Exercise hatred/ mental block

doctorfourteen
doctorfourteen Posts: 1
in Fitness and Exercise
No matter how much I try or how hard I work, I just cannot get past a certain level with exercise. On exercise videos, I can usually only last for about 10 minutes before being physically unable to continue, mostly because of pain but also a mental block. I push myself constantly to exercise, but nothing comes of it. I'm overweight and know that it is important to my health to lose weight, so what can I do to help this? :(

Replies

  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,407 Member
    Have you found an exercise that you love?
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    Do something you like - go for a walk instead - introduce different things as you are physically able - also the only way to improve is to keep trying - so if you like the exercise video you are doing just keep doing it - eventually you will get through it and feel great about it.
  • pittbullgirl
    pittbullgirl Posts: 341 Member
    I agree, find something you like! Maybe a non traditional form of exercise like rock climbing, vollyball, swimming, hiking, tennis etc will help you stay motivated.

    I used ot hate it until I found C25K and the progression made it easy. Now, I love to run~!

    I need to start lifting and THAT is my mental block ;)
  • AlwaysInMotion
    AlwaysInMotion Posts: 409 Member
    I used to hate exercise also. But it came with a cost (I was morbidly obese and was at serious risk for developing the same heart problems that killed both my parents early.)
    I decided I hated being obese more than I hated exercise. I also learned to embrace the initial suffering - because I knew it gets MUCH better as you stick with something. There's actually a name for this mindset - its called "embrace the suck" - thank you, Navy Seals. Once you come to terms with it and own it, it changes your whole outlook.
    I tried a lot of different activities until I found several I actually liked. To be honest, the DVDs likely aren't a good long term solution. I recommend trying to find something that won't get old & repetitive after a week or two. I like bicycling, hiking and yoga, but that's me. Some people love running, Zumba, spin class, tennis, swimming…
    It's all about perspective and I strongly believe we DO have a lot of power to change it. It just takes some time, some fortitude, and some creative problem solving. Good luck to you. I hope you find something that lights your fire!
  • berlinberlinveg
    berlinberlinveg Posts: 7 Member
    Keep trying different kinds of exercise until you find something! :)

    I personally am not good at working out at home or on my own, the gym and especially classes is the way to go, I give myself 100% there.
    There's also team sports (tennis, martial arts, soccer....endless), dancing, many different classes at gyms, running or cycling, working out with friends to keep you motivated, hiking.... or maybe a small studio with the same people there at every class so it feels like a social commitment.
  • seamonster1203
    seamonster1203 Posts: 118 Member
    No matter how much I try or how hard I work, I just cannot get past a certain level with exercise. On exercise videos, I can usually only last for about 10 minutes before being physically unable to continue, mostly because of pain but also a mental block. I push myself constantly to exercise, but nothing comes of it. I'm overweight and know that it is important to my health to lose weight, so what can I do to help this? :(

    If 10 minutes is all you can do, then do just 10 minutes. Next time, do 12 minutes and so on. When you see someone running for an hour nonstop you gotta remember it took them years to get there so just do what you can and try to improve by a tiny bit tomorrow
  • SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish
    SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish Posts: 831 Member
    If you hate it and it is causing you pain, don't do it. Find something else you can do. Just walk 30 minutes daily instead for a while, while keeping your calorie restriction, thats all you need for weight loss and health improvement. :)
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    No matter how much I try or how hard I work, I just cannot get past a certain level with exercise. On exercise videos, I can usually only last for about 10 minutes before being physically unable to continue, mostly because of pain but also a mental block. I push myself constantly to exercise, but nothing comes of it. I'm overweight and know that it is important to my health to lose weight, so what can I do to help this? :(

    Simple mental thought to remember: I exercise to eat = I eat to exercise

    No matter which side of the equation you approach it from mentally, exercise is included. ;-)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Have you found an exercise that you love?

    100% this.

    Find stuff you TRULY enjoy.
  • mlogantra76
    mlogantra76 Posts: 334 Member
    Find something you love. I take classes(all different types) at my gym. I also love to run. I hate treadmills and ellipticals and will run outside in the rain(did that this morning for 10 miles) to avoid them. I don't like videos either but used them for two weeks when I was out of town and away from the gym. Look for something you like. Before joining a gym and before running, I started with Zumba classes at my community center. I lost 35+ lbs with mfp and with Zumba only. I loved Zumba... It just didn't feel like exercise even though I was out of shape.

    Now, if you enjoy the videos but just can't keep up... Just modify the exercises and go at your own pace.... Or look for other videos.

