Does anyone else dislike exercise?

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  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
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    There are many sports that don't make my heart sing, but then there are those that are becoming one of my many happy places. I thought I didn't have an athletic bone in my body, but I've already finished couch-to-5K and showed myself how wrong I was.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
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    I really dislike exercise. I don't enjoy being hot, sweaty, and out of breath. I don't feel better after I work out. I never get an adrenaline rush. I am usually pretty fatigued for hours afterwards. The ONLY reason I do it is so I can eat a comfortable (for me) amount of calories in a day. Instead of forcing myself to do those workouts 5x a week, now I only do them about 1 - 2x a week, which is much more manageable to me. I found other ways to burn calories.

    A few months ago, I started an all ages martial arts class with my kids. I am REALLY enjoying it, but it doesn't burn a ton of calories. I also bought a desk cycle and use that when I am at the computer or watching TV. (Which is about 3 hours a day). It burns about 100 calories an hour at the pace I go. Between a workout dvd, martial arts, and the desk cycle, I burn about 3500 calories a week, which is making a huge impact on my weight loss.
  • janine2355
    janine2355 Posts: 628 Member
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    I truly hate exercising. The only thing that movitivates me is knowing that I am transforming my body and getting it towards how I want it to look. I also know that if I exercise more I can eat a little more. I truly don't know how some people love it. I've never felt that feeling. Like I said, I only know it's making me look better and feel better (like not getting out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs)
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
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    I hate it some days and love it others, but I absolutely agree that I almost NEVER am sorry for sucking it up and getting it done. The one exception is if I'm just really distracted or the workout itself is sucking hard and I'm bombing on lifts that I had no problem with the week before, then I get pissy. :explode:

    Right now I'm cranky because I can't run as I'm letting a tendon injury heal up. Three weeks ago when I was running I had plenty of days that I tried every form of rationalization to get out of doing my run. Right now I'm so antsy and fidgety all I can think about is running and I can't! :sad:

    The one common thread that I'm seeing in responses however, suck it up and do it anyways. Love it or hate it, you're better off getting the workout done than skipping it. :flowerforyou:
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
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    There's a lot of exercise I dislike (a lot), but over the years there have been two types I've loved. In my teens/early 20s, it was martial arts. I'd probably still be really into it if it wasn't so damned expensive and if there was a decent dojo around. Now, in my 30s, I've discovered weightlifting. I used to HATE lifting weights - like, would do anything to avoid it - but since I tossed out the notion of "many reps, low weight" and started lifting heavy, I fell in love. Now that I've moved on to barbell training I'm totally hooked and look forward to my workouts - especially deadlift day, rawr.

    It might not be true for everyone, but I think many people can/could find a sport or exercise that they really enjoy and that doesn't feel so much like a chore - more like play or "me time". I think it takes a willingness to experiment and think outside the box sometimes :)
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
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    Hey for my Friday gym day I headed out and got stormed on. Completely soaked through. You know what i did I want home waited for a couple of hours for the storm to pass then headed back out again in new clothes because I DID NOT WANT TO MISS MY WORKOUT.

    One of the principle differences between a body with a bad level of fitness and a body with a good level of fitness is that you enjoy your workouts. A lot of people think this is wrong because frankly you can work out every day and not achieve a good level of fitness. In order to improve yourself to the degree that workouts become a pleasure rather than a pain you have to push yourself. Repeatedly. Just clocking in the hours in the gym with very little real exertion isn't enough to do it.

    And this is coming from someone who once thought that exercise was a form of torture you endure to lose weight.

    Trust me if you hate exercise it's because YOU are unfit. That or you have a medical condition. Exercise makes me feel strong healthy and alive.
  • aligatorwww
    aligatorwww Posts: 48 Member
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    Uggh hate it so much! Especially pouring sweat! I force myself everytime but it does get easier...
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
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    Uggh hate it so much! Especially pouring sweat! I force myself everytime but it does get easier...

    I very rarely pour sweat in the weight room. Some do some don't, but if getting sweaty is a major deterrent, heavy weights is much less likely to cause that, for me anyways.
  • 20Grit
    20Grit Posts: 752 Member
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    Nobody loves exercise. We do it for the benefits. It's part of being an adult, doing things we'd rather not.

    That said, I am never sorry after a work out. But I am almost never pumped to go beforehand. It's always the reward afterward that makes me glad I did it.


    Could not disagree more, I truly love to work out. I know a lot of people who love it....so yes, some do love exercise.
  • YearsWorthOfFAT
    YearsWorthOfFAT Posts: 210
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    I have to force myself to do it but once i've been at it for ten minutes i'll get over it and start liking what i'm doing. Also, feel great afterwards. However, i sweat so much and i really do not know why. Within five minutes i'm soaked.
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
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    Nobody loves exercise.

    Umm, it's my favorite time of day. I am absolutely pumped beforehand. I go to bed anxious for the next day's workout.

    I know most other guys into bodybuilding feel the exact same. Surprising comment coming from a bikini competitor really.

