Advice for someone who hates exercise?
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Find something you love to do - if it's Zumba, Aqua Aerobics; whatever. Boxing. Spinning. There are many classes and activities that are fun. Belly dancing. Strip tease. Look around ! Find something on Groupon and go for it!
Wear cool clothes while you do it. Look for used stuff or shop at discount stores.
Read self -help books, fitness magazines, surround yourself with like-minded friends, etc. Don't let fitness be something that's sometime; make it front and center in your life.0 -
I do try to eat healthy and I don't need many calories or much food at all, seeing as I'm quite short. But what bothers me about diet is that it's so, so easy to lose track of how many chips you ate, or to get an extra slice of cake and set yourself 400 calories behind, etc. It's just not very forgiving and losing weight just through eating healthier moves at a snail's pace for me, I have a pretty slow metabolism so I've found I have to combine eating less with exercising or it'll take the weight 10 times as long to come off.
Unless you plan to have an overall far more active lifestyle, like walking or using a bike for a few hours per day, or you plan to spend hours on the gym daily, you will have to rely on diet changes for weight loss. It is impossible to outrun a bad diet, at least without changing completely your physical activity level (general "you", not you "you").
And, unless you are hypothyroid and untreated (in which case you need a dr appointment), you do not have a slow metabolism, there are no slow and fast metabolisms.
Perhaps you misread or skipped over something - I've kept the part of the post you quoted that addressed the exercise vs. diet matter.
By "slow metabolism" I mean that I don't have a very large build, so my BMR isn't very high. Also, I put on weight very, very easily - much more so than most of my peers. I'm a vegetarian, close to vegan (in the process of transitioning over) and I don't eat a lot of junk food (anymore). Yet my friends who are my height/build who are nearly carnivorous, and who always eat and drink in excess, tend to stay around the same weight, which is quite thin.
For the record - I did some yoga today after I woke up and I actually really enjoyed it.0 -
I do try to eat healthy and I don't need many calories or much food at all, seeing as I'm quite short. But what bothers me about diet is that it's so, so easy to lose track of how many chips you ate, or to get an extra slice of cake and set yourself 400 calories behind, etc. It's just not very forgiving and losing weight just through eating healthier moves at a snail's pace for me, I have a pretty slow metabolism so I've found I have to combine eating less with exercising or it'll take the weight 10 times as long to come off.
Unless you plan to have an overall far more active lifestyle, like walking or using a bike for a few hours per day, or you plan to spend hours on the gym daily, you will have to rely on diet changes for weight loss. It is impossible to outrun a bad diet, at least without changing completely your physical activity level (general "you", not you "you").
And, unless you are hypothyroid and untreated (in which case you need a dr appointment), you do not have a slow metabolism, there are no slow and fast metabolisms.
Perhaps you misread or skipped over something - I've kept the part of the post you quoted that addressed the exercise vs. diet matter.
By "slow metabolism" I mean that I don't have a very large build, so my BMR isn't very high. Also, I put on weight very, very easily - much more so than most of my peers. I'm a vegetarian, close to vegan (in the process of transitioning over) and I don't eat a lot of junk food (anymore). Yet my friends who are my height/build who are nearly carnivorous, and who always eat and drink in excess, tend to stay around the same weight, which is quite thin.
For the record - I did some yoga today after I woke up and I actually really enjoyed it.
You're with them 24/7? How could you know how much they're consuming in their overall diets? One strategy for managing calories is to actually save calories in the day for when you're out and about and eating socially (if you're into that sort of thing). Content of the diet doesn't matter, calories in vs. calories out is what matters for weight loss0 -
I do try to eat healthy and I don't need many calories or much food at all, seeing as I'm quite short. But what bothers me about diet is that it's so, so easy to lose track of how many chips you ate, or to get an extra slice of cake and set yourself 400 calories behind, etc. It's just not very forgiving and losing weight just through eating healthier moves at a snail's pace for me, I have a pretty slow metabolism so I've found I have to combine eating less with exercising or it'll take the weight 10 times as long to come off.
Unless you plan to have an overall far more active lifestyle, like walking or using a bike for a few hours per day, or you plan to spend hours on the gym daily, you will have to rely on diet changes for weight loss. It is impossible to outrun a bad diet, at least without changing completely your physical activity level (general "you", not you "you").
And, unless you are hypothyroid and untreated (in which case you need a dr appointment), you do not have a slow metabolism, there are no slow and fast metabolisms.
