I feel like I have zero time to exercise, also I frickin hate it

I have never found an exercise that I think is "fun." However, I do like being fit and feel that I look a lot better with exercise than I do just losing weight through food. I also do find it to be stress relieving at times, and like the sense of accomplishment it gives me. That said, I stick to only 30 minutes 5 days per week. As I get more fit, I plan to up the intensity, but not the time. At one point, I was very fit but I was spending 1.5-2 hours in the gym every day and I hated it. I dreaded going, I was slogging through the workout, it felt like it was taking up all of my free time, and all I felt when I was done was tired and sore. Eventually I quit going all together.

Now I work out at home with videos. If you're just starting out, you might even start with 15-20 minutes 3 days per week. Anything is better than sitting on your couch. Also make sure you're starting with very beginner stuff and don't push yourself too hard. If you're super sore all of the time, you're not going to want to stick with it. I'm doing a different program now, but when I started working out again this summer I started with Chris Powell's "The Workout." It's free on youtube. Start with level 1. It's only 15 minutes and he's really motivating.

Like others said, exercise isn't needed for losing weight, but since your post is focusing on working out, here are my thoughts:

I sit at a desk all day, but I'm still tired when I get home. By the time I finally get out of work, make the commute home, cook dinner - all I want to do is veg.

So, I get up to workout before work.

Working out doesn't need to be going to the gym, and even at the gym, there are a LOT of things to try. Lots of different classes from Zumba to Boot camp style workouts, cardio for those who enjoy it, weight lifting, cross fit - there are a LOT of options.

Getting up before work can seem nearly impossible if you expect yourself to just jump out of bed 2 hours earlier than you're used to.

Instead, set your alarm 15 minutes earlier, and spend that 15 minutes just taking a walk around the block, or doing a dance video, or some body weight exercises. Then, after a week or two of that, move it back another 15 minutes. Rinse and repeat. In the meantime, try a few different things. I thought I would HATE Zumba when I first heard about it - guess what? Despite the fact that I look like an idiot, I LOVE it and find it very enjoyable! If you're not familiar with lifting weights, set up a session with a trainer to get familiarized. Maybe a martial art? Dance classes? A sport of some kind?

I know I HATE steady state cardio. Running, jogging, elliptical, bicycle (unless it's a nice, scenic, mostly flat trail) - if that was the only exercise available, well, I'll pass, thanks.

Any form of extra movement burns additional calories. Find some forms of movement you enjoy, and do them.

Walking outside is one, for sure. There are hundreds or thousands of other possibilities, from dancing, to learning a martial art, to gardening, to playing a musical instrument, to hiking/birdwatching, to Frisbee, to playing with kids, to carpentry/home improvement, and many beyond. You don't have to do the same things every day, either.
Some activities are hard to calorie-estimate, so you don't necessarily get to eat extra from doing them until you see how it affects your weight loss rate, but they burn calories just the same.

Besides doing new "big"(ish) activities that involve more movement, there are ways to increase movement in your daily life activities (job, daily chores, etc.), too. There's a thread about that here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss

Just try to become a person who sits still a little less, and moves a little more, gradually and increasingly, over time. Eventually you'll be moving lots more, perhaps even including doing things you would once have thought of as (ugh) exercise.

I wish someone told me that having workout friends was so dang helpful a decade ago. Now we can do fun stuff that involves exercise. My advice would be to find something you don’t hate and do that for exercise

emmies_123 wrote: »

aokoye wrote: »

jjpptt2 wrote: »

emmies_123 wrote: »

I don't consider exercising itself a "Force of nature," I was referring more to the quote of "who have kids, work a full day, do household chores, etc ". Those are forces of nature as they can get everything done and have a nice happy little household, and judge the rest of us for not being as active/busy/productive as they are.

It took me forever to change my mindset. When I first started exercising I did a stationary bike because I could do my hobby at the same time (watch a show or play a video game), anything else felt like I was robbing myself of something that let my brain relax after work. It wasn't until my brain switched from "I'm trying to lose a little weight" to "I want to get fit" that I could really commit to exercise, and even now I only do 30 mins a day because any more and I would lose out on "fun time."