    Agreed. I love exercise. How else would I be able to motivate myself to do 2 hours of it almost every day?! I'm not vain enough to do something I hate just to look great. (The reason why I only wear heels that are comfortable). I love how I feel before, during and after I work out. It's the most selfish thing that I do for just ME and honestly, it feels like a guilty pleasure. And yes, I work HARD.
  • JGonzo82
    JGonzo82 Posts: 167 Member
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    Nobody loves exercise.

    Speak for yourself! There are certain forms of exercise that I dread (but I do them anyway because I need to for my specific goals/program), but there's also stuff I absolutely love to do & get completely cranked up on it. I know plenty of people who are the same way - they are passionate about their training, but it's their chosen sport(s).
  • kasia0895
    kasia0895 Posts: 2
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    I like it once I get into it, but find it hard to stick to it!
  • TheNewMe99
    TheNewMe99 Posts: 24
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    I agree. :)
  • TheNewMe99
    TheNewMe99 Posts: 24
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    Hey for my Friday gym day I headed out and got stormed on. Completely soaked through. You know what i did I want home waited for a couple of hours for the storm to pass then headed back out again in new clothes because I DID NOT WANT TO MISS MY WORKOUT.

    One of the principle differences between a body with a bad level of fitness and a body with a good level of fitness is that you enjoy your workouts. A lot of people think this is wrong because frankly you can work out every day and not achieve a good level of fitness. In order to improve yourself to the degree that workouts become a pleasure rather than a pain you have to push yourself. Repeatedly. Just clocking in the hours in the gym with very little real exertion isn't enough to do it.

    And this is coming from someone who once thought that exercise was a form of torture you endure to lose weight.

    Trust me if you hate exercise it's because YOU are unfit. That or you have a medical condition. Exercise makes me feel strong healthy and alive.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    Our bodies were made to move, not be sedentary. That is why people feel better when they move. Moving does all kinds of good stuff to your body. I bet that if you tried the following, you might increase your chances of learning to enjoy exercising:

    1) Allow yourself the time to build your fitness slowly and at a pace that feels comfortable for you. This means NOT comparing yourself to anyone else. Instead of trying to run for 20 minutes off the bat, walk first, then alternate running and walking, then slowly add in more running and less walking.

    2) Experimenting with different forms of exercise to see what you enjoy. For example, hiking, tennis, swimming, walking, ultimate frisbee, etc. You don't ever have to do exercise videos if you don't like them. Let's say you discover that you love tennis. You might then want to do other exercises to help you get better at tennis (strength training or some cardio). If you love tennis, it might just motivate you to get stronger and fitter.

    3) Explore how you think about exercise. You may have a fear of it, think of it in a negative way, etc. HOW you think about something greatly impacts your experience. You may need to reframe your negative thinking to something more positive.

    +1
    I love weight training.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    Nobody loves exercise. We do it for the benefits. It's part of being an adult, doing things we'd rather not.

    That said, I am never sorry after a work out. But I am almost never pumped to go beforehand. It's always the reward afterward that makes me glad I did it.
    ^^^yup!
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
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    If you like exercise you are either crazy or delusional.

    You don't LIKE exercise, you like the way you feel afterward, or you like how you look after spending several weeks on a program.

    No one LIKES exercise itself.

    Want to lose weight?

    Learn to control hunger.

    Skip breakfast and make your mornings useful without stuffing your stomach.

    Yea, going to have to disagree with pretty much all of that.
  • robertdc50
    robertdc50 Posts: 50
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    I dislike any type of callisthenics, class or group exercises, and any orchestrated workout routine, be it with machines, free weights, etc. I find it all boring and just can't stick with it. On the other hand, I love exercises that include a second feature such as sight-seeing, exploration, nature appreciation, etc. Walking, bike riding, and kayaking all fit into this type of exercise for me. I also enjoy any type of exercise that involves a sport, such as badminton, volleyball, tossing a football or baseball, or even punching the heavy bag in a series of 2 minute sessions with breaks much like a boxing match. I guess that exercise for the sake of it just doesn't cut it, but I love being active doing something enjoyable, that also happens to be good exercise :)
  • abcgfed
    abcgfed Posts: 26
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    I used to hate running. I realized it is really that I hate running outside - I don't mind it on the treadmill. I can watch a TV show and forget I'm working as hard as I am. I look forward to it - I wish I could do it every single day, but I know I would get hurt if I tried. It's funny because it's the exact same exercise but just a different setting. Figure out where you are comfortable and do that.

    For those of you who say you hate sweating - I LOVE to sweat. It makes me feel like I've accomplished something. I worked hard and it paid off. I dislike yoga and other things that don't make me sweat because I feel like I haven't gotten as much out of it (that may not be true, but it feels that way to me). I think you just need to reframe it in your mind.

    I also really love to feel sore from a workout. Again, I feel like I accomplished something. It's harder to make myself feel sore now that I'm in better shape but I love it when I do. Don't think of it as pain - it's a reminder of what you were able to do. Again, just reframe it in your mind.

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