Does exercise ever get fun?

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  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Good question, I guess you either like it or you don't.

    I played netball for 20 years before suffering a really bad injury and haven't played since 2007. Still miss it. Got into gyms when I was about 20, and found the weights room at age 30, love it, can't imagine giving it up.

    So - the moral of the story is - find something you like doing!!! People talk about the Elliptical all the time, I'd rather slit my own throat than get on that thing, so I don't. I'm not interested in Bootcamp, I don't do that either. TRY a little bit of everything until you find what works for you.

    And there's always going for a walk - you can start that as soon as you put your shoes on.

    Best of luck!
  • LittleMissAlx
    LittleMissAlx Posts: 291 Member
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    Like with anything, there's always going to be good days and bad days. Find something that you love, and then go from there.
    Equally, exercise doesn't have to be in a gym. I love running, but I hate doing it in the gym. Would rather feel the wind in my hair and see changing surroundings than stare at the tv screens in the gym.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    Did you ever start liking exercise?
    How long before it got "easier"?
    What keeps you going back to the gym for more?

    1: Long ago, but, some days just suck
    2. Every ~6 weeks when I deload
    3. Crushing goals
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
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    Only if it's skiing in the Alps, or swimming in the Med, tbh.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    I love it,, gives me a great high
  • hannahlclrk
    hannahlclrk Posts: 66 Member
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    get a skipping rope (jump rope if USA i think)

    every time you think about eating something you have decided your not going to, skip for a minute. or try intervals with it, do, 1 min, then 30 sec rest, then 2min then 30sec rest, then 3 min and rest and 4 and rest and five and rest and five again, then 4 and so on... this way you wont feel like your doing alot in those short burst, start of by maybe just going up to 3 mins and back down,
  • RedScathach
    RedScathach Posts: 24 Member
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    I hated exercise for years, it's one of the reasons why I never had much success losing weight. But once I found something I genuinely enjoyed that I found exercise as fun, it's still a lot of hard work but I am loving it. The key for me was to work out with a group of like minded people that I felt comfortable with. I will never go back to a standard gym experience again, I prefer group classes - Zumba/RIPPED/WERQ/Boot Camp/Piloxing etc... I find that I can move at my own pace but push myself to do my best. I actually strangely look forward to going to classes everyday.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
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    Yes, find something that you enjoy. I prefer the elliptical, and I also like the feel of synergy that I get from group exercise classes at the gym. I started doing deadlifts and kettlebell exercises yesterday, and although I am sore as hell, I am in love and addicted to them! :heart:
  • TwelveSticks
    TwelveSticks Posts: 288 Member
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    All the people saying "find something you like", though it is undoubtedly good advice, are somewhat missing the point if the OP doesn't like anything!

    However, all is not lost - you can certainly get to like exercise if you just keep at it. When I started exercising it was walking - I'd walk 20 minutes at a time, maybe 3 days a week, and I built that until I was doing an hour a time, 6 days a week. At first, I really didn't like it at all, and I could only get through it by listening to interesting podcasts on my iPhone. However, after 6 months or so, I noticed times when I'd be half-way through my walk and suddenly realise that I'd forgotten to switch the podcast on - I was enjoying the walk so much, it was no longer necessary.

    A lot of the enjoyment comes from success, but there are physiological reasons too - dopamine, endorphines and all that, which make you feel good. So I would advise just giving it a go - if you hit on something you find you like off the bat, then great, but if not, then just keep at it and you'll soon find you start to enjoy it more...
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
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    Someone said it doesn't get easier because they keep pushing harder...and I agree; to be effective it requires physical exertion beyond what you find easy, and that threshold will change...BUT I find it gets easier in some ways as well because a) once you have momentum, it's just mentally easier to do the work b) as you feel better physically, working your body can make you feel strong and proud of yourself c) ENDORPHINS! Work hard enough and these feel good hormones will be released and you'll feel good and you will crave that feeling.

    And yes x10000000 to everyone who said find something you enjoy. I'd be bored to tears on a treadmill, but I love to hike.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    a week....
    well you probably havent seen much in the way of results yet.

    reason i say that is because once i started seeing and feeling the difference, the fun meter started rising...
    and now im just in love with it and my fun meter is full engorged!!

    Love this ^^ fun meter! :-D and I totally agree :)
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    Take up a sport.

    My current addiction is tennis. If I only play it for an hour, I go home wanting more. This summer I was playing for up to 3 hours. I can't see me doing aerobics for 3 hours. I also enjoy rock climbing and climb until I cannot hold onto anything!

    Lifting's an interesting one. It's the closest I get to "exercise" these days - abstract sets/reps/timings. I do it because it's a challenge and knowing that I'm getting stronger all the time gives me a real boost emotionally. Perhaps you can get that from running (by getting a quicker time for a set distance) or aerobics (by lasting longer in a session before you need a break)?
  • DeniseCole5
    DeniseCole5 Posts: 24 Member
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    Find an exercise that you will enjoy, I never thought I could find something that would keep me motivated but I did. I enjoy body combat and fight Klub. :smile:
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    I completely agree with the "find something you enjoy". Some exercises are fun for me, others are purgatory. It's an individual thing. And for me, some exercises - a day-long walk or a fast cycle - can definitely be "day at the beach fun".

