Help me learn to LOVE exercise

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  • betsz1
    betsz1 Posts: 81 Member
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    I just read your comment about how you "actually got the opportunity" to go to the gym. Sounds to me like working out at home..which is what I do..might be a good option. I have limited time also and getting ready to go to the gym and driving there cuts into my time to exercise. I bought a stationary bike and a home gym and it really helps to just roll out of bed and get it done in the morning before the day starts. I also just bought a Heart Rate Monitor...and I absolutely love it. It really shows the calories you're burning in "real time" so you can challenge yourself if you see yourself slipping. Just a suggestion...I just know it works for me. I hated exercise too..but I'm having fun now. :happy:
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    I love the results of exercise. I love feeling stronger and healthier and smaller. But, I hate the actual act of exercising. I hate getting up early and going to the gym. I hate every second that I'm on any kind of cardio machine (elliptical, treadmill...)
    I've recently started using the resistance machines, I don't enjoy using them either.
    I'm not trying to whine, and I am WILLING to do what it takes to get through a work out.
    But I'm worried that since I struggle so hard with making myself do it that I might give up
    .Is there any way to make working out more enjoyable? Or if I hate it now will I hate it forever?
    Just wondering if anyone went from hating it to loving it and how.

    Try everything and every method. You will find something you enjoy. If you are going to do cardio machines build a fun playlist or get some books on mp3 to help you through. My gym has a wall of TVs with closed captioning (or you can plug your headphones in to listen) I really enjoy watching Paula Dean slowly kill her family with butter on the foodnetwork, maybe you can watch Dr. Oz and make fun of his shilling of the latest miracle voodoo weight-loss fad.

    But seriously, keep searching and trying methods until you find something that you find fun or at least not sucky.
  • penith113
    penith113 Posts: 113 Member
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    That might be part of the issue - because you can only get there twice a week, you're not seeing progress as quickly.
    Is there anyway someone could help yu get there another day? Or have a look at something like bodyrock you can do at home in between.

    Honestly, I'm not looking to see progress quickly. I have a relatively small amount of weight to lose (35 pounds will have me at 140 and i'm 5' 9", depending on how I look/feel I may stop trying to lose when I hit 150)
    And I guess I left out that going to the gym isn't the only exercise I get. I walk on my lunch break sometimes, I have a workout DVD at home (that I hate more than the gym, lol)
    I do try to do a little something every day even if its just doing a few squats at work every time I get up to go to the bathroom.

    I do agree that attending a class might make working out more fun. I think I will look around and see what is available in my area.

    My health is important. I am trying to make it a priority. My other priority is my son and most any time I am away exercising is time away from him (that's why I get up at 5:30 am to go before work)
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
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    Switch up your playlist too. Don't have the same one too long...you will become "Stale"

    Try adding weights to your rountine too. Or say if you do a half hour of cardio per day - split it between 3 machines for 10 mins each.
  • penith113
    penith113 Posts: 113 Member
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    As with all things, try not to feed or reinforce the hate. I have learned to say, "I can do this". Not that I like doing it, but that I can. I am capable. I do a lot of things that I am not particularly fond of (paperwork, paying taxes, picking up dog poop, etc. etc.). If I tell myself how much I hate it and feed my resistance to it, it makes it harder on me, and those things still need to be done. I also think about how much money Nike has made from "Just do it." And how right they are.

    I like this a lot! Most obstacles in life are mental.
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
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    Exercise doesn't have to be done in a gym. Do you like playing volleyball? basketball? Do you like dancing? Do you like hiking? I was on a dragon boat team and loved it. There was a great team spirit and what an awesome workout each week!

    Personally I love going to the gym. I go early in the morning when there is only a few people and they are usually serious about working out. There is a certain sense of camaraderie in the group but not so much that it interferes with my work out.

    As well, I switch up my play list regularly on my ipod. good tunes really get me primed. Maybe a cute work out outfit does it for you. New running shoes get me at the gym as well.

    Just don't look at it as evil. The feeling after a good workout is amazing. Does your gym have a sauna or steam room? Treat yourself to that after you kick butt.

