I hate exercise!

kikityme
kikityme Posts: 472 Member
So I have now tried everything at the gym for a week.

The ONLY thing I like doing is walking on the treadmill. Fast, but not super fast. Usually I do 20min at level 3, 30 mins at 3.5 and the last 10 at 3.

I feel guilty when I get the joggers beside me, like I'm not REALLY exercising and maybe I should just bring my makeup and start putting it on and be one of those people people make fun of on here.

Is walking a viable exercise? I've tried the C25k and it hurts my knees for 3 days after.
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Replies

  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Walking is fine and there is no need to go to the gym for it either, just walk around. If you walk 30 minutes per day, it is perfect.
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
    First, nobody who doesn't exercise likes exercise. You won't start to enjoy exercising until sometime after you start exercising. So keep an open mind. Down the road you may find different forms of exercise that you truly enjoy, but none of it will happen until after you give it a decent try.

    Second, walking is exercise. It's good exercise. It's REAL exercise. It's not the most intense form of exercise by a long shot, but it is definitely exercise.

    I try to do strength training every morning, walking throughout the day, and cycling in the evenings. I'm most consistent with walking because I can fit it in anywhere. And on a good day I can burn over 1,000 calories with walking alone.

    If the weather permits where you're at, I'd suggest taking your walks outside. It's more interesting walking outside, running away from neighborhood dogs, dodging goose poop, etc.
  • kinmoratree
    kinmoratree Posts: 125 Member
    It takes a while, but you will get to where you miss it if you can't do it for some reason.

    Walking is a perfect exercise. I would also echo the people who say to get outside and do it. Fresh air and changing scenery are much better for your psyche than staring at a TV or the wall or whatever.

    I would also suggest slowly working up to an hour a day. Once you're there, I'll bet you'll find other things at the gym that interest you enough to give them another try.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    So I have now tried everything at the gym for a week.

    The ONLY thing I like doing is walking on the treadmill. Fast, but not super fast. Usually I do 20min at level 3, 30 mins at 3.5 and the last 10 at 3.

    I feel guilty when I get the joggers beside me, like I'm not REALLY exercising and maybe I should just bring my makeup and start putting it on and be one of those people people make fun of on here.

    Is walking a viable exercise? I've tried the C25k and it hurts my knees for 3 days after.

    I think walking's great for exercise!

    Which classes did you try?
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
    Walking is fine. Will it give you a fitness model body? No. Is it good for your health? Yes. Will it make you lose weight? Only if it is in combination with a calorie deficit.

    Your end product will be a result of your methods. Good luck.
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    First, nobody who doesn't exercise likes exercise. You won't start to enjoy exercising until sometime after you start exercising. So keep an open mind. Down the road you may find different forms of exercise that you truly enjoy, but none of it will happen until after you give it a decent try.

    Second, walking is exercise. It's good exercise. It's REAL exercise. It's not the most intense form of exercise by a long shot, but it is definitely exercise.

    I try to do strength training every morning, walking throughout the day, and cycling in the evenings. I'm most consistent with walking because I can fit it in anywhere. And on a good day I can burn over 1,000 calories with walking alone.

    If the weather permits where you're at, I'd suggest taking your walks outside. It's more interesting walking outside, running away from neighborhood dogs, dodging goose poop, etc.

    lol! I don't enjoy exercising until after its finished! :laugh:

    Been consistently exercising since last November. Still do not enjoy it and have to force myself to do it. lol

    Maybe when I start lifting Ill fall in love like a lot of people have on here. :smile:

    Still waiting to enjoy it though. I'm hoping one day I will. :happy:
  • Pascal56
    Pascal56 Posts: 53 Member
    I used to think I hated exercise too. It turns out that I really just hate the cardio machines. I really like Zumba and strength training, so that's what I do for exercise, along with walking on the beach in the mornings for about 30 minutes (although truthfully that is more mental than anything--I don't try to walk fast).

