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

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

I have the same problem. Hoping some more people post in this thread to get more ideas!

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

"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.

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

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.