I was always horrible at anything remotely athletic growing up. My favorite thing is to sit in a comfy chair with a glass of wine reading a book. As I child I did gymnastics - badly. And that was it. I found as an adult that I enjoy less conventional type physical activities, and now that I'm older, I don't mind trying things that push me out of my comfort zone - which I'd have never have done as a younger person.

I hate running, but I did a half marathon once. I feel like that's good enough there. I've tried scuba diving and golf. I liked the diving but live in the middle of the midwest, so not a lot of opportunities. Golf bored me to tears. I do like to hike, but often in the middle of a couple day backpacking trip, I'll sit down on a log and cry, certain I'm either going to die in the backcountry, or have to be helicoptered out. But I haven't had either of those ever actually happen. I've tried free weights, and that was OK, but I also found it a little boring after a while, and I hated going to the gym with a bunch of 20 something dudes who like to look at themselves in the mirror a lot and hog the equipment. Probably that's unfair, but it's how I felt sometimes.

I do find I enjoy the martial arts class I've been taking the last year or so. I did this originally because my middle daughter didn't want to play club volleyball over the winter. She has ADHD and depression and I felt some kind of physical activity was necessary for her, especially during covid when she was doing e-learning and depression was off the charts. She didn't want to do any school winter sports, and I knew a friend who taught the class. I said I'd do it with her, because she was nervous to try something new. And then I found I really enjoyed it myself. Though I'm easily the worst in the class. But the teacher and a couple of the black belts are around my age, and I've known them for a long time before starting the class - one of the black belts I used to co-lead a girl scout troop with for several years when our kids were younger. So I find I fit in, and it's not really competitive per se. More just working to get better. Although you can do tournaments. I don't think I want to do that though.

I have a stationary recumbent bike, and riding it is really the only exercise I've never hated. I played tennis in high school, but I'm not sure I could do it anymore. I used to play golf, but that's really not much exercise, and it's the most frustrating game in the world. I value my mental health too much to take it up again. I would like to try yoga, but I'm not very bendy. I would love to do boxing, but I worry that I'd hurt my hands and then I couldn't work. My husband and I are thinking about getting some weights and turning the office into a workout room. That's already where my stationary bike is.

I actually really enjoy weightlifting. My middle school actually had a small weights room, the various PE class sections would rotate through different activities week to week and I loved getting to be in there. Part of that was because it was inside in the AC, rather than outside in the Florida heat and sun (in the 2000s, well after they stopped using the locker room showers as anything but storage, probably realizing "hey maybe we DON'T want to have eleven-year-olds naked on school grounds, for any reason, ever, their post-gym-class pubescent funk notwithstanding"). But, also I think if someone would have steered me toward that and actually taught me anything about strength training in middle/high school, it would have done wonders for my self esteem and given me a 10-15 year head start on achieving dwarven shieldmaidenhood. But then again, I also had the misfortune of being born female. Probably if I'd tried to go out for the weightlifting team in high school I would have been shut down from all sides. Everything I know about lifting is self-taught, because paying another human person to scrutinize my body is basically my personal definition of hell, so a trainer is Right Out. But yeah, resistance training is so so so important for women especially - it keeps our bones strong and healthy, protecting against osteoporosis.

I go to a Planet Fitness because that's where my budget is at right now. For while in 2019 I had a membership at a boutique gym in town - they bought a Gold's and were in the process of converting it when I joined, so I managed to get a membership for like $25/month. I did appreciate being able to do real bench presses, squats, and deadlifts with real Olympic bars and plates, instead of the preloaded tiny bars and Smith machines at PF. I should look and see what my PRs were at that time, I wrote them down but I don't remember now. But then a Planet Fitness opened closer to my house, so I quit the boutique to head back to PF. It was newer, cleaner, half the price, and way less crowded. Then the pandemic happened, I sat on my *kitten* for 8 months, got sick of feeling crappy all the time and started following the workout videos in the PF app at home in my living room. I did a mix of cardio and strength, bodyweight as well as dumbbells (with some little 5-pounders). Right now I'm halfway through the Strong Curves program - things ramp up at week 5, though, so I'm fully prepared for this program to kick my (increasingly strong and shapely) behind this month. I do that three days a week, get my cardio in the form of walks at the various parks and natural areas around town two days a week, and do some yoga and play Ring Fit Adventure on the Nintendo Switch one day a week each.

I tried to get into running in college. I did OK - I wasn't a speed demon or anything, I think my personal best was about a 9-and-a-half-minute mile. And I promptly fell off the running wagon senior year in the midst of finals. Turning 21 didn't help matters either. I've made a few attempts since then to get back into it, doing Couch to 5k and the like, and usually around week 4 I realize wait a minute, this sucks and I hate it. Maybe I'll give it another go when I'm closer to goal, who knows, but I'm really thinking that hiking may be my preferred form of cardio. "Hiking" should probably be in really generous air quotes - I'm in south Florida, there are no real hills to speak of here, let alone mountains. But there are a TON of natural areas around my county, many of which have walking and "hiking" trails. Some of the natural areas include sand dunes, which do represent some amount of elevation change (like...fifteen feet, it's something), and trudging uphill in the soft sugar sand has to burn extra calories, right? That's what I tell myself.

