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

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Replies

  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    My favorite exercise is picking someplace scenic and doing run - walk - take pictures intervals. Run when I feel like running, walk when I need a break, take photos when there's something worth taking a picture of. It feels more like playing than exercising.... like being a little kid just running around with no cares about calories or fitness or time or distance... just running because it feels good to run.

    Example: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LorinaLynn/view/photos-from-today-s-run-421995
  • fragrantair
    fragrantair Posts: 27
    Sounds like me.Don't push yourself too hard. I'm also better at restricting my calories than pushing myself to work out. I did work out (quite excessively) for 2 weeks just gritting my teeth and bearing it and ended up gaining. I believe what happened was I got so stressed out physically and mentally from forcing myself to do something I don't like that I ate more out of my emotions. also I read in some magazine that (for apple shaped women at least..) pushing yourself too hard will make your body secrete more cortisol. I stopped exercising and focused on my calories and I'm down 8 pounds again. But I know exercise is good so I started incorporating a little bit back, I'll do 20 minutes of a jillian dvd instead of the whole hour long and build myself up to the whole thing.
  • MissJanet55
    MissJanet55 Posts: 457 Member
    I didn't read every post, so someone may have already suggested this.

    I filled my ipod with songs that I love - that's it, nothing else. Everything that shuffles around makes me stop and think "oh, yeah. I LOVE this."

    And that has transformed my gym time. I just go in three to five minute increments, and I enjoy them all because the music makes me want to move.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    I HATE exercising
    I LOVE working out
  • dancerom
    dancerom Posts: 174 Member
    I haven't read all the answers you already got. But my answer would be: DANCE!
    Dance for yourself with your favorite music, dance in class and find out what style you like or start a couple dance. Lindy Hop or Salsa are great cardio ;-)
    And enjoy the music, being indoor, having fun!

    I dance for hours. And I do a 5min Kettlebellswing training 3 times a week at home, and a rope jump tabata 2 or 3 times (the other mornings).
  • NataBost
    NataBost Posts: 418 Member
    I also think that you maybe need to sort out your food a little more, I hope you don`t mind but I took a sneak peek at your diary also?

    I understand with the exercise that you can not get into it, but if you are not eating enough then you really won`t have the energy to get into anything.

    Maybe try to add more food to your day and see if it improves your stamina and motivation.

    As far as the hypnosis and psychology goes it used to be my day job for many years and hypnosis only works if you want it to?

    I can give you more info on hypnosis if you pm me?

    But really I think eating is the bigger issue x

    This.
  • lmc8774
    lmc8774 Posts: 129 Member
    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.

    Oh, I loved this post. This is what it is all about. Here's a woman who woke up one day and decided to change her life. This is the kind of stuff that inspires me.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    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.

    I agree. NO ONE hated exercise as much as I used to but I found something I like reasonably well and I'm sticking to it. I exercise for an hour in our local pool twice a week (I take an aquacize class). I have always loved the water and what I realized is that the reason why I found exercise unpleasant is because I would overheat and sweat and chafe, etc. In the water---problem solved! In between my aquatic sessions, I do a bit of weight lifting and don't mind that either. You can do it too. :flowerforyou:
  • wgn4166
    wgn4166 Posts: 771 Member
    When I first started MFP, I would put on a movie that I loved and walk in place for 10-15 mins. Now I am up to jogging/walking for 2 hours.
  • BonnieandClyde29
    BonnieandClyde29 Posts: 1,026 Member
    LOVE ITT!!!!!! SOOOO TRUE!!! HAHAHA :laugh:

    you have to get over something. either get over the awkwardness of working out in front of everyone, or start enjoying the exercises. or you can start to like the results of those exercises.

    http://theoatmeal.com/comics/gym

    at_the_gym_whos_looking_at_whom_10815.jpg
  • meggwtw
    meggwtw Posts: 95 Member
    I have the same problem. Hoping some more people post in this thread to get more ideas!
  • JenniBaby85
    JenniBaby85 Posts: 855 Member
    *Ahem*

    Don't do an exercise you hate?

    Find something you enjoy. Hiking, swimming, weight lifting, long walks, all that constitutes as exercise. Just play around with it, and soon you'll find an activity you'd like.