    Anyway, my point is that you should try different types of exercise because there may be some out there that you enjoy, whether that is classes at the gym, sports, swimming, weight lifting, etc.
  • kikityme
    kikityme Posts: 472 Member
    There are no classes at my gym (it's the Canadian version of planet fitness)

    I gave each major cardio machine a week, and I hated them all. I like the weight machines and I always throw them in there. It's just the cardio I feel guilty about. Maybe it's my 80s mentality, but if it isn't all "let's get physical" kind of jumping around I don't feel like it's effective.
  • heather112588
    heather112588 Posts: 2 Member
    I feel you...I hate exercise but I want to be healthy (and my family has a history of diabetes, etc). My husband is a fitness buff and though he never rubs it in, it makes me feel guilty sometimes. The only exercises that I've ever enjoyed in truth was walking and swimming laps (bc its more mental- just zone out with your thoughts). Does your gym have a pool? you could try swimming to mix it up.
  • Kep2005
    Kep2005 Posts: 57 Member
    I never cared for exercise either. I signed up for a gym once and the membership just went to waste because I only used it 3 times. I tried a few videos but very quickly got bored with the same old routine every time I worked out. When I joined OrangeTheory Fitness, it completely changed my mentality about working out. I love the classes because they take the guess work out of it for you (like videos do) but it's always a different routine. 60 minutes of high intensity cardio & weights that uses a heart rate monitor so you can really get a good feel for how you're doing. I LOVE my classes and really look forward to the days I workout.
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member
    WHAT?! It gives you MAD endorphins, even if you're dying at the end of your session lol.
    How could anyone hate it? :tongue:

    Only thing I can say that I hate is DOMS, but other than that.. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. Love my exercise lol.
  • Platform_Heels
    Platform_Heels Posts: 388 Member
    If you hate cardio than don't do it. That could be why you "hate" exercising because you're doing something that you feel you have to do even though you don't like it.

    If you like lifting weights then do that. If you do what you like the chances of you sticking with exercise and eventually enjoying it is greater.
  • epigirrl
    epigirrl Posts: 54 Member
    First, nobody who doesn't exercise likes exercise. You won't start to enjoy exercising until sometime after you start exercising. So keep an open mind. Down the road you may find different forms of exercise that you truly enjoy, but none of it will happen until after you give it a decent try.

    From personal experience...I totally agree with this.

    I have always [thought I] hated exercise, too. Turns out it was because I had not found the right thing for me until this past fall, and I will be turning 50 in less than 2 weeks. I still generally hate cardio. I don't run, bike, aerobics, etc. But I found that I LOVE kettlebells and doing interval training with kettlebells. There is certainly an element of cardio. My heart rate gets up, I sweat, and I feel blissfully exhausted after I am done. It is probably key that I have an awesome teacher and classmates. But...it took a bit of exploration and early commitment (i.e., more than one class or one week) to find this.

    Also, as Jim notes above...it takes time to get into it. When I first started...it kicked my *kitten*. I could not make it through most of the sets. I got nauseated, light headed, and felt like the most out of shape failure ever. But...I kept going back, kept trying each activity, and did what I could without dieing. And you know what...after a couple months, there were a lot of things I used to hate or I simply could not do that I now view as challenges to be overcome.

    When I started I could not do a 30-second plank. In March, I did a 30-day plank challenge and achieved a personal best 5-minute continuous forearm plank. When I started I could not do a single pushup, NONE, NADA, NOTHING. I can now do 40 continuous unmodified pushups. When I started I used 18 pound kettlebells, had terrible form, and could really only do swings. I now use 12 KG (26 lbs) and 14 KG (31 lbs) bells. And, I can do a full hour that starts with a 4-minute plank and 200 swings, as well as multiple reps and sets of cleans, double cleans, snatches, presses, lunges, squats, rows, deadlifts with the bells...all intermingled with pushups, burpees, ab roller, v-ups, jump rope, mountain climbers, etc.

    There are still certain activities/exercises that I hate...but having found a great teacher/class that I love and having good workout partners/classmates to cheer me through the things I still hate, and group acknowledgment of the incremental progress has been key for me.

    I see from your recent post that you don't have classes at your gym. Is it possible to find a workout buddy or a class in another venue? For me...the social support and accountability is a really important ingredient.
  • verhunzt
    verhunzt Posts: 154 Member
    Even though I regularily go running, when I'm not feelin it I also just go for a walk. There's nothing wrong with that and I still feel super accomplished afterwards, I don't see why you shouldn't. You are moving your body, and especially when your body isn't used to it you will HATE exercise. I am not even overweight anymore and I still don't like it very much, I just do it to stay fit.
    If you go for walks and even enjoy it - hurray to you! You are on the best way to maybe even enjoy a little run from time to time.
  • JoshD8705
    JoshD8705 Posts: 390 Member
    Have you tried swimming for cardio? Also walking is fine it took me 5 weeks of walking to say "Hey! I think I wanna jog!" Here in week 6 I can only run about 6 mins split into 2 min spurts. Today I'm trying for 8.

