what to do when you hate "working out"

Amryfal
Amryfal Posts: 225
in Fitness and Exercise
i tried searching the forums, but i didn't want to resurrect ancient threads, so i'll start a new one :)

so, i hate "regular" gym-type exercise. aerobics, jumping jacks, sit-ups, machines, i CANNOT make myself do them. yes, i know i'm making excuses :P i'm heavy, and my knees aren't great, so the high-impact stuff sucks. low impact bores me to the point i just can't cope.

i like swimming, but the lake is my only option for that where i live and that's weather-dependent. i like walking, but my neighborhood isn't the greatest, so that's time-of-day dependent, lol...

years ago, i used to fence, belly-dance, and do yoga. i got started with yoga and belly dance classes again, and lasted a week before i messed up my lower back so badly i was on the couch for another week with meds until i could walk again. i want to get back into fencing, but am currently dealing with an arm injury that makes holding a foil up, much less using it, extremely painful. i'd love to take classes in something, but money is tight right now.

i ride my stationary bike, and that's the majority of my exercise right now. bo-o-o-o-o-o-ring. it was better when i could lift my hand-weights at the same time, but...arm injury. driving me crazy.

i know i need to just EXERCISE. so this is half tongue-in-cheek. but what kinds of "fun" exercising do you do? i'm not the gym type and never will be (and couldn't afford it right now even if i wanted to) so share your fun tips!

(and yes, i do sometimes put the music on and dance around like an idiot, so that's covered.)
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Replies

  • Flafster
    Flafster Posts: 106 Member
    I thought I hated exercise. Turns out I just hated classes and the gym. C25k made me a runner. Love running. If you're injured,can you start with walking?
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    http://www.youtube.com/user/BeFit/videos

    there's some dance videos you can follow.

    hate it or not, do it while you watch tv. force yourself.

    or be fat. your choice!
  • suzieqcookie
    suzieqcookie Posts: 314 Member
    http://www.youtube.com/user/BeFit/videos

    there's some dance videos you can follow.

    hate it or not, do it while you watch tv. force yourself.

    or be fat. your choice!

    i do deep cleaning.. like hand scrubbing the floors (great for the butt!) or washing walls, yard work.....
    Go to the exercise section and hit the drag down and scroll through all the activities... you might find something on there that you know you will activity credit for and like to do???
  • giftieetcetera
    giftieetcetera Posts: 96 Member
    Check with your local parks. They might have adult sports you could do. Ours has a once a week kickball game and it's really fun.

    Also, work out with a friend. Make a date to walk together and go for coffee afterwards. I try to do that once a week and it's much more pleasant. Or call a long-distance friend and chat while you walk.

    I have little kids, so sometimes we just turn on music and dance.
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
    Walking is a good option -- especially if you have a dog.
  • LAsteve212
    LAsteve212 Posts: 15 Member
    Zumba is wonderful! If you can find a class near you that has zumba/zumba toning, it's zumba combined with 3-pound weights. I hate "working out" too, but I look forward to going to zumba every day. It's a combination of latin dance, hip-hop, and belly dancing. You can start out with the video game on the wii, which is not as fun as going to a class but it's a start! My zumba instructor lost almost 150 pounds doing zumba! The people are wonderful, and you can set your own pace! Sorry, I feel like a commercial for zumba, but I just love it :]
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    lifting heavy
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
    I hate working out but love the results!!!!
  • Martina_Who
    Martina_Who Posts: 172 Member
    I hate exercise too but I make myself do it!

    Walking is a great exercise, works out all the body and if you listen to music or go on a nice route its not hard at all!

    Also I love the wii fit, theres loads of exercises on it that get your heart rate up and its fun and competitive!

    Get a fitness dvd too, I'm using the biggest loser uk one and i love it! its hard but gets easier and its a fab workout!

    Good Luck :-)
  • rcthale
    rcthale Posts: 141
    If you're on a continuous regimen of pain meds, they will drag down your energy and will. I've seen family members in and out of that haze for several days at a time. Heal up and get off the meds, then try exercising again.
  • AriannaRenae0692
    AriannaRenae0692 Posts: 13 Member
    Working out isn't easy and isn't fun for at least the first two weeks. It's not supposed to be easy or everyone would be doing it. Give yourself at least 2 weeks in the gym. Try walking on the treadmill at a very slight incline at around 3.3mph for maybe about 30 minutes everyday for a couple weeks. That's how I started out. I'm now running three miles only about 12 weeks later. You'll get there and your body will respond wonderfully. You'll eventually love the "runners high" you get from doing any sort of exercise. It's addicting and feels great. The first 20 minutes of any work out will be hard but once the endorphin starts kicking in you'll feel so great. Just give it a week or two.
  • briana12077
    briana12077 Posts: 128 Member
    My problem is I hate work out tapes and listening/following people. I need to almost make my own routine of weight workouts and do walking for arobics because then i can just put in my headphones and pretend I'm not working out. Dance tapes or dance type workouts are also my favorite though because they are fun and I pretend I'm just learning to dance and don't feel so annoyed to do it. That and the game "just dance" is awesome for working out because once again.. its fun and doesn't feel like working out. Thats what is the key in my opinion.
  • cmp_denver
    cmp_denver Posts: 44 Member
    Riding a bike, walking with a friend or the dog, gardening, taking the stairs where ever I go - there are many ways to increase activity without the gym. You could try going to the gym with a friend instead of coffee.
  • Puddles0308
    Puddles0308 Posts: 74
    I hate working out but love the results!!!!