Perhaps you misread or skipped over something - I've kept the part of the post you quoted that addressed the exercise vs. diet matter.
By "slow metabolism" I mean that I don't have a very large build, so my BMR isn't very high. Also, I put on weight very, very easily - much more so than most of my peers. I'm a vegetarian, close to vegan (in the process of transitioning over) and I don't eat a lot of junk food (anymore). Yet my friends who are my height/build who are nearly carnivorous, and who always eat and drink in excess, tend to stay around the same weight, which is quite thin.
For the record - I did some yoga today after I woke up and I actually really enjoyed it.
Not possible. Your friends might be more active or it might end up they eat less calories if you follow them around for a week and record every bite that passes through their mouths. Do not worry about your metabolism, and if you really think you gain weight without an obvious explanation, time to talk to a dr.0 -
I don't know how you can say that's impossible. I know for a fact that when I was younger, I would eat all the calories in the world and it didn't catch up to me for years. I barely moved either -- I'd stay inside all day on my computer. Yet I was underweight for my height until I physically matured and ballooned up.
I'm not saying I have any metabolic disorders. In fact, every woman on my dad's side of the family for a few generations has had a phase in their life around my age where they gained a lot of weight very quickly and then lost it and stayed thin until middle age. So I'm sure this is normal and will pass when I get more active. However, I'm just saying that I'm not fortunate enough to be able to eat whatever I want anymore without facing repercussions when I step on the scale the next day.0 -
I do try to eat healthy and I don't need many calories or much food at all, seeing as I'm quite short. But what bothers me about diet is that it's so, so easy to lose track of how many chips you ate, or to get an extra slice of cake and set yourself 400 calories behind, etc. It's just not very forgiving and losing weight just through eating healthier moves at a snail's pace for me, I have a pretty slow metabolism so I've found I have to combine eating less with exercising or it'll take the weight 10 times as long to come off.
Unless you plan to have an overall far more active lifestyle, like walking or using a bike for a few hours per day, or you plan to spend hours on the gym daily, you will have to rely on diet changes for weight loss. It is impossible to outrun a bad diet, at least without changing completely your physical activity level (general "you", not you "you").
And, unless you are hypothyroid and untreated (in which case you need a dr appointment), you do not have a slow metabolism, there are no slow and fast metabolisms.
Perhaps you misread or skipped over something - I've kept the part of the post you quoted that addressed the exercise vs. diet matter.
By "slow metabolism" I mean that I don't have a very large build, so my BMR isn't very high. Also, I put on weight very, very easily - much more so than most of my peers. I'm a vegetarian, close to vegan (in the process of transitioning over) and I don't eat a lot of junk food (anymore). Yet my friends who are my height/build who are nearly carnivorous, and who always eat and drink in excess, tend to stay around the same weight, which is quite thin.
For the record - I did some yoga today after I woke up and I actually really enjoyed it.
I'll agree that it's easier to stay fit and manage intake (and sometimes appetite) when you're getting a lot of exercise & protein. And definitley, exercise will give you a bit of a margin of error (though agree with NOT doing 5 days in the first couple of weeks, if you're doing stuff other than walking and especially if you have shin splints
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If you suspect some kind of metabolic issue, I don't know that veganism is THE most helpful strategy (might be, no knowledge about that. I'm sure vegans handle IR issues their own way). If you struggle with quantity with chips and cake, at the very least, measure them accurately. If you boost protein (not nec through meat) you might not struggle AS much.0 -
I don't know how you can say that's impossible. I know for a fact that when I was younger, I would eat all the calories in the world and it didn't catch up to me for years. I barely moved either -- I'd stay inside all day on my computer. Yet I was underweight for my height until I physically matured and ballooned up.
I'm not saying I have any metabolic disorders. In fact, every woman on my dad's side of the family for a few generations has had a phase in their life around my age where they gained a lot of weight very quickly and then lost it and stayed thin until middle age. So I'm sure this is normal and will pass when I get more active. However, I'm just saying that I'm not fortunate enough to be able to eat whatever I want anymore without facing repercussions when I step on the scale the next day.
Well, I'm guessing you were not tracking your calories when you were younger, either, so what you think was a lot of calories may not have been. Not to mention, people don't always realize how much their non exercise activity contributes to burning calories
Next, day to day scale weight fluctuations are irrelevant. I could eat a high sodium meal today and show 3+ lbs weight increase tomorrow. This doesn't mean I've consumed a 3 lb surplus and this excess water weight will resolve itself eventually. When you're actively losing weight, for general sanity it's probably best to look in the 6-8 week time frame to evaluate losses, not day to day0 -
I don't know how you can say that's impossible. I know for a fact that when I was younger, I would eat all the calories in the world and it didn't catch up to me for years. I barely moved either -- I'd stay inside all day on my computer. Yet I was underweight for my height until I physically matured and ballooned up.