    You said you like walking on the treadmill, and you liked the weight machines. That's good enough for balanced workout. It wouldn't hurt to swim, and learn some core training with the balancing balls though.
  • LyniaDixon
    LyniaDixon Posts: 3
    I hate exercising also so what I do now is get out and walk. I make it my business to walk a certain amount of blocks and I live in NYC so every 20 blocks = 1 mile. I also joined a Zumba class ..I like to dance and listen to music so this is fun to me and I'm also burning calories
  • Sharon468
    Sharon468 Posts: 12 Member
    You don't "hate exercise." You hate *most of the exercises you've tried*. Big difference.

    I'm not a gym person and I'm not an exercise class person. I love walking outside. I have a walking buddy at work and we brisk walk at lunchtime. It's great to get out into the fresh air and have a chat while we walk. I also walk either before or after work myself. If I need some motivation, I listen to music while I walk. I've got a playlist of fast-beat songs and also a Pandora station with fast-beat songs that get me moving in a hurry even when I'n initially not in the mood to go out.

    But that's me. What you need to do is try different things -- and try them for a few weeks, not just a few days, before you decide if you do or don't like something. If you truly don't like it, then try something else.
  • musclebuilder
    musclebuilder Posts: 324 Member
    I feel you...I hate exercise but I want to be healthy (and my family has a history of diabetes, etc). My husband is a fitness buff and though he never rubs it in, it makes me feel guilty sometimes. The only exercises that I've ever enjoyed in truth was walking and swimming laps (bc its more mental- just zone out with your thoughts). Does your gym have a pool? you could try swimming to mix it up.

    In other words you found that exercise you connect with. It lets you go to that place where you can be free and zone out and think about things like that person who did you wrong the other day and how in the past you may have taken that and just sunk into a depression but now you have found that outlet. That way to fight back.

    walking is for old lady's. Are you trying to become a bulging beast or are you trying to increase your capacity to keep up with the old lady's in the grocery store? Find the exercise you can connect with. And then put your game face on and understand that this is about far more than just the many physical health benefits exercise offers. This is about taking all the crap life throws at you and using it to build something strong enough to withstand it.

    Find something that doesn't bother your knees as much. But understand, aches and pains come with the territory. I have aches and pains 24/7 from training. I have a buddy who says those aches and pains are " what awesome feels like " and you know what, he's right! Stuck on a couch with the aches and pains the sedentary life will cause, those are the kinds of aches and pains I don't want. So I live in a state of constant awesomeness and I can live with that.
  • lorenzoinlr
    lorenzoinlr Posts: 338 Member
    I don't hate all forms of exercise but I do hate a lot of them. Weight training is something I hate but I've done it fairly consistently for over 30 years because I like the benefits. That's life....it ain't all fun.
  • Llamapants86
    Llamapants86 Posts: 1,221 Member
    I honestly hate cardio machines too. I feel like a mouse in it's little wheel, arg. If you enjoy walking, great, it is exercise and if you're not just strolling leisurely it can get your heart rate up. Find something you like and stick to it.

    I walk a lot outside, and eventually I decided to start running because a friend of mine was running a 5k and asked me to join her. Now my runs are training for a specific goal so that gives me motivation, even if it isn't always fun.
  • Keep Changing it up to keep it interesting.... I just joined a gym, and only for one month, because I know I won't commit. As I am doing this, I am planning for the next endeavor (like yoga or something).. I just read this morning that burning 400 cals. a day will help with my menopot that won't go away. This week, I am going to burn 400 cals on the machines everyday, since the machine counts the calories for me, and will see how I measure around the gut at the end of the week.
  • kristenveganvixen
    kristenveganvixen Posts: 87 Member
    I used to hate exercise but I now at the age of 33 enjoy going to the gym 4-5 times a week and feel antsy if I don't go!

    Treadmills are boring. I only go on for about 10-15 minutes at a time then change it up to something else, even if it's just cardio I''m in the gym for I'll change it up and go on an elliptical, stairmaster, rowing machine or bike for a bit so I'm doing a little of all to makke it more interesting. Bring your ipod and listen to music or a podcast if your gym's music isn't to your tastes.

    Try a few classes too. Dance stuff like Zumba, Bokwa etc are fun and there's even a pole dance class in my gym (I've not tried the latter myself though but it's supposed to be great for strength)
  • Sharon468
    Sharon468 Posts: 12 Member
    I beg to differ. It completely depends on how you walk. Strolling leisurely isn't going to do much for your cardiovascular fitness -- although that's STILL better than sitting.

    But if you're pacing yourself at 4 mph or faster? Doing intervals where you walk as fast as you possibly can for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of moderate walking, 10 or 15 times? Hiking on a moderate to challenging trail? You'll get fit enough to be healthy and feel great.

