Do you guys have any tips for someone that doesn't like exercise, but they have to anyways?

katiatannus8348 · October 13

I'm a very obese 28 year old woman with Type 2 diabetes, and I find exercising dreadful. I don't know why, but I just hate it!

claireychn074 · October 13

Most of the time, when people say they hate exercise, they’re thinking of the dreadful times at school when they were forced to do unpleasant stuff in the cold / in front of others. Or going to a gym full of grunting sweating people (disclaimer - I am one of those grunting sweating people 🤣).

But exercise is anything which moves your body. So here are just a few ideas to get you started - try different things and find something you like, then it doesn’t become a chore:

- dancing - just dancing around the house to music you enjoy, using the Wii Fit to track your progress and compete against yourself, going to a dance class or joining a disco / silent disco
- Walking - around the block, from the bus stop further from your house, volunteering at a local dog shelter to walk their dogs
- Stairs - make a plan to do xxx flights of stairs each day (not fun but easy)
- Anything in the pool, whether it’s swimming, an aqua class or even just walking
- Gardening - volunteer if you don’t have a garden

I’m sure others will come along with more ideas!

Lietchi · October 13

Tennis, table tennis, badminton, geocaching, cycling, yoga, (indoor) rowing, rebounding, rope skipping, boxing, judo, fencing, climbing, skateboarding, (ice)skating, soccer/football,...

So many sports and activities to choose from!

You haven't said what you don't like exercise, that might give us ideas on what you might like.
Do you find it boring?
Then a team sport or group activity might be better or an accroché you can do while watching TV/ ketenintegratie to a podcast etc.
Or is it the being out of breath and sweating? Maybe intensity is the solution then, exercise doesn't need to be high intensity.

tomcustombuilder · October 13

Obese? Just walk.
Fatloss is predominantly about diet so work on lowering your weekly calorie intake.

SafariGalNYC · October 13

Walking. 🚶‍♀️ 👍 it’s movement you do everyday.. walk to the store.. walk for leisure… it will add up.

Alatariel75 · October 13

Another one for walking here. It's the best exercise to get started. Put in headphones, pop on some energising tunes or an interesting podcast, and get your trundle on!

Corina1143 · October 13

Turn on your favorite music. Doesn't it make you want to move? Do it! Keep trying different things.

cupcakesandproteinshakes · October 13

I’m guessing your dislike may be because of pain or discomfort maybe because of the extra weight. All I can say is it will get easier and hopefully less horrible. Just do some walking. Whatever you can tolerate is better than nothing. Even a short walk after meals. Say 5 or 10 minutes, will help your blood sugar control.

AnnPT77 · October 13

Good ideas above, especially that idea about expanding your definition of "exercise". Any increased movement helps.

Daily life improvement, or extra movement in spare moments of your day, also helps - adds up.

Ideas here:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

What DO you like to do? Watch TV? Read books? Do needlework or some other such craft?

Consider getting one of those little pedal or stepper devices that people use under desks, and get in the habit of using it while you read, watch TV, or do some other thing you do enjoy. No need to go all out, just gentle motion added to your day is a help.

I started getting routinely active when I was a 46ish year old obese woman, just finished with cancer treatment (surgery, chemo, radiation - the whole nine yards). I was pretty physically depleted at that point, and also had just been diagnosed as severely hypothyroid. I started with things that seemed achievable for me, enjoyable if possible, but at least tolerable and practical. The first step, IIRC, was some very gentle yoga. I kept trying other things, and doing slightly more challenging things gradually as I was able. Within a couple of years or so, I'd become the supposedly mythical fat fit person, even competing athletically - not always unsuccessfully in age group terms - and loving every minute of it.

That was around 22 years and a bunch of weight loss ago. At 68, I'm active and still slim, 8 years after weight loss. (The exercise didn't trigger weight loss, by the way: That came later, when I got my eating under control, without much changing my exercise activity. Exercise is entirely optional for weight loss, but good for a person. The key is finding the right one(s), something that suits you.)

My point here is that if you start with something manageable but a little bit challenging, and build on that as you feel better and stronger, you can amaze yourself with how far you progress in a few months, let alone in a couple of years. If weight loss is the key for you, that can be done entirely on the eating side of the equation, and it doesn't need to be a suffer-fest of dramatic sacrifice, either. Slow and steady wins, when it comes to both weight loss and fitness development.