I really like walking...walking in the woods, walking along city streets, walking in a public park or reserve, just walking the dogs, walking and talking with friends....I've used walking as my go-to, "isn't going to be to hard to motivate myself to do that" sort of exercise, kind of along the lines that anything is better than nothing. Some days I make it harder by incorporating the hills I live on, some days the dogs want to go faster, some days they just want to drag up the hill at a slow pace so that's the way we walk it, we average at least 2miles anytime we go. And if we have the opportunity to hike on a dog friendly trail well that only helps the dogs who don't get out of their routine much.

I also like exercise bicycles, treadmill, and concept II rowing ergometers (I used to do JV Crew in college) In the winter I walk on the snowmobile trail or snowshoe or Country ski when I can (which is usually only on a saturday or sunday because the days are so short and I work). I don't mind exercise classes, although I've stopped paying any extra money for membership anywhere...I have some workout DVDs that I sometimes enjoy doing (a couple from SELF and there's a Denise Austin dance inspired one (she is waaaay too perky! LOL). I like weight training and yoga (or stretches/pilates...it's very non formal) because I've been doing that since I was in middle school Jr. High.

I was never athletic as a kid/school person...organized sports were not my thing, but I was always active and on the go (just the team sports thing, I wasn't coordinated enough for) I found swimming when I was in high school and really enjoyed being part of that team even though it was only one year...the idea of just trying to be better than the day before appealed to me. It paved the way for going out for the crew team (again no previous experience) because I was fit and muscular I adapted well...it was a team sport and an individual sport rolled into one, you had to constantly work to improve your own strength and endurance, and also work like a cog in unison with the other members of your boat. I loved it.

I always loathed running - other than the kind you did as a kid playing tag, flying kites and goofing around with friends...when I was an adolescent I developed quite amply in my chest area and I never really had good sneakers for it, so running would be painful on two accounts...several years ago I took up running for fun (because i had been enjoying it on the treadmill) I am no longer encumbered by an ample chest (due to situations out of my control) and I figured 'hey, why not!?' I didn't loathe it any more, but my body sort of still did (knees especially) since I am also quite a bit heavier! So I had to cut that out unless I am in an area that has a flat dirt road, or on the treadmill (which i do not have but am saving for, instead of paying gym fees).

Skyler103 wrote: »

I don't know if you guys have Lifetime Fitness where you are, but I have one less than a mile away from me. I'd love to join that gym! They have so many amenities and classes and perks. You could probably spend all day there. But a membership is almost $150 per month! I could swing it, but that's just way too much!

I'd never heard of Life Time Fitness (apparently it is two words) - YIKES on BIKES, very literally. It looks cool and all, but realistically how often would you utilize ALL of those bells and whistles, for what looks to be closer to $180/mo for the "standard" membership. There's a "digital access" membership tier where you pay $15/mo for a phone app with live-streamed and video workouts but you aren't actually allowed to enter the physical building and work out there.

I'll just say Planet Fitness is ten bucks a month, twenty if you want access to the black card spa/other clubs, and the app is free (with membership)...they advertise some kind of premium features in the app for another $5ish/mo but I haven't sprung for that so idk what else there is.

Wow, those gyms are expensive! That's crazy. My local gym (we don't have any chains here) use a sliding scale depending how often you attend, so if you don't go then you don't pay, and it caps out at AUD$110 (~USD$80) a month after 10 visits. I thought that was bad enough, considering it's a small gym but it does offer classes and has everything you need. I'm lucky that my employer covers our gym fees if we want to go!

I would definitely expect a gym like that to be nothing but rich people flaunting their expensive gym clothes, and probably expensive bodies, too. Do let us know if the vibe is different when you do check it out, but even just the website gave me very strong "see and be seen" vibes - it's an exclusive space for the social elite to be, it exists because there is a group of people who will pay for it just because it is there and it is expensive, and the fact that there is exercise equipment available is incidental at best. There's also something to be said about the cultural legacy of fitness as a luxury pursuit but I haven't had enough coffee yet to put together a coherent sermon about it, LMAO.

I absolutely hated all physical activity as a kid. Didn't mind a day hike, and walked to friends' houses often, but that's about it.
I later did some casual sports with friends, had various gym memberships at different times, but still basically hated it all.

After I broke my ankle a few years ago, I then had a long recovery, and my balance was not good. I then joined a Tai Chi school, which was great, gentle exercise and helped me get a bit of balance and mobility back. And that's also around when we got our dog - it's great to have that extra nudge to get out the door for a walk.

When I was ready for a little more, I found a Reformer Pilates studio, and I really loved that - a great way to work on imbalances. But that shut down with lockdown in March 2020. The owner did offer some one on one sessions at her place (after the initial lockdown when we were allowed out again) to complete my membership period.

When that ended, I was a little lost, and then found Les Mills On Demand - a subscription service with classes available whenever I wanted. I didn't realise how self-conscious I must have felt at the gym until I wasn't. I love the flexibility and variety, and am now dreaming of getting a spin bike.... once I figure out where it can go in my small house.
I can't believe I am even saying it, but I look forward to my workouts now!!

I've been doing push ups after my cardio lately. I ordered some resistance bands and they got here last night I'm going to look up what all I can do with them!