The I hate exercise crowd

Jakep2323 wrote: »

rainbowbow wrote: »

rkg1966 wrote: »

I want to know why when someone says that they hate exercise...are the people bound and determined to make us want to learn to like it and convince us to do it? Why can't you leave us alone and wish us luck on our journeys. I find it rather pushy of you and not very nice, no matter how well meaning.

Listen, the human body was never meant to be sedentary, period. I am convinced that EVERYONE no matter their age or physical capabilities can find some sort of activity, sport, or routine which provides them the stimulation they need.

Tried one thing and hate it? Okay, no worries, try something else!

I for one also hate the elliptical just like you, OP. As a matter of fact I used to hate absolutely everything that is "cardio". Guess what? I love to play tennis and squash, I love to do trampoline fitness, I love just treading water and paddling around. I love weight lifting and gymnastics training as well as calisthenics.

For every one type of exercise i like, i have tried 5 others that i hate. Take time to experiment and find ways to workout that fit your schedule, preference, are fun, and don't feel like a chore to you. Keep in mind that for a healthy body exercise is not "optional".

A lot of folk in here should try sex...seriously. Calm down - its nearly Christmas

Currently single... so not right now. But done correctly it can be quite a nice workout.

But exercises is what people make of it. If a walk is all someone will and can do, great a walk it is. It's a struggle for me day in day out to get enough movement, but I try and I keep trying. I'm still hoping to find that one activity that I will love and keep going back to. The list is still long, in the meantime, I go to the gym 3x a week because I know my muscles need it. Don't really want to end up like most of my elder relatives...

Machka9 wrote: »

crzycatlady1 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

rkg1966 wrote: »

I want to know why when someone says that they hate exercise...are the people bound and determined to make us want to learn to like it and convince us to do it? Why can't you leave us alone and wish us luck on our journeys. I find it rather pushy of you and not very nice, no matter how well meaning.

Because we can't imagine life without activity ... we can't imagine not wanting to move.

It's just completely and utterly inconceivable to me that someone would want to spend their entire lives in one spot.

And from our experience, usually when people say they hate something general, they actually mean they hate one specific item, one specific aspect ... but it usually turns out that they tolerate or even enjoy another aspect.

Just because someone doesn't exercise in the traditional sense, doesn't meant their not active and are staying in one spot-that's just silly.

Bingo!

I didn't said anything about "exercise in the traditional sense". Any movement is exercise. Saying you hate exercise and don't want to exercise means you want to say in bed for the rest of your life and never move. The minute you get up and walk across the room, you've started exercising ... and you probably don't hate it after all.

Okay, but when people say they hate exercise, they typically aren't saying they don't want to walk across a room (I hope). For many of us, the walking we're required to do in order to do our daily activities wouldn't count as "exercise" in any real fitness or health-enhancing sense. When people say they hate exercise, they're usually talking about those activities that go beyond the ordinary actions of living.

I get what you're saying, but I think it kind of misses the point. If someone's daily life *doesn't* include the activity that they want to increase their calorie burn or if they want to improve their fitness, their dislike of "exercise" is something they're going to have to grapple with in some way, either by finding something they can stand doing or accepting that they aren't going to meet those goals.

rkg1966 wrote: »

I want to know why when someone says that they hate exercise...are the people bound and determined to make us want to learn to like it and convince us to do it? Why can't you leave us alone and wish us luck on our journeys. I find it rather pushy of you and not very nice, no matter how well meaning.

She asked for advice...said she wanted to change that about herself...see bolded below.

TaraTaraTara76 wrote: »

On here looking for friends that well...hate exercise. I've done in 2 days in a row now but I hate it. I want to change that about myself and be the type of person who loved it. I don't know how to change my mindset. It takes me a ton of inner pushing upon myself to set foot on that elliptical. I don't enjoy being on it either and I don't feel that boost people speak of afterwards.. I'm just hot and out of breath. It's too dang cold to go outside for a walk or jog , it was -3 degrees today. Basically looking for people like me ...if you exist to be a motivator friend with me. We can cheer eahother on. Any tricks to change my attitude would also be great.

I assumed that she started this thread in order to get advice on how to at least not to hate exercise.

Machka9 wrote: »

crzycatlady1 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

crzycatlady1 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

rkg1966 wrote: »

I want to know why when someone says that they hate exercise...are the people bound and determined to make us want to learn to like it and convince us to do it? Why can't you leave us alone and wish us luck on our journeys. I find it rather pushy of you and not very nice, no matter how well meaning.

Because we can't imagine life without activity ... we can't imagine not wanting to move.

It's just completely and utterly inconceivable to me that someone would want to spend their entire lives in one spot.

And from our experience, usually when people say they hate something general, they actually mean they hate one specific item, one specific aspect ... but it usually turns out that they tolerate or even enjoy another aspect.

Just because someone doesn't exercise in the traditional sense, doesn't meant their not active and are staying in one spot-that's just silly.

Bingo!

I didn't said anything about "exercise in the traditional sense". Any movement is exercise. Saying you hate exercise and don't want to exercise means you want to say in bed for the rest of your life and never move. The minute you get up and walk across the room, you've started exercising ... and you probably don't hate it after all.

