Exercise is my torture! Got tips?

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MegSimmons7
MegSimmons7 Posts: 13
in Fitness and Exercise
First time exercising for an hour (just moderate walking) probably since last summer. Felt like my legs were going to fall off. I'm just curious how people get to the point of enjoying exercise? I used to exercise regularly, and I've ALWAYS hated it. I used to run, and I could never get into it for some reason. I just don't like pain.

I have some personal trainer friends, and they love exercising. How, I wonder. To me, it's like torture. Can they pass that pain-tolerant gene on to me, please? I want to start loving exercise!
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Replies

  • vixtris
    vixtris Posts: 688 Member
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    When I started exercising I felt horrible too. Advil and Tylenol were common for me in the beginning. Now sometimes I still take a pain killer but nto nearly as often. After a month or so you will get used to it. Then you will start to WANT to do it (because you are seeing results hopefully), and it shouldnt be so painful after doing it for awhile. Walking and running isnt my thing though, it gives me headaches. If you really dont like walking, I would suggest another form of exercise if you can, maybe try a dvd out (although it will be more intense than walking).
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
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    Find an activity that you hate the least, and do it. Then do it again. And again. And again.

    And then you will have a rest day or two and actually miss doing it.
  • peniculala
    peniculala Posts: 81 Member
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    I have to remember how I feel after it and I try to find something that I really enjoy, even if it's not the best workout. For me it's doing Zumba on my Wii. It makes me happy! So, I alternate that with days doing the harder stuff. But, I find now that if I have a headache when I start, it's gone by the time I finish. I have more energy and my skin glows. I wouldn't say I love it necessarily. More likely, I love/hate it. I hope you do better than me in that department.
  • white__wizard
    white__wizard Posts: 22 Member
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    Get over the first few days (or maybe week or so) hump and you'll start to enjoy it. I hate running too. I bike instead. Just keep trying different things until you find something you like.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
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    If exercise were as enjoyable as watching TV, there would be no fat people in this world.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Find something you like to do. It doesn't have to be running. I love Just Dance and Dance Central games. Just keep trying things until you find something you enjoy.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Do workouts that don't cause you pain. I hate working out, but that's because I dislike feeling sweaty and exhausted. Still no pain, though.
  • cng31183
    cng31183 Posts: 126 Member
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    I despised it too in the beginning. My whole motto was "no f'ing way!" But I came to realkze it was a necessary evil. And I also came to realize that if I don't like to do something then there is no reason to do it. I hate running/jogging so I don't do it. In the beginning i just walked and at first it left me out of breath but eventually it got easy and I found myself wanting to do more so I progressed to body weight exercises. That progressed to kettlebells and that led to weight training. Its taken a few months but I like exercising and look forward to it... now if I could get my appetite under control id be all set...
  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
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    If exercise were as enjoyable as watching TV, there would be no fat people in this world.

    That's not true. I've always exercised lots even when I was fat. And I haven't owned a tv in years and years... but I still got fat.

    OP as everyone else says the trick is finding something you like. I'm an introvert and my exercises of choice (swimming, running alone, hiking without speaking to other people) all reflect that. If you're more of a people person how about joining a team of some sort?
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
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    I'm sure you can find something you like doing. Do you like playing any active games or sports? Do you like dancing?
  • tcraw15
    tcraw15 Posts: 223 Member
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    Fortunately for me, I love exercising. But that's probably mostly due to the fact that I focus on WHY I'm exercising. It's more mental than anything else, really. Focus on the end result. Focus on what you will be able to do once you are stronger. Focus on how you'll feel about yourself once you are leaner and healthier. Eye on the prize, baby. Eye on the prize!!
  • musenchild
    musenchild Posts: 182 Member
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    I agree with others, find something that you enjoy. I dropped 20 pounds without even trying when I started ballroom dancing every night. It doesn't have to be "exercise" in a gym.

    I thought of the funny "find your thing" ads from Kaiser. This is the website: https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health/care/!ut/p/c4/FcpBDoMgEEDRs3iAyThGELqzhjO0uJsQaklkNEjs9av5u5ePM14Jn2nhmjbhFd_oQ5Qay-OTqsTjwNf97IWXzOhlg8DhG2_jUlNYI3pryU2d7UC5QQGRIzCq1TAOpn9OfWu0JtxzNr-xaf7QTNFW/
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    Have you used a heart rate monitor? I've found that when I do things like biking my natural tendency is to push way harder than is needed, pushing my HR to 85% and up, which gets tiring quickly and is painful if you try to keep that up for very long. So I'm basically doing HIIT without intending to. When I wore a HRM and kept my heart rate at 65-85% the whole time, I rode for an entire hour and it was like taking a lazy stroll.