If I can be blunt: You're 28. If you get a handle on your weight and health condition soon, your future self will be intensely grateful, will have decades of a better quality of life in many ways. Please give it some thought, and start with things that are manageable changes for you.

Wishing you success - it's worth the effort!

littlegreenparrot1 · October 17

I started doing much better when I re-framed it.

If you tell me I have to do something I won't, the stroppy little 10 year old inside throws a tantrum, I don't want to and you can't make me. So I will do even less than I would have done in the first place to prove a point.

However, if I am doing something because I like it and I want to that's all good. I like going for a swim, or hiking up the trail and stopping at the nice cafe on the way home. So I will, and then it just becomes what I do. Then I find really unlikely fitness goals because they look like fun and the positivity rolls along.. there is a great sense of achievement when you do something that few months ago you thought was impossible.

The problem is that before exercise felt like punishment, if I'm only doing it because my trousers won't do up I'm not getting much out of it.

My other top tip is audio books - if there's a good story as a distraction its much easier to keep going.

xbowhunter · October 17

I walk 1hr per day on our local trail with the dog and stretch and couldn't be happier and maintaining my weight with no issues...

standout00 · October 21

katiatannus8348 wrote: »

I'm a very obese 28 year old woman with Type 2 diabetes, and I find exercising dreadful. I don't know why, but I just hate it!

I would suggest going for a walk for 20 mins at a pace that you can manage without being huffed and puffed to the point you can't breathe properly as that's the easiest exercise you can do with only your body weight (no weights involved!)

meb2490 · October 29

Try some low impact walking workouts on youtube. Improved Health is great for a beginner. Once you form the habit of exercising you will start to look forward to it.

Hobartlemagne · October 30

distract yourself. I lost 20lbs on an elliptical machine watching on my phone the entire run of Downton Abbey this year.

PDizzleB · October 30

First of all, I think it’s awesome and amazing that you put yourself out there and in spite of being very vulnerable, posted something because you need help with it. I think we should all be very proud of you for doing that. It would be very difficult for me to do so I admire you a lot.

Alatariel75 · October 31

Hobartlemagne wrote: »

distract yourself. I lost 20lbs on an elliptical machine watching on my phone the entire run of Downton Abbey this year.

LOL I'm doing this now but with Our Lady Jane.

Vocalix · November 5

For me, I realized I needed a combination of variety, structure, teamwork, encouragement, and a judgment free zone. I found all of those things at a HIIT gym. The one I go to is called Fit Body Boot Camp. I also noticed one of the reasons I feel comfortable is that there are no mirrors. The coaches are incredibly welcoming and encouraging. It’s all classes, and you have to sign up in advance so that keeps me planning my workouts ahead of time and committing to them. People modify the moves all the time and no one blinks and time, it’s completely acceptable and encouraged, so I don’t feel any shame when I need to do that.

Some other HIIT gyms are Orange Theory and Coastal Strength and Fitness. And to add even more variety, you could get a membership to an obstacle course type place like Go Ape and/or a rock climbing gym.

txdeb2 · November 10

I like your honesty. You know you need to get moving and there’s so many ways to move. There’s women body builders who started out obese and just did weights and walked. Not only did they eventually get to a normal weight but many of them did not have so much loose skin when done as body building helps with elasticity of skin. Rooting for you!

1CarynThomas · November 10

Thank you for sharing your post.

I used to absolutely detest any activity labeled "exercise". I could dance for fun, or power walk some distance to get there in a hurry, but if anyone called it the dreaded "e"word, my whole attitude turned sour. I resented any advice about exercise, I procrastinated or avoided doing it at all, and I always ended up injuring myself. I literally had some accident that would make me stop working out at least 9 different times. There were some internal obstacles making the act of intentional movement go awry.

In addition to the activities already suggested, I'd recommend looking at your relationship with your body. If it's verbally or physically abusive, that needs to be addressed, or it will keep getting in the way.

As I worked through my issues in therapy and support groups, I stopped saying so many mean things to myself and started focusing on positive reinforcement for progress rather than criticizing any imperfections.

I wouldn't say I love exercise now, but the negativity has been mostly neutralized and when it comes up from time to time, I know how to deal with it so I can keep moving forward.

claireychn074 · November 10

Still a great thread but sadly I don’t think the OP has been back since 🤷‍♂️

Do you guys have any tips for someone that doesn't like exercise, but they have to anyways?

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