I'm not saying I have any metabolic disorders. In fact, every woman on my dad's side of the family for a few generations has had a phase in their life around my age where they gained a lot of weight very quickly and then lost it and stayed thin until middle age. So I'm sure this is normal and will pass when I get more active. However, I'm just saying that I'm not fortunate enough to be able to eat whatever I want anymore without facing repercussions when I step on the scale the next day.
YOU ARE 18! When you were younger, you were growing.
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I'm going to send you a friend request. It sounds like we're very mentally similar in this regard.
Remember that exercise doesn't have to mean an hour on the treadmill pouring sweat. I would HATE that! Most of the "exercise" I log here on a daily basis includes cooking, cleaning, or even active playing with my daughter. Those are things I have to do daily anyway. I also enjoy dancing and yoga, and it doesn't have to be a formal class if you feel like people are judging you. Put on some music in the morning and dance around while you get ready. It's a fantastic way to start your day.
With yoga, remember that it's not about being a contortionist. It's a means of exploring and learning to control different areas of your body. I love, love, love the site DoYogaWithMe.com because they have tons of free videos you can do from home. Check out the site and look for the videos by Nicky Jones - especially her "Self Love" and "Melting Into Gratitude" videos. They don't require extreme flexibility, and they are so uplifting. I always feel better about myself after doing one of those routines.0 -
You don't have to exercise to lose weight, just cut your calories.
Also, you should see a professional for your shin splints if it's a long term problem, and you're sure that it's not just because you upped your mileage by too much.
Other than running, you could try cycling. Shin splints won't get in the way. Try getting friends to do it with you or getting into the local cycling club. It's a lot more fun to cycle with others.As for what I can do to exercise - campus gym is a possibility, but even with music, I really hate the gym and associate it with negative things. I could always go just once a week or something so I don't feel like I'm forcing myself to go every day.
You don't have to go to your gym to lose exercises. You can just do calisthenics exercises right at home.
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You've gotten plenty of great suggestions, but I just wanted to comment on your eating vs your friends. I too thought something was different for me because no matter what I did, weight wouldn't come off. (I'm small stature too) I attributed it to getting older, but....I was wrong. I was simply eating over my calories. Once I got good with weighing/logging food, the weight started falling off me. Ultimately this is what will get you where you want to be for dropping pounds.
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I don't know how you can say that's impossible. I know for a fact that when I was younger, I would eat all the calories in the world and it didn't catch up to me for years. I barely moved either -- I'd stay inside all day on my computer. Yet I was underweight for my height until I physically matured and ballooned up.
I'm not saying I have any metabolic disorders. In fact, every woman on my dad's side of the family for a few generations has had a phase in their life around my age where they gained a lot of weight very quickly and then lost it and stayed thin until middle age. So I'm sure this is normal and will pass when I get more active. However, I'm just saying that I'm not fortunate enough to be able to eat whatever I want anymore without facing repercussions when I step on the scale the next day.
YOU ARE 18! When you were younger, you were growing.
This. As a kid I ate basically everything and stayed skinny...............till I turned 19 and started working out and eating more to gain weight.I don't know how you can say that's impossible. I know for a fact that when I was younger, I would eat all the calories in the world and it didn't catch up to me for years. I barely moved either -- I'd stay inside all day on my computer. Yet I was underweight for my height until I physically matured and ballooned up.
I'm not saying I have any metabolic disorders. In fact, every woman on my dad's side of the family for a few generations has had a phase in their life around my age where they gained a lot of weight very quickly and then lost it and stayed thin until middle age. So I'm sure this is normal and will pass when I get more active. However, I'm just saying that I'm not fortunate enough to be able to eat whatever I want anymore without facing repercussions when I step on the scale the next day.
YOU ARE 18! When you were younger, you were growing.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Find what you like. Cast a WIIIIDE net...
