Does anyone else dislike exercise?

2456712

Replies

  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
    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
    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
    I like it once I get into it, but find it hard to stick to it!
  • TheNewMe99
    TheNewMe99 Posts: 24
    I agree. :)
  • TheNewMe99
    TheNewMe99 Posts: 24
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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.
  • robertdc50
    robertdc50 Posts: 50
    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.

    I agree in part. Most people like the results of exercise, although they don't necessarily like the exercise. I must disagree about skipping breakfast 'though!
  • GuineaPiglet
    GuineaPiglet Posts: 35 Member
    I found out that I hate purposeful exercise, but I LOVE activity based exercise. I can go on a grueling 2 hour hike and love every minute of it. Put me on a treadmill for a half an hour, I want to die. I can dance, bounce around and be silly for a half an hour in my own living room with the kids, or do a workout video that I'm bored to tears by.

    I have found that I start getting anxious if I don't get some heart rate raising exercise in daily. I'm 6 weeks in...former TOTAL couch potato with an office job to boot, and now I try to get myself to the point of sweating 45min-1 hour at least 5 days a week....and on days I "take off" I at least try to walk around the block once or twice. I bought a heart rate monitor that I feel really motivates me. 6 weeks ago my resting heart rate was 80bpm. Now it's 60!!!

    So I'm sure I'm echoing what others have said....you really have to find something you enjoy, that doesn't seem like "work". It can be tricky to figure out, but once you do...you're golden.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    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.

    +5 on that one.
  • I also REALLY dislike exercise! I will go through spurts where I will do my yoga/Pilates video or use my stair-stepper or ski machine several times a week for a couple of months but then I lose interest even though I can see the results. Honestly, I am lazy! One thing I have found that helps is to ride my bike. I live a few miles outside town and every morning after the coffee kicks in, I ride in town. This really helps me because I CAN'T just give up when I get tired; I still have to get home. By the time I get back home, I have ridden 10-14 miles and my aching muscles have relaxed and it actually feels kind of good. Another trick that helps me is to listen to loud, fast music on my MP3 player; Five Finger Death Punch is a frequent soundtrack for my workouts!
  • Kkassiana
    Kkassiana Posts: 8
    I keep seeing people who love working out, doing dvd programs etc... 1.5 year later I still don't. I force myself to do it, typically really doing half of it because I can't keep up. I've tried lots of different things. . None of that 'exercise high'. At this point I realize I just don't want it hard enough.

    Is it just me?

    You might want to try reading Gina Kolata's book Ultimate Fitness. In it, she reports there really are some people who just don't respond to exercise. I appear to be lucky. I do respond to exercise and love it.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    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.

    I apologize for not fitting into your pre-conceived notion of how bikini competitors should feel and act. What can I say, I make waves everywhere.
  • MEMD1974
    MEMD1974 Posts: 20 Member
    I didn't think I hated it, but I've been having such a hard time getting back into it (um, like a year or more it seems since I exercised consistently aside from walking from the train to work). I guess I have not found the thing that clicked yet - it used to be running, but now I just come up with excuses - it is too hot, we live in such a hilly area, etc. I hope you find something you like! I hope I do, too!
  • Cheekies_
    Cheekies_ Posts: 319 Member

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

    ^^^ So this!
    I used to dread exercise but I have learned that I can tune out everything else and go into my Zen Place while I workout. I look forward to it every day!
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    I really disliked it until I started to lift. I forced myself to do DVD workouts for months and I really did not like them. Got into New Rules of Lifting and started to look forward to my workouts - now that I'm 8 weeks into Stronglifts, i cannot wait until 7pm when i get to go and throw around some heavy stuff! These days, the thought of completing Insanity again makes me want to run away and hide lol!

    Gotta find what you like to do - try different things, get inventive! Yesterday i played 'soccer' with my nearly two year old for an hour and a half - it was fun and a ton of running and i loved it!
  • SlimSonic
    SlimSonic Posts: 127 Member
    I hate exercise.....probably because it brings back all the nightmares from being the un co-ordinated kid in PE at school.....

    I still can't do two moves at the same time..... Makes classes really difficult! :blushing:
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    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.

    I apologize for not fitting into your pre-conceived notion of how bikini competitors should feel and act. What can I say, I make waves everywhere.

