I hate working out.

i can't run either but not due to asthma. In any case I do bike or recumbent elliptical for cardio. aside from that I do some weights/circuit training at my gym. At home I use some small weights and resistance bands while watching tv. I don't get out of breath but do feel it in my arms.

if you have a wii you could always try wii fit, also yoga would be good too, while it may not feel like a hard workout it can help in a number of ways. If I didnot do yoga I would not have the function that i do have. Lots of stretching ect.

look around look around look around!! you might not like running but what about dancing? hiking? kicking stuff? football? tennis?
I think you'll be better of doing something you like so you won't dread the workout time, also it might help you stick to it, the point is to stay active on the long run, right?

join the club... i dread exercising! but i do it every day that i can (5 days/week)

I don't do gyms. I have health problems too and the idea of a gym fills me with horror. I hate going INDOORS to exercise too apart from swimming. I walk everywhere I can, more at weekends and days off than on weekdays, especially in winter.

What about cycling, gets you somewhere and burns calories? I enjoy occasional yoga at home. I've just started swimming lessons too and absolutely loved it.

I do not enjoy it at all. i force myself to do it and I don't feel good after. I feel like i don't burn as many calories as i would like in each workout because I cant run because of my asthma. I am eating better but i need help finding something that will burn a lot of calories without making feel like I'm going to die.

Just keep in mind you can not out exercise too many calories.

Lifting weights is KEY. I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am.

Start lifting now, lift heavy and change it up often, find a lot of weight routines with free weights, make it fun, embrace it, make it part of your life. Only 3 days a week is all it would take. Crank up your tunes and learn to love it, because your body will love it and it will make your quality of life better in many ways, especially when you get older like me.

Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, and you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

If you are female you don't have the hormones to get big naturally. I lift heavy and I'm still really tiny. My lean body mass is only 104 lbs and that is fairly heavy for a 5'1" female, and quite a bit of this is due to my having very dense bones from 30 years of lifting, not all muscle, and I'm still quite tiny.

My muscles really are not that big, but they show a lot of definition because I'm quite lean. If I gained some fat then I would have a softer more toned look (which is OKAY too!). Then if I gained more fat I would look bulky and hefty like I did most of my life until last year. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Lean and ripped, soft and toned, or hefty, it all depends on how much fat you leave on your body. Calories are the only thing that changes fat. Exercise is for changing or maintaining your lean body mass only. Lifting weights will give you the best bang for your buck for shaping your body. I finally changed my shape by putting lifting first and cardio 2nd. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

I used to hate working out too because I always felt like afterwards I was just exhausted and couldn't catch my breath. I've learned though that really low-impact stuff can be enjoyable, like cycling and dancing (Just Dance, etc). Also I kind of figured out that once I start to feel tired, if I just push through it and force myself to continue for a few more minutes, the last half of the workout is rather enjoyable and it does give me energy. If you ease into it and just try to do a little bit, eventually you will find what works for you.

Then don't do cardiovascular exercises.

Instead, make your deficit through diet and do weight lifting as your exercise.

I agree. For some reason, weight lifting doesn't register in my head as 'hard' exercise. Even though I'm burning calories, sweating, and my heart rate is up, it's not the same 'I' feel like I'm dying' feeling that you get with straight-up cardio. The mental aspect of it is easier to handle and get through. 30 minutes of weight lifting means 10 or 15 or however many different exercises you want. You take breaks between sets, and sometimes you even sit or lie down. You can do it while you watch tv for God's sake as long as you keep your form good. :P

if you have a wii you could always try wii fit, also yoga would be good too, while it may not feel like a hard workout it can help in a number of ways. If I didnot do yoga I would not have the function that i do have. Lots of stretching ect.

Keep trying to find new things you WILL like. Remember .... keeping the weight off is a "lifestyle" change .... you want to workout for the rest of your life.

Re: Wii, XBox ... whatever .... Redbox has several fitness games available. You can test drive them, before buying. Check your local library, they have videos. Netflix by mail has tons of exercise videos.

You don't have to kill yourself, you just need to make improvements one step at a time.

Yoga!

Your body will change so much faster and for the better if you focus more on strength training and kill the mentality of doing cardio to burn fat. Muscle is smaller and denser than fat and burns more calories at rest. Once you start strength training your body will get smaller and tighter. Your body will become a calorie burning machine even at rest. You can add cardio if you want extra burn or heart benefits but you don't need to kill yourself with it...especially since you hate it.

And there are so many things you can try. If you work out at home, I highly suggest getting some weights and DVDs. Try the Firm or Chalean Extreme and go to town! Mix in some of the barre workouts like Squeeze, Xtend Barre or Physique 57 if you like...many women love them. For cardio you can try Turbo Jam, the Firm, Stephanie Huckabee's PowerFit or some of the wii things like Golds Gym, Walk It Out, wii Fit, Just Dance, etc.

But don't do the treadmill if you hate it!

Jack Lalanne once said he hates exercise, but loves the results.

No easy answer, but figure out a way to make it work for you.

I totally know where you are coming from. I totally hate exercising--it's hard for me and I can't run yet, because I'm outta shape (I was going to use the excuse that I'm old--but that's not it--it's that I'm not in shape). ALL that changes (well, except for running), when I add one little thing--Thumping, Jamming MUSIC. Listening to music when I'm on my treadmill and Stationary bike totally pumps me up and helps me to LOVE exercising. Plus, it makes me work harder and sweat more and afterwards I feel like a first class all time champion shero

Try getting some headphones (I can't stand those earbuds) and I listen to one of my children's I-Pod thingys. They put a ton of my old dance tunes on it and some upbeat music, and girl---it's gets me going. Try it, I know it will work for you too. Today I was jamming so tough, I almost started running/jogging on that blasted treadmill. I'm telling ya, COOL music is the answer!

Lastly, when I'm listening to music that's really awesome also makes the time FLY by too.

HTH:flowerforyou: