Exercise dread

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katopotato610
katopotato610 Posts: 3
in Motivation and Support
Hi all...every time I go to exercise, I get a nasty case of exercise dread and sometimes it stops me in my tracks. It might sound silly, but the reality is i do struggle with emotion regulation, and at the same time I know "there's nothin to it but to do it!"! I just wish there were some small ways to make it less unpleasant and be more consistent with my walking. Overall, I'm just beating myself up for getting myself into the 290 lb mess!

Can anyone relate? It would help to just know someone else goes through this!

Replies

  • ivygirl1937
    ivygirl1937 Posts: 899 Member
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    Ooh, me, me!! It happens to me all the time. Basically a 5 year old voice in my head goes "But I don't WANNA...."

    Things that I have found help (and I don't know if they will help you, but they did me):
    Try and get someone to exercise with you. It really is easier to do with someone else there with you. It will go faster and won't seem as bad.
    Pick a type of exercise you actually enjoy doing, whether it be dancing, skipping, running, biking, playing a sport, whatever. Personally, I do not really care for aerobics other than like maybe Zumba. But give me a bike or a tennis racket and I'm there. It's about what you like to do. At the end of the day, burning calories is burning calories, however you choose to do it.
    And figure out a time of day that works best for you. A lot of people workout first thing in the morning. This does NOT work for me because I am the exact opposite of a morning person (as in I hit snooze about 4 times). So I exercise sometime in the evening when I'm more likely to do it and enjoy it.
    If you don't want to workout for 30 minutes, at least do 10. Then do another 10 later. Anything is better than nothing.

    Hope this helps! :)
    Btw, I'm glad you added a picture, you are so adorable. :)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    When it comes to cardio, I do it every time. You just have to talk yourself down. Weight training is way easier, because I enjoy it.
  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
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    You need to try different things until you find something you enjoy. Enjoyment is the key to adherence.

    keep in mind that enjoyment might not be immediate. Give yourself enough tries to get comfortable and progress a bit and see how you like it. Also, if you don't like whatever it is that you are trying, the idea of doing something new soon might be a good motivating force to keep you going.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    Agreed!!! Find something you enjoy doing.
  • Mexicanbigfoot
    Mexicanbigfoot Posts: 520 Member
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    I go through this almost every single day.

    I will never be one of those people that "love" to exercise but I've found small ways to make it better for myself.

    1. I do mostly cardio, on the treadmill at home. I watch TV on DVD and I watch shows I really love (currently Sex and the City) and I ONLY let myself watch the show while I walk. That means if I catch an afternoon marathon on E! I have to skip it

    2. I set both short and long term goals for myself (I got this idea from a friend) Currently, I keep track of my mileage each month and I am "walking" to the Statue of Liberty (at least the number of miles from my home to the landmark) It's somewhere I've never been and after I meet my goal (790 miles, about 690 to go, I started in August) I hope to get there for real. I actually put a picture on my treadmill so I can look at it everyday and remind myself what I am doing this for.

    3. I remind myself how much better I really feel after the workout and how much I beat myself up when I skip one.

    It's hard, I know. I let myself get to over 350 pounds before truly deciding to change. But it's never too late and I'm living proof. I hope you will be able to dig a little deeper and find the motivation to work out. Your body will thank you! Good luck - Sam
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
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    Yes, it's normal, but making it a habit will eventually make it WAY less of an issue. I started exercising regularly for pretty much the first time in my life last year in August and for the first 4 months or so I absolutely DREADED it every time. But magically, at about the 4 month mark it changed for me. A couple of thoughts:

    1. Make an appointment with yourself and keep it. It can be detrimental to habit-building if your exercise time is right after work or right after dinner if you're prone to thoughts of "well, IF I HAVE TIME." And when you have an appointment, even if you're not feeling it, dress out, as in "Okay, you don't have to exercise, but you have to put on your exercise clothes. Just get dressed and then see how you feel." Once you're dressed out, then it often is "Okay, maybe not the whole thing today, but at least go for 5 minutes / do the warm up. That's not so bad." And then it pretty quickly turns into "Might as well carry on, then."

    2. Especially since your main exercise is walking, I'd recommend doing it every single day if you possibly can. When you're already not looking forward to exercise, taking a day off can make it hard to keep up your momentum.

    3. Consider alternating different kinds of activities so you're not doing the same thing every day. That was the big thing that changed for me at the 4 month mark. Swap in other (low-impact, if that's an issue for you at this time) activities on different days of the week: swimming, yoga, beginner resistance training (FitnessBlender.com and hasfit.com have tons of free streaming exercise vids) are good options. But if you're committed to walking exclusively, different routes. It sounds crazy, but now that I have a weekly routine, almost the minute I'm done with today's workout, I get a little excited about "getting to" do tomorrow's workout.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Agreed!!! Find something you enjoy doing.

    This^

    I enjoy cardio (strength training not so much). I can totally talk myself out of working out.....outdoors. It's too hot, it's raining, whatever. So I do indoor "walking".....Leslie Sansone Just Walk DVDs are great for me. I can mute these and watch TV, or use my own music. Download some fun music. I bought a cheap MP3 player and loaded nothing but fast songs on it.

    Click the arrow under the "Try It!" button to get an idea

    http://www.walkathome.com/

    For strength training I found an instructor (DVD) that is encouraging. It took awhile to find something that "clicked" for me. Keep trying new things. Exercise should be a lifestyle change too.
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
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    Definitely try Zumba if you like dancing! It's a lot of fun. You definitely have to find something you somewhat enjoy so that you can stick with this in the long run. Also listening to music while walking, watching something on Netflix or reading a book while walking (as long as it isn't outside) is great to have the time pass by without even thinking about it.

    I used to read a great book and only read it in the gym so that was part of the motivation to go to the gym...to finish the book. :)

    Good luck!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Definitely try Zumba if you like dancing! It's a lot of fun. You definitely have to find something you somewhat enjoy so that you can stick with this in the long run. Also listening to music while walking, watching something on Netflix or reading a book while walking (as long as it isn't outside) is great to have the time pass by without even thinking about it.

    I used to read a great book and only read it in the gym so that was part of the motivation to go to the gym...to finish the book. :)

    Good luck!

    Audiobooks for outdoors....
  • sbjmorgan
    sbjmorgan Posts: 158 Member
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    Yes, it's why I have a fitbit, every step I take takes me closer to the goal, and usually by the end of the day I'm so close that I make myself go for a walk or jog. Gets the job done because I don't want to end my streak of meeting my goals!
  • abbeyjones1994
    abbeyjones1994 Posts: 188 Member
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    My thinking usually goes:

    I could just stay in bed.
    I could just not change into workout clothes.
    I could just not put my shoes on.
    I could just not start this video.
    I could just half-a** it.
    I guess I should at least try.
    Well...maybe this isn't so bad.
    I am SO glad I did that.

    Every time.

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