When I hear the word exercise I think gym, using machines, running, intense biking, lifting weights, work out videos etc. I wouldn't consider everyday activities like walking, playing with your kids, gardening, household chores like shoveling, push mowing, sports etc as exercising-that's just living and being active Maybe OP could get away from the idea of 'exercising' and just focus on being more active? That's what I've done and it works well for me, because the term exercise actually has a pretty negative connotation associated with it (for me personally).

When I hear the word exercise, I think of the walking portion of my commute, my walk through the shops or to the botanical gardens at lunch, and my walks down to the beach after work with my husband. That's probably the bulk of my exercise most days.

Sure exercise can include long or intense bicycle rides, or strenuous hikes up a mountain, or a couple hours a gym, (which is fun too!), but exercise doesn't have to be that ... especially not every day. It can also be a casual bicycle ride up the cycling path, a stroll through a meadow, a casual canoe on a calm lake, running and playing with the kids in the playground, tossing the ball or frisbee around.

Exercise is all about becoming more active, living an active lifestyle, and hopefully doing things you enjoy.

In the OP's case, because it is cold where she is, she could, for example, go to her local mall and walk around. Spend an hour walking round and round, in and out of shops, even slowing up if she sees something she likes in some of the shops. That's exercise. She'd be moving. And maybe that's all she'd want to do for now, but perhaps when it warms up a bit, she'll want to do a bit more.

Yes we can definitely call it exercise. But if someone wants to improve their cardiovascular health just by walking, they should walk at least at a brisk pace.

rkg1966 wrote: »

I'll stick to what I like and never ask the "advocates" on MFP for help, ever. Unsolicited advice is just rude. I wish everyone luck...even if you think you know what's best for everyone.

It's not just people on MFP recommending exercise/movement. Exercise is recommended by any reputable source of heath advice.

nutmegoreo wrote: »

Try out a bunch of different things until you find what you love, or is the least objectionable. I found that I love swimming (although I suck at it) and I love kickboxing (suck at that too). Although I'm not good at either, I enjoy both and so much more likely to do them. As a bonus, I know I have to get better!

This is my #1 advice.

Other things that helped me get back into exercising regularly (I now exercise a lot).

(1) Remember that walking can be exercise and just walk everywhere you possibly can. Bundle up and let the weather further convince you that you are a rockstar! (I started this in January 2014, during that horrible winter (I'm in Chicago).)

(2) Don't make it too hard on yourself at first or it will further convince you that you hate it. Set a reasonable schedule and work up, but don't miss days that are planned, since you are creating a habit. I started by doing 30 minutes of not too hard exercise (mostly stationary bike or swimming or the treadmill, since I loathe the elliptical), 3 days a week, and then started adding in some weights.

(3) If you are doing indoor exercise and find it boring, give yourself something fun to do. I love podcasts and rarely have enough time to listen to them, so looked forward to workouts as a time to do that. I also made fun playlists that I looked forward to. I added in podcasts about exercise and nutrition which was extra motivating. Many like watching TV or movies during this time also.

(4) One thing I am really happy I did was have a goal to try a new kind of exercise every week until I was happy with my schedule. It could be something like checking out a new gym or yoga studio or, once I had a gym, a new class. It might be doing a meet-up hike (or neighborhood walk) or a DVD. It might be finally venturing to the free weights and starting a program. Related to this, if there is something you are interested in but you are nervous about it, find a way to get past that -- for me this was both going to group classes and free weights.

(5) Set some specific exercise goals to work toward, as well as weight loss. I think this helped me not focus on the scale and gave me a way to get through slower loss weeks, as I knew I was still on track and doing what I needed to do. I love to run so signed up for a 5K in April (again, this was a really cold January), and that got me started on the treadmill until I decided I could run outside in March. (Last year I managed to run outside all winter, and am hoping to do that this year too, although not today!) If not running, maybe a bike ride or an outdoor swim or some strength/weigh goals or mastering yoga or doing a DVD workout straight through without it being hard or whatever catches your fancy.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

rkg1966 wrote: »

I want to know why when someone says that they hate exercise...are the people bound and determined to make us want to learn to like it and convince us to do it? Why can't you leave us alone and wish us luck on our journeys. I find it rather pushy of you and not very nice, no matter how well meaning.

I interpreted her post as asked for motivation help to get into exercise:

"I want to change that about myself and be the type of person who loved it. I don't know how to change my mindset."

and "Basically looking for people like me ...if you exist to be a motivator friend with me. We can cheer eahother on. Any tricks to change my attitude would also be great."

I was like OP somewhat when I started. I did know that I'd liked exercise a lot in the past, which made it easier, but I found it hard and unpleasant then (since I was out of shape and frustrated with myself for not being able to do what I thought I should). And it was super cold!

You can change it. I promise that it takes dedication to push yourself through the first few months and make it a habit, but it pays off. Once you start seeing progress, muscles peaking through, or strength being gained, you will be even more motivated to stick with the habit. I used to HATE the gym, and honestly some days I still do. But seeing progress and feeling strong, looking fit, it all makes it worth it. I never thought I would be the girl with abs, or the girl that could out-squat her guy friends, but now I am and I love it. The hardest part is getting started.