I like walking for some of the reasons you pointed out. I actually only sweat deeply a couple of times a week when I dance or hike. The rest of the time I'm in regular clothes walking. No shampoo, shower or costume changes necessary when I'm finished! And for resistance I do some body weight moves, usually in jammies. I just started yoga. No way would I have done that a few months ago! You live in a body. I'm convinced there's a way to move out there that can spark passion in every inhabitant of a human body. You just need to find what lights YOU up...0 -
And, some of this lifestyle is maturity. Today I would have loved some cookies. Instead I had yogurt.0
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I may have been at my all time high weight when I started yoga 19 years ago. I wore baggy clothes and was in the back of the class. I took classes that were appropriate for my fitness level. It sounds like you push yourself too hard.
I developed body acceptance over the years and lost 30 pounds swimming in the pool at the Y in the most hideous suit ever sold by Walmart. But if you're not ready for that, that's fine - there are lots other activities you can do. Does walking aggravate your shins? Maybe start with walking and build up to running if you want. I personally have no desire to ever run again.0 -
Wow, I really didn't expect this many responses when I posted this - thank you so much for all the advice and kind words.
I do try to eat healthy and I don't need many calories or much food at all, seeing as I'm quite short. But what bothers me about diet is that it's so, so easy to lose track of how many chips you ate, or to get an extra slice of cake and set yourself 400 calories behind, etc. It's just not very forgiving and losing weight just through eating healthier moves at a snail's pace for me, I have a pretty slow metabolism so I've found I have to combine eating less with exercising or it'll take the weight 10 times as long to come off.
As for what I can do to exercise - campus gym is a possibility, but even with music, I really hate the gym and associate it with negative things. I could always go just once a week or something so I don't feel like I'm forcing myself to go every day.
I have done Zumba and it's really fun, my school offers some group fitness classes and I plan to do Zumba once a week next semester and beginner level ballet twice a week. I could also add running once a week, and that would be 5 days of exercise, it's just that I have the tendency to talk myself out of it because of my low self-esteem. I think part of my issue is that I'm a perfectionist, so I tell myself that working out isn't even worth it if I know I'm going to be bad at it.
I think if I can overcome my negative mindsets (which result from over a decade of beating myself up over being unathletic, even when I was the skinniest kid in my class) I can achieve new levels of fitness and the weight loss will be an added bonus.
Prelogging helps with the first bolded. If I want chips, I make sure there is room in my calorie budget, weigh out no more than an ounce (and sometimes as little as 1/4 ounce), and put the bag away. "Away" is out of sight and out of reach unless I use a stool.
Re the second bolded - sounds like you tend to be an all-or-nothing type of person. Seek the middle path, grasshopper. Are there free Buddhist classes available?
Re the third bolded, while it is possible to overcome negative self talk on your own, because you have shown so much of it on this thread, therapy would be helpful to quickly teach you strategies to overcome this. They have therapy for free on campus, yes?0 -
It's so counterproductive - shouldn't working out make me feel fit and proud? - but I just can't go on, and I end up crying in front of my mirror pinching at all my rolls.
I like dancing, but I feel so awkward in my body when I try. I like Pilates and yoga, but I feel fat and inflexible. I like swimming, but I feel ashamed of the way my body looks in a swimsuit.
Does anyone have advice on overcoming these hurdles and getting used to a routine?
(By the way - I'm a college student and I'm broke. I need something that doesn't cost money.)
Thanks.
i'll let you in on a secret: most people, from the soccer mom getting in a jog to the pro-athlete making a living working out, do not always like working out and often don't feel fit and proud in the middle of the workout. yes, at the end of a workout you can have a great sense of euphoria, and sometimes a person can have an amazing workout where everything is right and the playlist is perfect and you are just smashing it.
i think you might just be putting too much pressure on yourself at every workout. that *this* workout will be the one that gets you to love exercising, that will reshape your body, and it'll be effortless from now on.
another secret: it is never effortless. even the pro-athlete knows he's got to work harder because his team didn't make the championship last year
there are a million ways to exercise. i understand feeling fat and inflexible, and ashamed of what you look like in workout clothes, but i think i might have an answer for you: cycling. i didn't want to run when i first started either. i would quickly get out of breathe, and i could go far, and i felt people would laugh at me in workout clothes. so i dusted off my old mountain bike one day, thinking i'd go for a quick loop around the block. thirty minutes later i was home and in love. i was sweaty, but i wasn't out of breathe. i felt great. it didn't even feel like i had been working out because i was basically sight seeing in my neighborhood. and i was moving quick enough that no one could really see me and point and laugh.
so yeah, go get a bike.0 -
Lots of good stuff here I'll just add a few thoughts.
- read up on cognitive distortion and all or nothing thinking.
