I don't want to exercise.......ever!!

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  • Exercise doesn't have to be at the gym next to people 20 times fitter than you. It can be walking your dog, walking around, doing in house exercises, some sort of manual labor(gardening, fixing your car, shoveling the snow). I love to listen to music while doing my work outs. Most phones can play music, so upload your songs to your phone, buy a pair of earbuds (no more than $20) and find something you can do.

    However, we cannot change your mindset. You have to have your own will power and determination to change otherwise you will never reach your goals.
  • KimberlyinMN
    KimberlyinMN Posts: 302 Member
    When I am walking on my breaks at work (15 minutes at 10 and then again at 2:30), I listen to audiobooks on my phone. I like the Yurbuds with microphone as they still let you hear ambient sounds but that you can hear your music/audiobook just fine. I need to hear the surrounding noises so no one accidentally scares the crap out of me as I walk my laps in the hallway.

    I find these walks to be very enjoyable because it gives my mind a break from work AND I get to find out what's going on in the story. :)
  • mamma_nee
    mamma_nee Posts: 809 Member
    I myself HATE EXERCISE but I LOVE TO DANCE so thats what I am now doing … I dance 1 hr per day and soon as the weather outside gets better i will include some walking
  • One way I started getting into the habit was walking TO somewhere. I never liked just walking to walk
    Same here. I can walk and walk and walk if I'm going somewhere. I won't walk anymore at the gym or if I drive to a track. But I can leave my house and walk/run around the block to get back home. I like knowing how long it is (1.5 miles) just so I know, but I can't yet think of it in terms of, I'm leaving now to walk X amount of miles.
  • Cre8veLifeR
    Cre8veLifeR Posts: 1,062 Member
    Find something you like/love to do and do it!

    ^^ and don't call it exercise. Call it moving your body! All it takes is 20 - 30 minutes, 3-4 days a week to improve your health. As long as you are moving - walk, dance, play tennis, racquetball, play with your dog, go hike, shovel snow, go bowling...just move! :0
  • linda0372
    linda0372 Posts: 27 Member
    Yes, I know exercise has many benefits including improvement of emotional health, stamina, better sleep at night, more energy, and the list goes on and on, however I DO NOT WANT TO EXERCISE....EVER! How can I change my mindset? any help with this? I see some people posting on here that they love to run and I feel like even talking a walk would be forcing myself. i need to exercise. Those benefits I listed I could use all of them. Please, how can I learn to love exercise?

    first, when you are walking to the store, going up and down stairs or doing household chores, you are doing exercises. sorry but you had to know.

    i hate to exercise; i hate going to the gym. never been a fan, and i never will.

    BUT.....

    i had to make a change. I am 5'3" and i am morbidly obese. I started going to the gym in 2012. from 321 i went down to 277. i did stop to the gym the last 4 months of 2013 and i gained 20lbs back. so i went back to the gym, and i am back at it again. do i still hate the gym??? of course i do. but i looked good in a size 18 dress my office christmas party last month ( and that was down from a size 22 dress the year before). in my clothing, i went from a size 26 to a size 18. i still hate going to the gym and i hate working out, but i love the way i look now. plus i am making myself a better person. and fyi, i am have lost 4 lbs since i went back to the gym 17 days ago. don't sound like a lot, but on average you lose 2 lbs a week. this isn't the biggest loser and i don't have Jillian Michaels yelling at me (thank God for that)

    besides, i have to prepare for 2 breast cancer walks, an ms walk, and a leukemia walk, so i have to get my body ready for the stress of the walks. and that's taking a break from the avon walk for breast cancer which i did in 2012 and 2013 (it's a 2 day 39.3 mile walk. day one is 26.2 miles and day 2 is 13.1 miles. in 2012, i walked 29.2 miles and 2013 i walked 22 miles). i am planning to do avon walk again in 2015, when i am mentally and physically prepared (and at least over a 100 lbs lighter).
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    try yoga, or aquafit, or walking in nature. they don't really feel like exercise, but they're great for your body
  • mdizzle99
    mdizzle99 Posts: 169 Member
    I agree to find something you enjoy.

    I also think it's worth noting that no one feels motivated all the time. Motivation is an emotion, and, therefore fleeting by nature. It is the things you do when you do not feel motivated that will ultimately determine your level of success.
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
    Fake it 'til you make it. Start slow, do small stuff for short periods of time, and build up your tolerance for it. Once you start reaping the benefits, you'll want to keep going.
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    Some like to exercise.

    Some do not.

    Been doing this for four months and still hate exercising and feel its a chore. I force myself.

    So for me I just hate it. Nothing I love about it. lol
  • wannabpiper
    wannabpiper Posts: 402 Member
    Do you like to read? I hate exercise, too, but love to read. So I load up my smart phone with audibles (audio books) and ONLY allow myself to hear my stories when I walk. This way I can't wait to get out there and listen to the next hour of my story. I forget that I'm even working hard when I'm into my story.
  • beaches61
    beaches61 Posts: 154 Member
    STARTING exercise is the worst. When I'm out of shape and starting, I don't want to exercise. But once I get into a groove and getting in better shape, I find it more enjoyable. And yes, I'd probably just sit on the couch and eat donuts if it didn't matter, but of course it does.

    You have to try different things and find out what you like.

    Try different times of day. I can't exercise in the morning, I don't have the energy, by evening I have stress to burn. What works for you?

    Music helps me exercise. It gives me energy. I like to move to my favorite music, whether it's at the gym, or just walking or whatever.

