How to make exercise enjoyable

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Replies

  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
    I like to listen to podcasts. Some I like:

    Shredded by Science
    Radiolab
    Snap Judgement
    Criminal
  • kiiibbb112253
    kiiibbb112253 Posts: 67 Member
    pondee629 wrote: »
    kiiibbb112253 wrote: »
    KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »
    EVERYONE HAS TIME! How bad do you want it? MAKE IT HAPPEN!.

    Lol not when you have a little girl with tennis lessons and a teenage son who is the drum major of his marching band.

    And what are you doing while they are at their activities?

    I stay there volunteering with my wife
  • Ann262
    Ann262 Posts: 266 Member
    Go outside! That makes it more interesting. On a bike or in a pair of running shoes. If you can't run, power walk. A stationary bike is boring as is the treadmill. If exercise a chore, you won't stick with it. When I had teenage kids at home, I set my alarm an hour early so I could get my exercise done (walking then eventually running) before the house woke up. It was really hard at first but within a few months, it became a part of my day I looked forward to. A friend of mine who had kids that were going to soccer, and other activities, she went running while they were at their practices. She just wore or brought her running clothes and ran then.
  • raquele3394
    raquele3394 Posts: 180 Member
    kiiibbb112253 wrote: »
    I am a person who overall does not enjoy exercise. I can't go out and play tennis because I don't have a lot of time on my hands. The only thing I have is a stationary bike that I can use right before work starts. I listen to music, but that gets boring rather quickly. Do you guys have any ideas on how I could spice up my exercise?
    Watch a movie or a show that you really like!!!

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    kiiibbb112253 wrote: »
    KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »
    EVERYONE HAS TIME! How bad do you want it? MAKE IT HAPPEN!.

    Lol not when you have a little girl with tennis lessons and a teenage son who is the drum major of his marching band.

    So no one whose kids have activities can exercise themselves? Wow.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    kiiibbb112253 wrote: »
    pondee629 wrote: »
    kiiibbb112253 wrote: »
    KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »
    EVERYONE HAS TIME! How bad do you want it? MAKE IT HAPPEN!.

    Lol not when you have a little girl with tennis lessons and a teenage son who is the drum major of his marching band.

    And what are you doing while they are at their activities?

    I stay there volunteering with my wife

    I was very active with my kids activities as they were growing up. Also worked a high stress job and had a 45-60 minute one way commute.

    If you work out at 5 AM, in most cases, nobody will bother you.
  • ColoradoChlo
    ColoradoChlo Posts: 517 Member
    Make a playlist of your absolute favorite music :)
    Find something that works for you... maybe you just don't enjoy what you've tried.
    Anything can become exercise... dog walking, hiking, grocery shopping, swimming.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    kiiibbb112253 wrote: »
    I am a person who overall does not enjoy exercise. I can't go out and play tennis because I don't have a lot of time on my hands. The only thing I have is a stationary bike that I can use right before work starts. I listen to music, but that gets boring rather quickly. Do you guys have any ideas on how I could spice up my exercise?

    I used to have a "dreadmill".....yeah, that was boring too. I switched to something else.

    For your bike - maybe look for interval workout ideas.......

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/330834-interval-training-on-a-stationary-bike/

    Look for a "virtual" bike ride video (Hawaii, Italy, etc). Youtube has some.
  • Zengrizzly
    Zengrizzly Posts: 76 Member
    You know, I have the same issue. Exercise is not fun to me. I don't like it. I get sore and if I could take a pill to get stronger, I would. lol So, I manipulate myself. Instead of trying to make exercise fun, I take something I love and put myself on a strict plan that I can ONLY do that AFTER I exercise. Then it's a step to reward, instead of a chore that I have to do. I think about the reward the entire time I'm exercising and it doesn't bother me at all. Just a thought. My brain is clever. I have to find ways to trick it. lol
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    I believe there is no shame in watching netflix while you bike, just make sure you up the resistance every few minutes and keep the hard work up without getting too distracted! :smile:
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
    edited May 2017
    I don't particularly like to exercise either, but I *love* how I feel after I have done so.

    I have a stationary bike too, and by itself it's boring boring BORING! So instead of just the quiet, I listen to my stompy music on headphones. Or sometimes a podcast. I have tried audiobooks, but I found myself slowing down too much (paying too much attention to the book and not keeping up speed/heart-rate) so I stopped. But with something to listen to it's nowhere near as boring. I suspect if I tried watching TV or Netflix I would get distracted, but I know several people who don't have any such problems and catch up on their shows that way biking several times a week. I bike just once a week and do other exercise-things on other days.

    Also if your bike has different "programs" and you have not already done so, choose a program that isn't flat which will help mix things up too.
  • kiiibbb112253
    kiiibbb112253 Posts: 67 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    kiiibbb112253 wrote: »
    KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »
    EVERYONE HAS TIME! How bad do you want it? MAKE IT HAPPEN!.

    Lol not when you have a little girl with tennis lessons and a teenage son who is the drum major of his marching band.

    So no one whose kids have activities can exercise themselves? Wow.
    lorrpb wrote: »
    kiiibbb112253 wrote: »
    KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »
    EVERYONE HAS TIME! How bad do you want it? MAKE IT HAPPEN!.

    Lol not when you have a little girl with tennis lessons and a teenage son who is the drum major of his marching band.

    So no one whose kids have activities can exercise themselves? Wow.

    You don't have to be rude
  • areesharu
    areesharu Posts: 1 Member
    I agree with finding a form of exercise or physical activity you actually enjoy, which will make it more sustainable for you. But I am also a huge proponent of "tricking" your brain into thinking you're not working out, which might be an unpopular opinion, but it makes the time fly by. For me, that means watching silly action movies while working out on my elliptical machine (you can do the same on your stationary bike). Because I'm following a story, I forget that I'm even working out. Plus, when there's a lot of physical action in a movie it will naturally get you pumped up and you'll want to work harder. Watching fit people on screen also doesn't hurt. :)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    You are right in the middle of the super-involved parent phase, soon to be replaced by the empty nester phase. Better think about the things you want to be doing that have nothing to do with the kids. Because this is your life.

    Exercise is fun when it is play.

    Try lots of different things. Don't get stuck in a rut.

    Here's some ideas.
    Get yourself a graphite racing bike and ride it the twenty minutes you've been wasting on the treadmill.
    Get yourself a cute cheerleaders costume and run up and down outside your daughter's tennis court.
    Water boy at band practice.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    kiiibbb112253 wrote: »
    I am a person who overall does not enjoy exercise. I can't go out and play tennis because I don't have a lot of time on my hands. The only thing I have is a stationary bike that I can use right before work starts. I listen to music, but that gets boring rather quickly. Do you guys have any ideas on how I could spice up my exercise?

    i can treadmill if i'm in a let's-make-me-a-runner type mode [rare], but i would slit. my. wrists. if i had to work out on an exercise bike. don't ask me why; i don't know.

    i bike commute. stationary bikes make me want to throttle myself with my own intestines, but for some reason a real bike with a destination i can take seriously does work for me. i never go riding 'for fun', but i ride somewhere for practical reasons pretty much every day and i don't resent that.
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