    ETA: ^^^ All that stuff, my computer glitched
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    The only thing is to find something you enjoy. Even if it isnt traditionally thought of as exercise, Anything that gets you moving and active. Even 15-20 minutes of intense body weight stuff can be better than nothing and make improvements
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    You just haven't found an exercise you enjoy yet. Exercise doesn't HAVE to happen in a gym.

    Exercise can be going out and skiing.
    Skateboarding.
    Biking.
    Running.
    Badminton..

    Anything that gets your heart going and your sweat on (if you're the type who sweats).

    So keep looking for a physical activity you enjoy. Keep experimenting until you find the one that fits you.
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
    "I look at exercise as time taken away from things that are more enjoyable".... from your own profile.

    With this attitude, of course you hate it. Go see your mental health professional because you have a bad attitude. Great idea! Fix your attitude and you will fix your view on exercise.

    Sell your television, so you can't lay in bed and watch TV, when you could be working out at the gym. You will have enjoy something you proclaim you hate. Exercise raises your endorphin level and will trick the satisfaction center of your brain if you let it. But a word like "hate" is a really strong indication that you are making a choice. The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. So if you are hating exercise, you really are just wanting fast immediate results that you aren't giving yourself time to learn something new. Get over it. There is no instant satisfaction in anything. If you are consuming as much alcohol as you state you do in your profile, being hungover can make you really not want to exercise too.

    Give up the TV, alcohol, and whining and get your body moving. You may learn to like it in the long run. Attitude is everything

    I tell my kids, I don't care if you don't like something... pretend you do, tell yourself you are happy doing something and you will find the task is much easier.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    I looked at your diary. You're netting WAY WAY below 1000 calories a day. Sometimes between 400 and 600 calories!!! I wouldn't feel like exercise either if I was eating so poorly. You clearly have some eating issues going on. Seek professional help.
  • donmbowman
    donmbowman Posts: 2
    Hi, Saw your statement of your delema. I have a problem with exercise also. However, I have a very bad back and heart.Therefore, I can't do much even if I wanted .
    I was told to do sitting exercises, that is than the others. So, I sat down and traced back to my younger years and found one that I loved then-swimming!!. I tried it and found that I was able to do,even with my other problems.I now swim twice a day and I love it.
    My point is try to find something physical. that you enjoy in you lifetime that you might have enjoyed. And go for it. Start out easy and go from there.
    I hope it will work for you. (I am not a know it all-out just works for me.)
    Good Luck
    Don
  • Danielle817
    Danielle817 Posts: 62 Member
    bump
  • gsmithnp
    gsmithnp Posts: 139 Member
    I've always said I was the LEAST athletic person I ever knew. Too short for basketball (though I could shoot a ball halfway decent, I was too easy to block). Terrible hand-eye coordination, so softball and tennis and such were out. Volleyball--sorta OK. Running was the only thing I ever felt capable of doing, but I hated the girls on the track team and wanted nothing to do with them, so I never tried out.

    Fast forward to post-college, post-marriage, and post-kids. A couple of years ago I decided to try running again. Thought I was gonna DIE!! Felt like the biggest moron who ever laced up shoes. Coughed so much I almost threw up. But the most demoralizing thing wasn't all of that--I long since gave up caring what other people think of me. The worst was realizing that I couldn't keep up with my kids, who were running ahead of me. Not only could I not fun-run with them, what if there was an emergency and I needed to get to them fast?

    So I made myself start exercising. It sucked at first, and sometimes still does. But the benefits I've gained are sooooo worth it. My kids still outrun me, but I feel like I could sprint to get to them if they fall and hurt themselves. I can squat down to help them with something and not gasp for breath and struggle to stand up again. I carried all the boxes of Christmas decorations upstairs and wasn't completely exhausted afterwards (and some of those boxes and sections of the tree are HEAVY!). I can put a heavy bag of dog food in the car without throwing out my back anymore. I could go on and on.

    Frankly, if I never lose another pound I'll still be happy because my day-to-day life has improved so much. I may not workout every single blessed day, but I do it at least a few times a week just to keep my strength and endurance up. I feel better about my abilities, and also about setting a good example for my kids about being healthy.

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