- I read recently that procrastination is an adult way of saying "I don't wanna." That really resonated with me, so I thought I'd save you thirty years of struggle and pay attention to your deep feelings why you don't want to exercise.
- The negative self talk is a huge bummer. You should be your biggest cheerleader. If you won't be gentle on yourself, who will?0 -
Hi all. I'm a newbie to this whole fitness thing, but not really. I've started, and stopped, many a workout routine. The longest time I've ever stuck with one was 4 months, maybe, if I'm being generous to myself. I know I need to work out regularly because I'm now slightly overweight and I hate it so much, and every time I start a routine the pounds start falling off my body so clearly they aren't supposed to be there. But my problem is - and I know it's stupid - I really, really hate working out.
Here's a list of what I dislike the most about exercise, in no particular order:
• Makes you sweaty and out of breath
• You have to prepare to go do it, which takes extra time
• Takes a while to see results
• Often boring
• Can be painful (I like running but I get terrible shin splints, even when buying shoes made for my feet)
But the biggest thing for me is:
• I feel "trapped" in my body when I do it.
When I work out, I feel fatter, lazier, and less accomplished than I did before. I know it's stupid, but the fact that I'm out of shape makes me feel less motivated. Sometimes I have to stop a workout to sit down and cry because I feel so disgusted with myself, especially now that I'm at an all-time high body weight. It's so counterproductive - shouldn't working out make me feel fit and proud? - but I just can't go on, and I end up crying in front of my mirror pinching at all my rolls.
I like dancing, but I feel so awkward in my body when I try. I like Pilates and yoga, but I feel fat and inflexible. I like swimming, but I feel ashamed of the way my body looks in a swimsuit.
Does anyone have advice on overcoming these hurdles and getting used to a routine?
(By the way - I'm a college student and I'm broke. I need something that doesn't cost money.)
Thanks.
I was obese when I started. I weighed 225 lbs. I started out by walking a mile. After 1 mile at a slow pace (about 3mph) I had to lay down for an hour. I was drenched in sweat, my feet hurt, my shins hurt, my knees hurt, my hips hurt, my back hurt, my heart was pounding, and I could not catch my breadth. I hated it so much that I begged my wife to shoot me in the head.
But I kept doing it every day and sometimes two or three times a day. After a couple months I could walk 2 miles at a 3.5 mph pace, then 3 miles, and the pain got less and less. Then I got a bike and started doing that 2 or 3 times a week in addition to the walking. Then I got a kayak and started doing that 1 or 2 times a week in addition to the biking and walking. But mostly I just walked every day.
Now I power walk every day, and I can go over 7.5 miles at a 4.5 mph pace with no problem at all and keep my heart rate in zone 4 and 5 the entire walk. I lost 57 lbs. but gained 2 lbs. back over the holidays because I slacked off a little on the walking and ate more, but that was to be expected.
Did I hate it at first? ... hell yes.
Did I have to prepare for it? ... not really.
Did it take a while to see results? ... yes, but only a matter of months.
Is it boring? ... not really if you walk outside where other people are walking.
Is it painful? ... at first, but once you are conditioned it actually is the perfect amount of impact to maintain joint health.
Did I feel trapped in my body when I do it? ... at first I did because I thought that other people where thinking... oh... look at that big fat guy trying to exercise. But now I feel great because those same people are thinking... wow that big fat guy ain't fat anymore... I got to start walking.
If you want to feel fit and proud, you need to get over that hump.
My motto is... If you ain't huffing and puffing and sweating, you ain't doing it right...
I admire your honesty, and I guarantee if you get over that hump you will be crying tears of joy in front of the mirror because you look so good... 0 -
it's just that I have the tendency to talk myself out of it because of my low self-esteem. I think part of my issue is that I'm a perfectionist, so I tell myself that working out isn't even worth it if I know I'm going to be bad at it.
So you don't want to risk failure. You're not where you "should" be, so there's no point. Ok - at least you recognize that that's not productive.
What about working to accept the idea that you are a beginner. No one can be great at everything the first time they try it.
Also, if you try something that's much beyond your current ability, that's going to be discouraging, of course.
Find a safe space, whatever that means to you, and a low-challenge activity, and allow yourself to make a few mistakes. Zumba sounds like a good idea. I'm sticking by walking over running. I'm not a fan of running, but if you're going to do it, at least work up to it. Literally: you have to walk before you can run. Especially if you're getting shin splints.
Good luck.0
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