    It really helps to find someone to exercise with, make it a social thing. If you go to the gym, or to a fitness class, or you just walk or whatever, it helps to do it with someone else. I like to go to the gym because I see people there that I know and I see them exercising, so I feel more motivated.

    Have you tried beginner exercise classes? That's how I started out.

    And this:

    Fake it 'til you make it. Start slow, do small stuff for short periods of time, and build up your tolerance for it. Once you start reaping the benefits, you'll want to keep going.
  • canonri
    canonri Posts: 21 Member
    Exercise doesn't need to be for all the reasons you listed above. You need to find your own reasons and it doesn't need to be in a gym.
    For example myself I use to hate exercising or at least that's what I thought. But I loved to dance and I was in dance classes. I was so happy. Then I moved to a place were there was no dancing but there were mountains so every day I would go for a walk in the valley to look at the mountains. A friend said well why don't you just climb one. Before I knew it I was climbing mountains. No, I was not in shape to do so but I pushed myself through for the sole reason of wanting to see the top.
    Now I use the gym. When I was a kid I loved getting in the pool every day. Now that I have my niece and nephew I am teaching them to love the water too. So we'll race or they'll ride on my back. All of these things allow me to exercise.
    During the winter I want a reason to have "me time". And that's at the gym. I can watch TV listen to my music and go at my own speed. The cardio equipment shows me how many calories I've burned which is an extra benefit. When I'm tired of being on the elliptical I go into the change room and enjoy a steam. Everything is relaxing because its all about me. No more trainers telling me to work hard if I want a beautiful body. Ha! I laugh at them I am beautiful, sexy and confidant already.
    Essentially what I am trying to say is that your motivation for exercising doesn't have to be the basics everyone shoves down your throat. It just needs to be you doing you and being who you are.
  • Julettashane
    Julettashane Posts: 723 Member
    Do you like to read? I hate exercise, too, but love to read. So I load up my smart phone with audibles (audio books) and ONLY allow myself to hear my stories when I walk. This way I can't wait to get out there and listen to the next hour of my story. I forget that I'm even working hard when I'm into my story.

    this is a good idea
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Find something you can *tolerate* doing. I won't say find something you *like*, because I used to hate exercise too. I didn't hate doing fun things I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it, but attach the word exercise and it becomes this obligation or burden.

    After doing something you can tolerate for awhile, you will enjoy the benefits and eventually want to do it. I remember the morning I woke up and in the first minute of waking up I was excited about getting up to do my workout. I never thought that would ever happen to me. After you find yourself liking it, try a bunch of different things, you might find other things that you like better than what was just tolerable before.

    Walking is a great place to start if you never did any other exercise. Try Leslie Sansone walk at home videos.

    This!^

    I started out hating all exercise .....now I enjoy some of it (cardio). Not perfect, but progress.

    I started out with a Netflix (by mail) subscription. I got a new workout in the mail every week. I kept a list and made mini-reviews of each. Somewhere along the way, I got in the habit of working out. This became a "normal" part of my day.

    Make a small goal........say 60 minutes a week. You can do 10 minutes, 6 times, or 15 minutes 4 times.....whatever. After you make this goal regularly.....add some more minutes. Before you know it, your are exercising regularly.

    Keep trying new things......it's like veggies.....some people hate them......the same advice applies.....keep trying them over & over.

    There are so many factors to figure out along the way. Pin-pointing the things you hate (about it) can help you figure out what you want to do.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Please, how can I learn to love exercise?

    Stop thinking of it as something you have to do, and look for some activity that you enjoy. Swimming, hiking, bike riding, yoga, pilates, tennis, raquet ball, basketball, walk the dog, etc.

    Gym, home, outdoors, classes, alone, with a buddy, pet or teammate.

    If there really is not any activity you enjoy, then just suck it up and move anyway. LIfe is full of tasks we must do whether we like them or not.
  • Pirate_chick
    Pirate_chick Posts: 1,216 Member
    instead of going for a walk, hit a museum or amusement park.
  • claudie08
    claudie08 Posts: 154 Member
    I can relate. i think for me, it's the pain that I'm afraid of. There are days that I can't even move, but I know that I'm doing something good for myself. I just have to keep reminding myself of that. If you hate traditional workouts, think of other ways to move. Housework is considered exercise. So is mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, doing laundry..anything that gets you moving. Think of things you do around the house or even work and put a little more effort into it.
  • angela828
    angela828 Posts: 498 Member
    Find an activity you love to do.

    Simple.

    this. get a friend involved so you have a buddy. you gotta keep at it and eventually it will become routine. you may find yourself missing your workouts on rest days like I do.
  • katielangley
    katielangley Posts: 152 Member
    I absolutely know where you are coming from.. I have had gym memberships that work, but I hate paying the money.. I have had a top of the line elliptical and treadmill, and never used them.. I have Jillian Michael's 30 day shred and forced myself to do it in the past, had great results and then stopped.. Bottom line is, I am going to force myself to do it tonight! I know I need to and I want the results, so we have got to do it.. Now sooner than later.. This is our life and nobody can do it for us, we need to get control of ourselves and do what we have to do.. Just get it done:) Good Luck!!! You can do it!
  • ajaxe432
    ajaxe432 Posts: 608 Member
    Find an activity you love doing. It does not have to necessarily be going to a gym. Maybe hiking, or kayaking, or biking. Try different types of exercise to. Sometimes class settings can be fun, and spark a new interest in the gym:)