How to NOT hate exercise?

Let me preface this statement by saying that I do not, by any measure, ENJOY working out/sweating/burning muscles/panting.

BUT-- it is the most effective outlet for me to funnel all my anxiety out. It's like a pressure release. All that energy I would spent on worry upon worry to the point where there's no space between them, I sweat them out. I do cycle a good bit in my free time but that IS fun for me, so I won't bother with elaborating on that.

I go to the gym 4x a week and get on the 30 minute express circuit @ PF-- it's weight machines altered with cardio in between, back and forth, around a circle. I do it twice. I turn on music in my ears so loud I can't hear myself wheezing. I push my limits, and I keep going until I can't anymore, for at least an hour. I burn 800+ calories. I drip sweat and probably smell like an armpit factory when I'm done.

Is it fun? Not really. It's cool to see progress in what my body can do-- but it's repetitive and people come in and sit at machines and mess up my flow and I'm too timid to really say anything so yeah, fun isn't a word I would use. But ultimately, I enjoy the benefit of skimming off serious amounts of nervous energy.

The suffering (so to speak) is worth the reward, for me. Perhaps instead of the perfect outlet, you can adjust your perspective? Best of luck.

What are your goals? Because if you're exercising without any kind of specific goals, then you might feel stagnant and bored.

What is it about the various things you've tried that you don't like? I think it's great that you've tried so many different sports/activities, but I wonder if it's potentially an issue of, "these things all involve aspects that I don't enjoy to very degrees".

And to head off posts stating something along the lines of "there will always be things you don't like" I'll give a example. I don't enjoy being sweaty. I appreciate the function, but for various reasons being sweaty is no fun for me. That said, that dislike is overshadowed by a lot of things I do like with rowing and cycling. I can live with that dislike.

Another example is how uncomfortable I can feel on the water in small boats (rowing shells). And by, "uncomfortable", I mean visibly anxious. I once almost had a panic attack in boat last fall. That said, I like rowing enough to essentially do a lot of exposure therapy, especially now that I know that my confidence will eventually grow and the anxiety will lessen. One of my friends has said that I like to cuddle with my anxiety in the boat (note, this is not my typical way of deal with anxiety, I wish it was).

On the other hand, I really don't like everything involved with getting ready to swim and being finished swimming. The changing into and out of my swimsuit, the being way too cold for the first 150ish yards, locker rooms, hoping a brought my goggles (that's at least something I can easily account for), etc. The only redeemable quality of the before/after is that at least I can get in a hot tub after, assuming I have time. There aren't enough redeemable qualities about swimming for me to swim once or twice a week at this point in my life, especially given that I feel exhausted for the first X weeks before I get used to it. That tedious and uncomfortable set up/finish is something that I can think about when I'm trying to figure out what sport or activity to try in the future.

TL:DR - figure out what you don't like about the various things you've tried and try to avoid those aspects that you dislike OR find something with enough things you do like to overshadow the things you don't like.

How does anyone hate hiking? Did somebody bring you on a steep and nasty trail for your first time? Maybe try an easier trail with a big payoff?

I love hiking. I would never call it fun, and the enjoyable part isn't sweating up a hill being bit by flies and mosquitoes, that's stuff I put up with for the views and the time with nature.

If you aren't sticking with anything long enough to get fit, I'm not surprised you don't enjoy exercise. At first, it is hard. Your muscles hurt, your breathing is an effort. You sweat a lot. Every workout is an effort. With time, as you get more fit, the pain gets less and the enjoyment goes up. Maybe pick a couple of activities that you'd like to get good at and stick with them for a few months. See if you start enjoying them more. If nothing else, pick an activity that you don't mind as much and do it for your health. Discipline may have to take the place of enjoyment.

deputy_randolph wrote: »

Yeah we need more info: what do you hate about these activities? Sweat? Boredom? Fatigue? Being outside? Being inside?

Do you have a dog? My mom NEVER exercised consistently and pretty much hated all physical activity...until she got a dog. Walking the dog gave physical activity a purpose.

I'm not saying to run out and get a dog (and take on a huge responsibility), BUT if you could find physical activity that had a purpose other than movement.

I volunteer at cat shelter. I spent 3 hours yesterday and 4 hours today cleaning...I'm sure I burned thousands (or at least hundreds of calories).

ETA: a friend of mine (from the gym) volunteers at a dog rescue and walks dogs for an outside of the gym activity.

I love these suggestions, and for those who don’t like or can’t have pets, or have allergies many areas need volunteers to clean up trash from parks or walking paths. There are a lot of more active volunteer opportunities out there.

NorthCascades wrote: »

How does anyone hate hiking? Did somebody bring you on a steep and nasty trail for your first time? Maybe try an easier trail with a big payoff?

I love hiking. I would never call it fun, and the enjoyable part isn't sweating up a hill being bit by flies and mosquitoes, that's stuff I put up with for the views and the time with nature.

I loathe hiking because it involves the two things I find most uncomfortable and exhausting: walking and being outside.

I only go for walks because the alternative is leg pain and swollen feet and that sucks more. Often when we go for a walk, we go to the mall and walk there because it's air conditioned and I won't get bit, stung or sunburned. I'm terrified of sunburn.

More to the point, OP, have you tried video games? I know some people who love Wii Fit still, or DDR. I play virtual reality games. Burns lots of calories dodging bullets or punching things. But it's not exercise, I don't do it to exercise, I play because I like games and getting high scores and I don't have to be around people.