    This. Walking. Dancing. Zumba. Kickboxing. Weight lifting. Mix it up. You wont be bored.
  • pwittek10
    pwittek10 Posts: 723 Member
    WALK!
  • sashame
    sashame Posts: 2 Member
    Go somewhere private, lock the door, crank up the music and dance your butt off. It's a start!
  • mkbledsoe
    mkbledsoe Posts: 132
    go to collagevideo.com. It is all workout videos. Any kind you can think of. I know they have some bellydancing videos and yoga and dancing type videos. Leslie Sansone also has some walking videos. This way you can do whatever kind of workout you like when you want in the comfort of your house. I have been working out at home for 20 years.
  • Libby81
    Libby81 Posts: 734 Member
    If you're on a continuous regimen of pain meds, they will drag down your energy and will. I've seen family members in and out of that haze for several days at a time. Heal up and get off the meds, then try exercising again.

    I agree. Give yourself time to heal. Could you ask the doctor to refer you to a physio that could give you some good ideas that would limit further risk of injury?
  • CChandler81
    CChandler81 Posts: 100 Member
    Try skating! It's not crazy high impact on your knees (unless you play roller derby) and it burns a ton of calories! Find a nearby rink and a couple of friends to come along.
  • spartangirl79
    spartangirl79 Posts: 277 Member
    what about outdoorsy stuff like hiking, or even just walking? or biking outdoors? I always find that moving the workout from the gym to the park makes it more fun. :)
  • spartangirl79
    spartangirl79 Posts: 277 Member
    So can you not try yoga again because of your back? Did you have a careless teacher or what?
    If you like yoga and just the style or teacher contributed to your injury, once you heal, you could always try a video, a new studio, a new teacher, or new style. Right?
  • jolarocknrolla
    jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
    A lot of people i know do Zumba - much more like fun dancing than working out. Personally i like walking if i can't work out or don't want to etc. Just pop in some tunes and go out and enjoy nature or walk w. a friend :)
  • CaliDan23
    CaliDan23 Posts: 14 Member
    Swimming is great as well and you'd be surprised how many calories it burns.

    Oops just saw you already talked about the lake...lol
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
    well, an elliptical would be good since ur knees are bad, but i assume u dont have one and u dont want to join the gym, so i would say use ur stationary bike while reading or watching tv, i have my elliptical in my bedroom and watch tv while using it. also, just google exercise videos, there's all kinds out there and u can switch it up a bunch, walk as much as u can... do u have a bicycle or skates or anything like that?!
  • Amryfal
    Amryfal Posts: 225
    http://www.youtube.com/user/BeFit/videos

    there's some dance videos you can follow.

    hate it or not, do it while you watch tv. force yourself.

    or be fat. your choice!

    lol srsly

    i do ride the bike while i watch tv or read books on my phone - that does make the time pass faster.
  • Amryfal
    Amryfal Posts: 225
    If you're on a continuous regimen of pain meds, they will drag down your energy and will. I've seen family members in and out of that haze for several days at a time. Heal up and get off the meds, then try exercising again.

    i am off the meds now. i have a compression brace on my arm and i *had* to cut out the lifting, as much as it sucks, but i'm hoping it will heal quicker.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    I hate to workout. Period.
  • Amryfal
    Amryfal Posts: 225
    Try skating! It's not crazy high impact on your knees (unless you play roller derby) and it burns a ton of calories! Find a nearby rink and a couple of friends to come along.

    yay! yes! i went roller skating recently (first time in 20 years, lol) and it was fantastic. i need to do more of that :)
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Lifting weights was the only exercise I found remotely fun so I've switched my whole program to focus around that. Try different things until you found something you can tolerate :)
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    Its all about mindset. If you think its gonna be tough, you workout will be tough. Your body follows you mind. Get your mind in the right place, your body will follow.

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