    ETA... I have started taking boxing lessons...not kick boxing, good old Muhammad Ali type boxing... now THAT is fun!
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    As with all things, try not to feed or reinforce the hate. I have learned to say, "I can do this". Not that I like doing it, but that I can. I am capable. I do a lot of things that I am not particularly fond of (paperwork, paying taxes, picking up dog poop, etc. etc.). If I tell myself how much I hate it and feed my resistance to it, it makes it harder on me, and those things still need to be done. I also think about how much money Nike has made from "Just do it." And how right they are.

    I like this a lot! Most obstacles in life are mental.

    A year ago I *had* to exercise. Now I *want* to exercise. Generally that's the gym, but I was running heavily until my injury (Planar Faciatias) Now that its full tilt winter I'm hitting the gym most days, other days I have a kinnect fitness game I'll play and yesterday I shoveled snow for over an hour so that was my exercise.

    Here's some motivation.. Because I am now physically fit, shovelling snow for an hour didn't kick my *kitten*. In the past the same amount of shovelling would have taken me more than two because I would have to keep taking breaks so as not to die in my driveway. I even went next door and shovelled out the nice old lady's car because I'm a giver and I wanted to burn extra calories so I could have hot-cocoa with butterscotch schnapps (Highly recommended)
  • Juliejustsaying
    Juliejustsaying Posts: 2,332 Member
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    You'll definately love it more the more results you get..that is why I started lifting...and why I still am lifting. I used to love cardio now I have to force myself...I still love a good walk through the woods though. But lifting you start seeing results almost immediately and that just makes it addictive!
  • dorothytd
    dorothytd Posts: 1,138 Member
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    I'm not a gym person - I started out my journey when my kids were young, so I couldn't get there between them and work. So I started getting up early and doing DVDs. You mentioned you have one. There are so many different workouts out there. Maybe you just haven't found your thing yet. Collage Video is great - you can return the DVDs if you don't like them and they have good descriptions of the workouts (collagevideo.com). More video may motivate you on gym days to get out and do something "different," too!

    The other thing I found was that classes can be really fun. You make friends, have some healthy competition and someone else is pushing you for a change. (It gets tiring, pushing yourself!) Even once a week can motivate you to workout more.

    Good luck!!
  • floridagirl7264
    floridagirl7264 Posts: 318 Member
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    Try some pumping techno music on your mp3 player. I purchased many songs and found that they help with pushing myself harder. I don't belong to a gym. When I was working out a few years ago (trying to lose baby weight), I would challenge myself on the elliptical. I would say okay another 5 minutes or another xx amount of calories. I really enjoy it. I also used to walk/run. I would challenge myself to running to the next mailbox. Then i would walk until my heart bpm slows down. Then I would run again. Also, have you tried any of the xbox workouts. I don't have an xbox yet but when I do get one, I'm going to get one of those dance games. It looks like fun! Also, when I was younger I would rollerblade. I had the best time rollerblading!

    Best of luck!
  • penith113
    penith113 Posts: 113 Member
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    Try some pumping techno music on your mp3 player. I purchased many songs and found that they help with pushing myself harder. I don't belong to a gym. When I was working out a few years ago (trying to lose baby weight), I would challenge myself on the elliptical. I would say okay another 5 minutes or another xx amount of calories. I really enjoy it. I also used to walk/run. I would challenge myself to running to the next mailbox. Then i would walk until my heart bpm slows down. Then I would run again. Also, have you tried any of the xbox workouts. I don't have an xbox yet but when I do get one, I'm going to get one of those dance games. It looks like fun! Also, when I was younger I would rollerblade. I had the best time rollerblading!

    Best of luck!

    Roller blading...no, lol. I have terrible balance. I have not been successful at any type of skating. I do play the number games on the elliptical though. I will set an amount of time but then if I'm close to rounding up the the next hundred calories I will push past the time limit to reach the calories, or the next mile or half mile.
  • OtiWanKenobi
    OtiWanKenobi Posts: 340 Member
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    I really hate going to the gym...I have a bit of ADD and I can't be on a treadmill longer than 20 minutes (even with good dance music) before I go nuts and get off. I constantly stare at the numbers on the dashboard. I realized after some time that I'm just not a gym person...so I looked for alternatives and found that I looooooooved being in group classes like Zumba and Bootcamp. I enjoy them because the routines are different every time and it feels good to workout with like-minded people working towards the same goal...to torch calories! I currently found my favorite kind of workout and that's running and hot yoga with weights. I started off signing myself up for 5K's and eventually trained and did my first 1/2 marathon this past summer.