    Even better, once you start getting in shape walking -- not a couple of times a week but every day -- you'll probably become more interested in doing other kinds of exercises to make yourself have more strength, balance and stamina.

    walking is for old lady's. Are you trying to become a bulging beast or are you trying to increase your capacity to keep up with the old lady's in the grocery store? Find the exercise you can connect with. And then put your game face on and understand that this is about far more than just the many physical health benefits exercise offers. This is about taking all the crap life throws at you and using it to build something strong enough to withstand it.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    So I have now tried everything at the gym for a week.

    The ONLY thing I like doing is walking on the treadmill. Fast, but not super fast. Usually I do 20min at level 3, 30 mins at 3.5 and the last 10 at 3.

    I feel guilty when I get the joggers beside me, like I'm not REALLY exercising and maybe I should just bring my makeup and start putting it on and be one of those people people make fun of on here.

    Is walking a viable exercise? I've tried the C25k and it hurts my knees for 3 days after.
    Have you though that you just hate doing exercise in the gym? Exercise does not need to be in the gym it does not even need to be labeled as such. Try finding something you like be it walking, gardening, swimming or skateboarding gyms do not suit everybody
  • establishingaplace
    establishingaplace Posts: 301 Member
    Walking is great exercise. And as others have mentioned, it's nice to do it outside when you can.

    Not everyone likes to do the same things, so try different things until you find something you like. Maybe that's swimming, yoga, weightlifting, fitness classes, martial arts...there's a lot of stuff out there. I don't know too many people who actually LIKE cardio machines.
  • janine2355
    janine2355 Posts: 628 Member
    the treadmill is great. I do it 5x/week and I have seen a big difference in my body due to it:smile:
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
    As long as your heart rate is up in the cardio range you're doing great. Running isn't for me either. When I first started it didn't take much to get my heart rate in the cardio range. I'd walk on the treadmill at 2.5 mph with no incline and my heart was pumping. Looked like a stroll I'm sure. Now I do some treadmill after my weight training and I do a program on the treadmill that has variable inclines. I usually have the mph up to 3.0 or 3.2 to get my HR up to where I want it. Don't worry about what it looks like to others. Worry about what it's accomplishing for you! You don't see these people at the gym hardly at all. Really no one there really cares and the ones that do make judgments you won't see there next month or next year. You'll still be there getting your exercise looking great and feeling great.

    BTW I don't like exercise. Don't know that I ever will. I think of it now as necessary like brushing my teeth every day.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,319 Member
    One week is really not enough time to start liking exercise. As others have said, people who have not been exercising will not like it at first. I know I didn't. However, I knew due to major health issues that I didn't just have to lose weight, I had to improve my fitness so I had to exercise.

    First, give it more time.

    Second, don't just go around the gym like some bee going from flower to flower. You need an actual plan and goal. If the gym does not provide program design there are lots of options online at places like nerd fitness. However, to select a program, it is important to know what goal you have in mind. That leads to point three

    Third, establish a fitness goal. It may be something as simple as I want to be able to walk a certain distance in a certain time, I want to lift a certain amount of weight, I want to run a race, or I want to enter a warrior dash or the like. Having a goal means you can measure your progress, and having something tangible to work toward can be a great motivation.

    Fourth, for many people, although not me, having someone to workout with makes it much more enjoyable, not to mention they can push you past those defeater mental attitudes.
  • I feel ya! I start exercising with a open-mind but can only do that exercise for a while then I get bored. I try something new the next day and it's the same thing over and over again. I purchased a elliptical with bike seat the end of last year thinking I could use it while I watch some TV in the evenings. It has been over a month since I've used that thing! Part is because of the exercising bit but the other part is I'm lazy and I have to get out of that mindset.

    I avoid gyms at all cost due to the fact I'm so overweight and I don't want to be judged by the other, healthier people in the gym. The fact of the matter is this: we have to keep moving if we want to lose the weight. No matter what type of exercise you are doing as long as you are moving is all the matters. If you want to walk, walk. If you want to swim, swim. As long as you are doing some type of movement you are doing something to help lose the weight. You will find something that excites you...give it time!
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    Walking is great exercise, forget the treadmill and walk outside in the sunshine with different scenery and nature and stuff :flowerforyou:

    Maybe check out to see what kind of hiking trails there are near you, it's a lot more entertaining than walking on the treadmill and you will save the $$$ from the gym memberships. There might even be a walking club near you where you can meet new people.

    Look into other activities that are fun like kayaking, rock climbing, swimming, surfing (if it's available to you). Exercise doesn't have to be in the gym.