda like it. Now I look forward to it. Funny how your perspective changes.

Chinadorian

OP, find a good friend who you can have fun with when exercising...like to dance? join a zumba class. Like being out on water? do kayaking....etc....just getting out there and burning calories with a little resistance and having FUN is a good way to
show you its not drudgery ALL the time (alot of the time it is, but not all the time!) When I started back into fitness, I just tried to have fun. I would go dancing, I would walk with friends, I tried different things because I knew getting up and just going is the first step.

Second step is eating more calories than your diary is averaging at this point. I see youve been logging since around Thanksgiving and thats great, but just take a look at some of the fit and heealthy bodies around here on MFP and youll begin to notice that most of them eat over 1500, at least.

Good luck with your fitness goals!

TXGirl821

I don't LOVE exercise. I enjoy reading, sitting and watching bad reality tv, or playing games. If I have to walk, I'd rather it be because I'm shopping for fun stuff. But I also really enjoy food. And I've had eating disorders since I was 8. You can see where that got me.

I waddled into my gym at 370 pounds this year. I was sick. Not just because of my weight, but because I had spent many years doing exactly what I wanted to do rather than what I needed to do. I sat there with a lovely man who talked with me and did the requisite body fat tests and whatnot. I had almost no muscle. I was mostly all body fat. I made a joke that if I were a piece of Kobe beef, I'd be highly desired.

Knowing myself as I do, I made the decision to get a personal trainer because I knew that without someone to keep me accountable every week, and without someone to show me how to do things, I'd end up flittering my time away on the treadmill, not really accomplishing anything, until I eventually quit. I can't afford the trainer, but luckily I have people in my life who love me enough to want me to be healthy and they've chipped in. I owe it to them to do this because they can't really afford it either.

What I've discovered is that I TRULY love strength training. I'd rather pound my head against the wall than walk on the treadmill or use the elliptical, but I do it anyway because my trainer wants me to do cardio. But lifting weights? Doing squats? Oh honey, it pulled out the competitive side of me that I thought I'd lost years and years ago. When I stretch out my arm now and see the little beginnings of a muscle, or when I'm shaving my legs and I feel how firm my calves are, it gives me so much joy!

Do I want to go to the gym every day? Nope! And sometimes I don't! Now that I feel better, I stay pretty active just in my every day life. What you have to do is ask yourself how honestly feel. Don't look at the scale, don't look at your clothes. How do you REALLY feel? Do you feel strong? Do you feel healthy?

Try lots of different types of exercise. Don't limit yourself to just walking or running. Try weights, swimming, zumba, belly dance, yoga, pilates, kickboxing - there's a huge world of fitness out there. You just have to put yourself out there to do it! Best of luck!!

sarahstrezo

You probably hate the idea of any physical activity because you are staring yourself. Eating 500 calories a day is not going to give you any kind of energy. You are most likely never going to get the ideal body that is in your head starving yourself.

It doesn't really matter if you eat at Whole Food and Trader Joes 100% of the time. That's now what makes you healthy. IF you want to be healthy and look good naked (according to your profile), you need to EAT and work out!

AliciaHollywood

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'm thinking I may try self hypnosis again to kickstart things because I do believe I have a psychological block. A lot of people run on the sidewalks around my neighborhood, but the truth is,I don't even remember how to run! I ran across the street so a car wouldn't have to wait for me at a stop sign and I felt like such a dork and nearly tripped! Also I've found most LA people who talk about working out all the time so boring and superficial and self absorbed that I'll try to change the subject to quantum physics or existentialism or something to see if they can keep up lol. To me, listening to people talk about working out is the equivalent of hearing about hair extensions and spray tans... In high school, where I went to school in NYC, we made fun of cheerleaders and football players (our school was too small for either and focused on academics --which is why it didn't bother me too much being chosen last in gym.) I may have a deep seated association of working out with being dumb or an airhead! So I realize I have to change my mindset first. I've actually taken classes in hypnosis and am technically a Certified Hypnotherapist although I don't really practice and work in creative fields for a living. I might just try some personal self hypnosis without CDs and see how it goes... But just thinking this through here, I think I've at least analyzed what the problem is! Of course it could be that I'm just lazy and making all kinds of excuses, but at least I think self hypnosis will help... But I have to want it badly enough first even for that to work! I think I need to fall in love. That would solve everything lol...

I really admire all of you who have learned to love it. Hopefully one day soon...

DawnieB1977

Honey, I just looked at your food diary.

Do you really only eat 500 calories a day?

If so you are NEVER going to be able to do any exercise.

OMG RIGHT! You are starving yourself and why? Please get help.
[/quote

I think my 19 month old daughter eats more than that. Then again, she probably exercises more than the OP too!

Obviously you need to address your eating habits. LA or not, you don't need to starve! I went to LA in 2003 and I was a US size 6, and I didn't feel massive in comparison to other people, so I'm sure you're fine.

As for exercise...it takes a few weeks to form a habit. Force yourself to exercise a few times a week and soon enough it will be a habit, then you start to enjoy it, then you miss it when you don't do it. Plus you can eat like a normal person, which is a bonus!

Do you have a friend you could go with?

I just put my ipod on and ignore everyone. Even when I was bigger I wasn't too bothered about being at the gym. Classes are also fine.

Capt_Apollo

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'm thinking I may try self hypnosis again to kickstart things because I do believe I have a psychological block. A lot of people run on the sidewalks around my neighborhood, but the truth is,I don't even remember how to run! I ran across the street so a car wouldn't have to wait for me at a stop sign and I felt like such a dork and nearly tripped! Also I've found most LA people who talk about working out all the time so boring and superficial and self absorbed that I'll try to change the subject to quantum physics or existentialism or something to see if they can keep up lol. To me, listening to people talk about working out is the equivalent of hearing about hair extensions and spray tans... In high school, where I went to school in NYC, we made fun of cheerleaders and football players (our school was too small for either and focused on academics --which is why it didn't bother me too much being chosen last in gym.) I may have a deep seated association of working out with being dumb or an airhead! So I realize I have to change my mindset first. I've actually taken classes in hypnosis and am technically a Certified Hypnotherapist although I don't really practice and work in creative fields for a living. I might just try some personal self hypnosis without CDs and see how it goes... But just thinking this through here, I think I've at least analyzed what the problem is! Of course it could be that I'm just lazy and making all kinds of excuses, but at least I think self hypnosis will help... But I have to want it badly enough first even for that to work! I think I need to fall in love. That would solve everything lol...

I really admire all of you who have learned to love it. Hopefully one day soon...

wow