    Ah. I read his post before the edit. This actually does make sense as you almost have to exercise for work?? Exercise is one of the things I do to take my mind off the jerks I have to deal with at work. If I needed to exercise for work, I could see getting somewhat resentful of the activity

    Interesting response to his bikini competitor comment; I'd think you'd welcome that sort of talk judging by your own post about everybody's attitude towards exercise!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I hate being forced to exercise, such as PE in school, and doing exercises I don't like. I do what I do like - a lot of walking every day. If I could afford a bathing suit and admission to the swimming pool, I'd be swimming.

    Do what you like and don't do what you hate.
  • DeadsAndDoritos
    DeadsAndDoritos Posts: 267 Member
    It depends. I don't really enjoy running at all. But I enjoy challenging myself and tracking my progress, as well as eating back the calories I burn. My smartphone and HRM make exercise so much more enjoyable for me. I love the stats at the end.

    I have been lifting for a month and am still actually enjoying that, not just enjoying the feeling at the end. But again, it is tracking my progress over time and seeing the changes in my shape that keep me motivated.
  • s54729
    s54729 Posts: 9 Member
    I don't enjoy it - partly due to back and neck issues.
    I just read an article about Helen Mirren's exercise program - she follows a program created by the Canadian Royal Air Force back in the 1950s. No special moves, no equipment needed at all, just plain basic moves. They start you at the lowest # of reps with a goal to increase the # of reps in the same time frame...
    And, since it's something i can actually do, i don't dread them and at the very least have a sense of accomplishment when i'm done. There's one set for women and one for men. It's worth checking out. http://www.fit450.com/HTML/5BX_Intro.html
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    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.

    I apologize for not fitting into your pre-conceived notion of how bikini competitors should feel and act. What can I say, I make waves everywhere.

    Ah. I read his post before the edit. This actually does make sense as you almost have to exercise for work?? Exercise is one of the things I do to take my mind off the jerks I have to deal with at work. If I needed to exercise for work, I could see getting somewhat resentful of the activity

    Interesting response to his bikini competitor comment; I'd think you'd welcome that sort of talk judging by your own post about everybody's attitude towards exercise!

    Where did I say the comment was not welcome? All I did was apologize. You're reading an awful lot into several comments that were never directed at you in the first place. So you don't agree with what I said in my first post. Great. Don't care. Kindly get off my back, peaches. :flowerforyou:
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    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.

    I must be crazy, or delusional then.

    Like Trojan, I'm looking ahead to my next training session - can't wait. Hell, I'm thinking about the up coming sessions for the rest of the week.

    Love. It.

    If I didn't love what I'm currently doing, I'd find something else I'd love doing and do that instead.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    The only thing I like more then training is spending time with my girls. When I don't have the barbell in my hands, I want it in my hands. Okay, I may not have loved it in the moment of my last deadlift today when everything was screaming, but the second I achieved lockout and was able to drop my bar I was back to loving it
  • CindyMarcuzAdams
    CindyMarcuzAdams Posts: 4,007 Member
    I truly hate exercise. Guess that's why I am in this fat *kitten* body. I have a pile of physical issues that cause me pain so exercise is difficult for me. Walking was my primary form of activity as of yesterday. I bought a bike and an exercise bike. Its going to take some time, patience and , lots of pain meds but I am going to do this. I have a great circle of friends on here who will keep me going thru the pain. Look out world here I come...
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    Franci you probably keep trying to start at too high an intensity level for your current level of fitness.

    My suggestion: read about target heart rate, then use it to moderate your level of intensity doing something that you like as exercise. For example, walking a dog, or along a beach or a river-bank, or even window-shopping while power-walking inside a mall.

    Be creative on where you go and what you do. Use a phone app like MapMyFitness or Runkeeper to track how far you go and how many calories you burn (if you don't have one of those life-monitor wrist thingies).

    Those DVDs are great for people in their teens and twenties who have a fairly high baseline of activity, but if you are older than that or have been less active for a long time, they're way too hard to begin with.

    PS: when you first start exercising, the first few weeks it is not unusual for your sweat to be sticky and sometimes stinky. As you get more fit it becomes more watery and requires a few hours to start smelling (typically you are done with your workout and showered before that happens, but your laundry pile can remain a stink pit).
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Duplicate I see