    I also think that when you're overweight, some exercise is much more punishing than it is when you're a normal weight. Other things it has less of an effect. So running, for instance, the sheer weight on your legs is going to make that more unpleasant when you're heavy, even once your fitness has improved. Same is true for walking, dancing, aerobics etc. So I think these things will get a bit easier to start with as your fitness improves, but then will continue to get gradually easier as your weight goes down.

    Cycling, on the other hand, is less affected by your weight because you're not actually holding your own weight up. Yes, extra weight adds pedalling effort, but it's less significant than the wind resistance (especially if you're going fast). Cycling getting easier is almost all a question of cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength, which can develop quite quickly if you're doing it regularly and you will arrive sooner at the point where it's not hurting any more. So I guess that would go for things like rowing or canoeing as well.

    But this is a theory I have from my experience, and I don't know how much it's reflected in other people's experience.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    Also, I tried Wii Fit Plus at my parent's house recently. Best fun I ever had exercising. The games vary in intensity and some of them don't burn that many calories per minute, but the trick of it is that you exercise without noticing you are doing it. I would love to have one of those!
  • Go4it1985
    Go4it1985 Posts: 169 Member
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    Not sure - it depends on the person I think and how they react to endorphins. When people exercise they feel a sense of accomplishment and happiness (so it becomes like a reward high) and so people want to regain that feeling constantly. Also exercise is a reliever of stress (driving down cortisol levels which in the end assists in Not gaining weight. high cortisol over extended periods of time can lead to weight gain).

    Anyway to keep exercise fun I think you may have to try out different things to see what suits you best:

    Maybe finding in gym buddy and having someone to exercise with?
    Joining some group fitness class??
    Trying out different classes like Step, Dance etc.
    Combining a variety of things (e.g. weights, different cardio equipment (slogging 60+ minutes on the one machine can be monotonous) - maybe mixing that up with swimming/boxing
    Group sports (joining a netball/volleyball etc.) team
    Running groups

    You're probably already aware of all those options but it's about finding out something that works well for you :) and that will be something you can sustainably continue.
  • judilockwood
    judilockwood Posts: 134 Member
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    I agree to find something you enjoy and worth making the effort to do. I love swimming and do that, I like treadmill and gym so I do that too- it all gets easier as you lose the weight. I hate elliptical and cycling, so though I do both occasionally ( to see if I've changed my mind), I tend to avoid them altogether. If I cant get to the gym, if I'm away from home I try to get a brisk walk in - after all its important and beneficial to move your body both for your weight and your general health and well being x
  • MinimalistShoeAddict
    MinimalistShoeAddict Posts: 1,946 Member
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    I have been working out for a week now- and I'm doing it but not liking it. I know I need to do it for my health and for weigh loss- but my question to everyone is:

    Did you ever start liking exercise?
    How long before it got "easier"?
    What keeps you going back to the gym for more?

    I always enjoy exercise because I choose to focus on exercises that I consider fun and frequently try new things.

    For example most of my time exercising right now is spend on running, weight lifting (compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, barbell rows, bench press and overhead press) swimming, cycling, yoga and calisthenics

    I am not promoting a specific exercise (because I think each person will have different preferences) but I do promote variety.

    If running is getting monotonous for you, add hill sprints with a weight vest or midnight trail running.

    If cycling alone on a exercise bike is boring, try mountain biking outside or taking a spin class.

    If you find weightlifting machines boring like I do, use free weights instead!

    If you think kickboxing is boring, try brazilian jiu jitsu, karate or taekwondo instead

    Exercise should be fun! If you are not enjoying it now, keep trying new things until you find something you enjoy.
  • itsfruitcake
    itsfruitcake Posts: 146 Member
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    All the people saying "find something you like", though it is undoubtedly good advice, are somewhat missing the point if the OP doesn't like anything!

    Yeah but out of the 1000 different types of exercise there are, surely there will be at least one thing the OP enjoys, right? :)

    Outdoors activities can be great exercise without actually thinking of it as exercising - going on bike rides, hiking (friend of mine basically lost half his weight within a couple of years after joining a hiking club), climbing, swimming outdoors in summer (if you live in the right climate ;), walking or even running depending on how fit you are. You get to enjoy beautiful surroundings if you pick the right spot, get some fresh air, maybe listen to nice music or just enjoy bird song...

    Or maybe you prefer competitive team sports, or dancing, or something more technical like martial arts (I did kickboxing classes for women for a while, tough but super fun punching pads with other women :D) - just try out different things (most clubs have free trial classes) until you find something you love doing. And once you get bored, move on to something else.
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,171 Member
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    yeah do something that you enjoy!
    for example I really enjoy tennis and lifting :D and a little gym cardio so thats what i do
    also things like zumba are great fun!