I wish i was blessed with naturally enjoying physical activity. I wish I was blessed with no sweet tooth, or a natural love of fruit/veg. But some of us have a little more of an uphill struggle.

Ok, maybe this is my own sensitivities coming out, but I have a real problem with that. EVERYONE'S path has hills and valleys. Everyone. Period. Some things that are very easy to you are very hard for me. And vise versa. That doesn't mean that either one of our "hills" are steeper than anyone else's. They are just different hills. You yell about being judged, yet here you are judging others for having easier paths in life. You have no idea what other people are dealing with.

I think what's actually going on, or part of what is going on, is that there is an assumption from emmies that some people, don't have struggles or, at the very least, don't share similar struggles. I think it's actually an easy assumption to make, especially when some of us are told, "well suck it up because at least you aren't dealing with xyz stresser" I wouldn't call what emmies is doing judging, but I don't think that it's necessarily helpful either. Either way I do think it's pretty understandable.

wow ok what I was saying got horribly misinterpreted. First off, my first post in this thread was that I did the same workaround as most of you guys, I get up early because I know I won't exercise after a work day. So most of us are on the same page with solution.

My next post was to ask a previous commenter to not judge OP's statement that they have zero time, as he came on a little strong that choosing a sedentary hobby over physical activity is wrong and completely useless. I disagree as most of us need something for our mental well being, and just because we sit to do it does not make it worthless in the big scheme of things. I may have been misinterpreting his words but such is the way of written conversation, when you lose the verbal cues of how it was meant.

Finally, I never "yelled" about judgement, there were no caps in any of my posts. Again, someone may be taking their own personal interpretation of my words, as I did with a previous poster, and thought I was hitting a sore point in their lives. I would like to clarify that I have never stated (or assumed) that some people don't have struggles or that their struggles are lesser than my own. That is almost the exact opposite of my original request, to not judge someone for struggling to find time to exercise in their normal routines.

Not sure where we went so wrong here, hope y'all are having a better night than you were earlier...

Most of your post had nothing to do with mine. That said this is the quote of yours that I was referring to in my post:

I wish i was blessed with naturally enjoying physical activity. I wish I was blessed with no sweet tooth, or a natural love of fruit/veg. But some of us have a little more of an uphill struggle.

By saying "some of us" you're implying that there are people who don't struggle with enjoying physical activity, have no sweet tooth, and/or have a natural love of fruit/veg. That phrase also implies that some people, you included ("us") have "a little more" of an uphill struggle than others. You may not have intended it to be read that way, but that's how I read it and it appears others read it similarly.

I personally don't find the above quote particularly egregious which is what I was trying to explain in my post. I don't think it's useful to think that way, but I don't consider it a condemnation.

edit: Let's also not pretend that I only think in ways that are useful to my physical and mental well being. No one is perfect and I can't imagine that there is a person who doesn't think in at least some ways that aren't constructive.

I totally get it, we can find time to fit something in if we find it important or enjoyable. If it does not meet those type of requirements to us. Well it most likely will not happen. I like walking outside, but not so much in the summer that really starts mid may and really runs to end of October. 90 and high humidity do not make for great walking to me. So I finally admitted to myself, to drive myself (6 miles) to the nearby mall about the early mall walking. To get the needed walking time in, and distance. I felt it was important. And gave it two weeks to see was it worth it. I have been doing for 40 plus days now, 4 days a week. Have met some interesting people, got some great tips about exercise, diet, walking, shoes, shoe inserts etc... But it would not have happened, it I did not find it important enough to do. And I think that is something only the OP can answer, what is most important to her to get done.

gallicinvasion wrote: »

Walking outside is wonderful, but I just can't fathom purposeful exercise. I think my attitude is mostly coming from being exhausted after work, and wanting to save my evenings and weekends for fun activities (alone or with friends).

I guess I should think of ways to work activity into my regular day, but I'm so reluctant to start. Do you guys have success adding in physical activity to your day, besides going to the gym?

It sounds like you don't really have a fitness goal and thus no desire to do particular exercises. Do things you think are fun or useful activities. Just walk if you like walking. You don't have to ever go to a gym if you don't want to.

Most of my activity is walking but I do 10-30 minute workout videos from you tube also. There is a huge variety of shorter workouts.