    Edited to add that as suggested, walking is a great exercise. Especially if you are new to exercise. I didn't start running till I was in shape from all the classes I took(kickboxing, spinning, intervals, etc..).
  • fortally
    fortally Posts: 78
    Oh, you sound so much like me! Everyone says find something you love, but when it came to exercise (and getting sore/sweaty/tired) - there was just no fun for me. One day my mom was cleaning out junk and was going to get rid of a step bench. She found the tape that went with it - a Jane Fonda vhs tape. Total 80s throwback, complete with leotards and hairspray. For some reason - some WEIRD reason - I enjoyed it. First time I barely made it through the warm up (no joke). But it was fun, so I kept doing it, until one day I made it all the way through.

    Anyway - step aerobics from the 80s. Crazy, right? Over the years I've found other step tapes/dvds that I also like. Once I built up some endurance I discovered that the treadmill wasn't so evil after all. Then I discovered that feeling sore the next day from a Jillian dvd kind of made me feel proud rather than miserable...

    My point is that there IS something that will make you sweat that will also make you smile. If you hate it now, don't do it. Try something else. But keeping trying new things - eventually something will click. When it does, it won't even feel like dreaded exercise. Best of luck! :smile:
  • Ant_the_old_keith_lemon
    Ant_the_old_keith_lemon Posts: 272 Member
    i hate any exercise that has any form of co-ordination related to it, Zumba, boxercise, aerobics.... i simply think i look like a fool! - so i don`t do it, if actually participate in it i dont try! ..

    However, i also hate all types of static cardio - i choose to cycle nowadays with Gym for weight training

    i could not do 1 min on an elliptical machine three years ago, now i can cycle at a hard pace for 60 miles, i couldn't do a press-up, now can do many! i couldn't do a sit up - can do many many!!

    Find something you enjoy, i enjoy speed - so cycling is about how fast i can go, the mind wants to go faster and ignores any other signals telling it to stop because im tired..

    the thing you need to remind yourself is:-
    1) if you are so tired you need to rest, you're working harder than the people who can do it without stopping
    2)exercising to failure teaches your body to have better endurance

    if you physically can not breath then you need to rest, otherwise it is a mental block... you should start saying to yourself "NO IM NOT QUITTING," and pushing through that pain
  • xsmilexforxmex
    xsmilexforxmex Posts: 1,216 Member
    I used the sing/talk rule for myself. If I can talk and sing, I need to push harder. If I can talk but not sing, I'm pushing just right. And if I can't talk or sing, I'm only going to last about 2 minutes tops.
    Make it a challenge for yourself. You did 10 minutes last time, do 10:30 this time, or 11. Only did 5 jumping jacks before quitting last time? so 6 this time, or 5 quicker than you did last time!
  • whisperer02
    whisperer02 Posts: 52
    I prefer dvds in my own home cuz my body is weak from being lazy since last May. I have the wii fit, wii fit plus, leslie sansome walking, wii walk it out and just started jillian michaels 30 day shred. I am not ready to let others see me struggle right now in a class so i push myself a little more at home. I do make myself exercise at least 4 to 5 days a week though. Add me if you need/want support not critism.
  • mekkzy888
    mekkzy888 Posts: 100 Member
    Any exercise is better than none, don't feel so down because you didn't do as much as you wanted - be proud that you're trying! A 10-minute burst of energy will still help speed up your metabolism and count towards your calories burned even though you didn't complete the workout. I hate exercise so I wouldn't say I work out at all but if I notice I'm being lazy, standing around or staring at the TV, I get up and start doing star-jumps or pick up my skipping rope. It all counts.
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
    Like other people are saying: try something else! (I'm not great with exercise videos either. I don't like spending all that exertion on something I don't enjoy, so I bag out early too).

    Personal example:

    I see a lot of people on the forums bashing treadmills because they are boring. I don't understand or agree! I love running on a treadmill!

    I couldn't use the treadmill for cardio last week because reasons and wound up on an exercise bike instead. Oh my GOD. Now I understand all the complaints against treadmills. I was bored out of my skull! I hated every second of it.

    Find something you like doing, OP! You'll find it much easier if half your mental energy isn't being used to force yourself to complete an exercise you hate.
  • AlwaysInMotion
    AlwaysInMotion Posts: 409 Member
    Anyway - step aerobics from the 80s. Crazy, right?