    It's just a matter of exploration...find out what works for you. The gym should not be your only option to get a good workout. :-) Also, I hate DVD's too! Even though it's in the comfort of my house...I just can't seem to get myself motivated. I have to get out of the house to get it done.

    Best of luck on your fitness endeavor!!!
  • adelephant16
    adelephant16 Posts: 3
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    Find a show you really love and ONLY watch it while your on the elliptical, 30 minutes will go by and you wont know what happened. You'll look forward to working out if it's a show you need to see. You can read on the stationary bike or listened to loud, upbeat music while your running. I've found that the worst pop music is the best. When I have days where the last thing I want to do is cardio, I find something that makes me focused on anything but that. Oddly enough when I'm not focused on the time and pace, I sometimes end up going faster and over the time I wanted- which of course is not a bad thing :)
  • towens00
    towens00 Posts: 1,033 Member
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    Music & TV make all the difference for me. I always have earphones with me & can use with my MP3, phone, & tablet or laptop. Showsday.com has free movies, & series you can watch. Makes the time on Elliptical & treadmill go a lot faster.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    That might be part of the issue - because you can only get there twice a week, you're not seeing progress as quickly.
    Is there anyway someone could help yu get there another day? Or have a look at something like bodyrock you can do at home in between.

    Honestly, I'm not looking to see progress quickly. I have a relatively small amount of weight to lose (35 pounds will have me at 140 and i'm 5' 9", depending on how I look/feel I may stop trying to lose when I hit 150)
    And I guess I left out that going to the gym isn't the only exercise I get. I walk on my lunch break sometimes, I have a workout DVD at home (that I hate more than the gym, lol)
    I do try to do a little something every day even if its just doing a few squats at work every time I get up to go to the bathroom.

    I do agree that attending a class might make working out more fun. I think I will look around and see what is available in my area.

    My health is important. I am trying to make it a priority. My other priority is my son and most any time I am away exercising is time away from him (that's why I get up at 5:30 am to go before work)
    I meant progress with fitness, not appearance. Enjoyment increases with fitness levels.

    I know it's hard to juggle, I have a demanding job and a family. It can be tough to squeeze workouts in. Try fitting just one more significant workout in. You'd be surprised how big a difference x3 makes over x2. That said anything is better than nothing! :-)
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
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    So many terrific ideas. I wish I had done this when my children were little: go to a play park and copy whatever your son does for thirty minutes. Crawling , climbing, balancing, repeating going down the slide over and over. This has got to be a hard workout, some moms have told me that they can't do it for more than ten minutes. The bonus is that your son will feel completely heard by you, you're on the same page, and he is more likely to follow your lead another time, like when you are encouraging him to tidy his toys:)
  • MadMadamMirm
    MadMadamMirm Posts: 9 Member
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    I love the lion chasing idea too! So many great suggestions that I hate to follow with this one, but it's true for me that if I just stop thinking about it and get in the habit of exercise, it's much much easier. If I have to make a decision every single morning to go for a run, I'll hardly ever do it. I made a goal of being able to run 5k (was VERY inspired by my sister's success!) and made myself a refrigerator chart to track my progress. A little credit, a little habit-forming, and a lot less decision-making-time- that's my formula.
  • WDEvy
    WDEvy Posts: 814 Member
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    I would hate it too if I worked out only in a gym and only in the AM.

    You might not be a morning workout person. Try late afternoon or evening ones.

    Find something you like that might be more interesting to you. I like Hiking and swimming a lot more than treadmill!
  • meghanmfitzgerald
    meghanmfitzgerald Posts: 29 Member
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    Not reading the other comments so this may have been said. However, I also find the traditional gymn workout painfully boring. But I love group fitness classes. So I usually just stick to those. Kickboxing, yoga, pilates, boot camp, spinning you name it.
  • sixpackdream
    sixpackdream Posts: 55 Member
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    I HATE!!!! even 5 minutes of cardio, but I could play a sport like tennis, football, basketball, badminton or hockey for hours. I can also set goals in sports like playing in competitions and reaching certain levels. If you can find a sport you really enjoy it could change your life.

    On off days I try to squeeze in a workout but I hate it -lol.

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