    Maybe you are pushing yourself harder than you need to, and maybe you'd actually enjoy cardio at the "right" pace. :)
  • WAnnB
    WAnnB Posts: 65 Member
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    I don't think I will ever enjoy 'exercising' and I am always so happy to be done. I have found something that works for me and I am committed to doing it 30 min. 3x a week. I've lost 43 pounds since past October. I'd rather pull weeds but it doesn't have the same results as walking the TreadClimber.
  • AmberleyAngel
    AmberleyAngel Posts: 160 Member
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    Like others have said, finding the thing that you like doing is important. Thinking of it not as 'exercise' can help too - which is easier when you like to do it.

    I absolutely love zumba. I love how I feel at the end of it. Some mornings I get up - stiff, sore, sometimes still tired and I think, gee I can hardly walk, how am I going to do zumba. But a few minutes into it and all those things fade away.

    There are so many choices to get moving so maybe look at activities/being active and not "exercise". Mindset plays a major part in it, I believe.
  • MegSimmons7
    MegSimmons7 Posts: 13
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    Thanks guys. I actually have a bizarrely low heart rate. I was monitored for it once, but I guess I was either born that way or the docs don't know why it's so slow. They asked if I exercised a lot, and of course I had to laugh. I have the resting heart rate of a marathon runner. Hah. One side effect can be lightheadedness/fatigue, and that's kinda how I felt after an hour of walking. I drank lots of water, and that seemed to help.
  • BozGirl
    BozGirl Posts: 333 Member
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    For my entire youth, I hated exercise and sports, and I couldn't understand why anyone would like it. Then I bought a bike about about 15 years ago, and I became obsessed with cycling. It is such a joyful feeling to be out in nature on a bike. It is not always easy, but I love to get out on my bike. I started jogging last fall when I couldn't get out on my bike due to weather and the sun going down earlier. Jogging is not quite as enjoyable and it has been a great challenge for me, but I keep at it, along with my weights and workout videos. I am interested to see where my jogging journey will take me. If you keep exercising, you will get stronger and it will get easier -- much, much easier and much more enjoyable. You'll like the changes exercise has brought to your body, and that will be very motivating and exciting. You will come to rely on exercise to relieve stress, and you will enjoy the hour each day that you have to yourself. Keep at it, it's a journey worth exploring.
  • jyneefur
    jyneefur Posts: 64 Member
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    How did you feel after just 30 minutes of walking? Sixty minutes is a fairly long time.. your body would love you even if you only did 30 minutes. I know when I get the urge to work out, I try to push myself.. longer time, more distance, etc. And then my body hates me. So I hate exercising. So I stop. It's a vicious cycle. I've been learning that holding back and doing what my body is CAPABLE of right now will let me improve so I can do more later. Jumping right in to ANYTHING and expecting your body to handle it like someone who's been doing it for awhile will result in you hating exercise.

    I've never been a huge fan of walking/running, even when I was really active and played sports. My cardio of choice is the recumbent bike.. my fat butt doesn't hate me and my heart gets pumping. Lately I've been looking forward to walking/jogging, however, with the Zombies 5k app. (It's like a Couch to 5k program.) It's pushing me to run, but in small doses, all while keeping me entertained with the storyline of being in post-apocalyptic zombieland. (The first week's workouts are 10 min walking, 1min walking/15sec jogging repeated 10 times, then 10 min of free-form running or walking.. whatever your body can handle. It ends up being about a 35 min workout, and a SATISFYING one.. not a I-Hate-Exercise one!)

    Like most people have already said.. find what works for you! I played tennis as a teenager, so for awhile I was just playing a tennis game with the PS3 Move system.. I just actually MOVED like I was playing again, except without as much running. :D Something as simple as a fun game like that is a great way to burn some calories. Sports, biking, swimming (heck, even treading water!!), active video games, walking, jumping rope! There are so many possibilities.. you just have to stick with something past the initial body soreness (from your muscles not being familiar with being used in that way.. NOT from working too hard too fast!) and find what you like to do. :)
  • seabuckaroo
    seabuckaroo Posts: 85
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    I just bought my daughter a dancing game on Wii, its actually really fun and I really worked up a sweat!

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