    Hey, step aerobics deserve some respect in the pantheon of fad exercises! I put it up there next to Jazzercise (which also *still* rocks!) It's harder than it looks. Ask a DDR junkie to do a straddle, straddle, chasse turn, quick quick, cut the corner, scissor... while straddling a big plastic plank. Alrighty then.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Find something you love. I take classes(all different types) at my gym. I also love to run. I hate treadmills and ellipticals and will run outside in the rain(did that this morning for 10 miles) to avoid them. I don't like videos either but used them for two weeks when I was out of town and away from the gym. Look for something you like. Before joining a gym and before running, I started with Zumba classes at my community center. I lost 35+ lbs with mfp and with Zumba only. I loved Zumba... It just didn't feel like exercise even though I was out of shape.

    Now, if you enjoy the videos but just can't keep up... Just modify the exercises and go at your own pace.... Or look for other videos.

    Edited to add that as suggested, walking is a great exercise. Especially if you are new to exercise. I didn't start running till I was in shape from all the classes I took(kickboxing, spinning, intervals, etc..).

    I could have written this! I started back up with Zumba and could only do ten minutes at a time. Just remember, everyone starts somewhere, and there's no shame in only being able to do xx minutes at a time. Once you realize this, you may even take a five or ten minute break and get back into it, until your endurance builds up

    In my case I also had exercised induced asthma that I had to get diagnosed and under control. The sharp pains in my chest and extreme lethargy were not normal, so if you feel anything like that, might be something to get checked out
  • fortally
    fortally Posts: 78
    Hey, step aerobics deserve some respect in the pantheon of fad exercises! I put it up there next to Jazzercise (which also *still* rocks!) It's harder than it looks. Ask a DDR junkie to do a straddle, straddle, chasse turn, quick quick, cut the corner, scissor... while straddling a big plastic plank. Alrighty then.

    Oh I wasn't knocking it AT ALL. :smile: I thought people would make fun of ME for loving a Jane Fonda tape from way back when. That step bench routinely kicks my butt! I have zero coordination and would fall flat on my backside with that sequence! Still - it makes me feel like I'm dancing instead of exercising. 45 minutes of triple knees, hops, straddle steps, and lunges and I'm sweating buckets. Best workout I've ever found and even after doing that tape hundreds of times over the years I STILL sweat like crazy and think it's fun! I love that Jane tape so much that I have THREE copies (gotta have backups just in case!).

    All I was trying to say is find something you find fun - no matter what other people think. You have to love an exercise before you can be in love with exercise. At least that's how it was for me.
  • annie61702
    annie61702 Posts: 120 Member
    Oh, you sound so much like me! Everyone says find something you love, but when it came to exercise (and getting sore/sweaty/tired) - there was just no fun for me. One day my mom was cleaning out junk and was going to get rid of a step bench. She found the tape that went with it - a Jane Fonda vhs tape. Total 80s throwback, complete with leotards and hairspray. For some reason - some WEIRD reason - I enjoyed it. First time I barely made it through the warm up (no joke). But it was fun, so I kept doing it, until one day I made it all the way through.

    Anyway - step aerobics from the 80s. Crazy, right? Over the years I've found other step tapes/dvds that I also like. Once I built up some endurance I discovered that the treadmill wasn't so evil after all. Then I discovered that feeling sore the next day from a Jillian dvd kind of made me feel proud rather than miserable...

    My point is that there IS something that will make you sweat that will also make you smile. If you hate it now, don't do it. Try something else. But keeping trying new things - eventually something will click. When it does, it won't even feel like dreaded exercise. Best of luck! :smile:

    OMG - I had that step video! And it was good. I used to do step aerobics 3 times a week, and it was the only aerobics class I loved. I was just thinking the other day that I wish step classes were still around. So, yes, find the thing that you like well enough to keep at it. When you start to get in better shape that will motivate you to keep going and maybe try new things.
  • AlwaysInMotion
    AlwaysInMotion Posts: 409 Member
    Hey, step aerobics deserve some respect in the pantheon of fad exercises! I...
    Oh I wasn't knocking it AT ALL. :smile: I thought people would make fun of ME for loving a Jane Fonda tape from way back when.

    I didn't think you were knocking it. I just chuckled that somebody resurrected a Jane Fonda tape! And I'm totally not bagging on JF either. It brought back memories. (Anybody up for Sweatin' to the Oldies!?) Who knows, Zumba may be the next "step aerobics" 20 years from now.
  • AusEliza
    AusEliza Posts: 60 Member
    I was exactly the same, but it turned out I didn't hate exercising, I just was working to hard for my fitness level. So ease yourself into it and as you improve, so to will your motivation levels and eventually you will enjoy it. Just my five cents :)

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