I have always been one of you. No joke here, I flunked ball bouncing in kindergarten (a test they gave to test coordination).
In my mid forties I finally convinced myself to at least go for the minimum recommendation of 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. I didn't enjoy it, but it was only 30 minutes and I had such a sedentary job that I figured if I didn't do something I could die. And yes, I skipped that part of my day any time I had an excuse. I remember counting "going to the gym" if I got myself to the parking lot. If no parking places, I went home but counted it in my head as a workout because I tried. Are you starting to believe how much I really didn't want to exercise?
When I decided it was time to get the extra 100 lbs. off at age 49 I knew I would have to increase my exercise dramatically. I decided to increase the amount of time I spent exercising every week until I got up to 6 hours/week. And here's the biggest thing I decided, to only do exercise that I really liked but to mix it up a bit so I didn't get bored. So at the gym I only rode the recumbent bike. I know the experts recommend weights/resistance training as well but I don't enjoy that kind of workout so didn't do it. The elliptical kicks my butt? Fine, I'll stay away from it. I walk (hike on weekends) and swim laps one day/week. My lap swimming would likely make a trainer cringe. I don't like to have my face in the water so I only swim breastroke with my head up and backstroke. Not speedy, but I can keep it up for an hour or more.
Ladies (and a few gentleman), I'm here to report that a little more than a year of this routine, not only is it working for weight loss but I have turned into a person who looks forward to exercise. I'm adding new exercises (have started running some intervals and a bit of weight lifting), and absolutely love challenging my body to do a little bit more.
It took a long time to happen but at age 50 I've discovered my inner athlete. Who knew?
So if you're doing exercise you hate, find a new exercise until you find one that you'll like. The rest WILL come.
I know some of you are scoffing and saying, "Not possible. I will never enjoy exercise."
But I echo what caryesings said. (I laughed out loud about failing the ball bouncing test, because I just wrote a blog post about failing a fitness exam in the 3rd grade because I couldn't do even one sit-up.) No matter how un-athletic you think you are and no matter what your history indicates, it really is possible to enjoy exercise if you find something you like. You don't hate exercise...you hate the exercise that you've tried. Try something else!
I have moved from being an absolute klutz who hated exercise to someone who got to the point of 'not minding' exercise. I've just recently started swim lessons and I see myself becoming one of 'those people' who love to exercise (swim). I really, really, really, like swimming. Can I swim for an hour? Nope, not YET. I also hate getting my face in the water but I am determined to have a fine form my instructor will be proud of so I am really working on that. Swimming just fascinates me. I love the whole idea if you just do certain moves in a certain order you will move across the pool. The mystery of swimming is beginning to unfold before me and I'm loving it.
If we just stick with finding something that clicks with us I think more of us would find our 'inner' athelete. It's amazing to me to find something I can do and doesn't hurt. Wow, what a concept.
+ 1 million. I avoided gym class like the plague. I hated working out.
And now I just spent a very enjoyable 5 weeks doing an intense bootcamp. I've run 5 marathons. I HATE a day without exercise
For me it wasnt so much a different exercise. I used to hate running most of all exercises in the world. It was a different goal. Once I started running to do events I loved it.
I agree as well. Just 12 months ago I hated any form of exercise, even walking I'd avoid if at all possible.
Then I started my weight loss journey and joined the gym. At my induction my instructor asked how many times a week I planned on going to the gym, I told him 3/4. Months later he admitted to me that that day when I'd said that he'd thought in his head there was no way I'd go that often lol.
I found it hard, but I soon got into a routine and ended up going 5/6 times a week and still do. Luckily for me I think I'm stubborn and goal orientated so with each sessiion I try to do that bit better. I hated the stationary bike so didn't do that for a long time, the cardio wave killed me, but I worked at it because it seemed to be my nemesis, and now it doesn't bother me at all. I started running in January and that to me really feels like I've arrived lol. I love the step classes I do, and swimming laps (with face out of water lol) makes me feel all my muscles working.
I still find it hard to motivate myself to exercise some days, but I always push myself to do it and feel great afterwards. When I can't exercise for a few days due to childcare issues or whatever I'm grumpy, miserable and lethargic lol. Who knew 10 months ago that would be me. And my instructor says I'm an example to all those people who say they can't do it...
I got started by swimming laps because it was the most enjoyable exercise to me, and I didn't consider it exercise, but just plain fun. Eventually I moved on to the elliptical where I lasted a whopping 5 minutes!
Now the only thing I really won't do is the stationary bike, though I LOVE Spin class! I know that sounds weird. I find riding the stationary bike alone extremely mind numbingly dull, but I find the class invigorating and motivating. I don't push myself well on the bike.
Count me in! I have always been the person who hated to work out..exercise kind of sucked and I wouldn't do it if you paid me.
Now I do it everyday and I don't like missing any days at all! I am actually planning on taking my weights with me on vacation so I can get that part of my routine in while away.
Wow - I really hope to become like one of you ladies someday. I'm far from it at the moment and still have to talk myself into working out and need to stop finding excuses not to do it. You are all very inspirational - maybe it will rub off on me a bit! Thanks for the posts -
This is so very true! I always felt so slow and uncoordinated. In school i WANTED to be a part of team sports, to not be picked last, but nothing I did ever helped me become more athletic (in fact, I was usually the first one to get hurt or injured).
I've tried many, many times to like exercise and have on some occassions enjoyed certain things. Biking and swimming were two of those things. But I was never consistent.
When I lost weight in 1999 - 2001 I was very active at the gym and had my own elliptical at home, but I exercised to keep the weight off and/or to indulge on the weekends with food and wine...
I gained all the weight back. Again, I was not consistent.
This time though... this time is different I started the C25K program last year just to see if I could do it. Not only did I do it, but I have found a love for running that I NEVER EVER thought was possible. 7 days ago I ran for 2 hours and when Nike+ told me I finished my workout, I looked at my distance and burst out into tears when I read nearly 17.5 Kilometres. NEVER in my life would I have thought I could do something like that.
So yes. If you think you hate exercise, you just really haven't found the exercise for you. Keep looking for it. When you find it you won't want to live without it
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Great post! I too thought I was an "exercise" hater, so started with only things I liked to do: skating, lifting weights, and learning to run. I still love those things, and all my sisters think I'm a "workout nut" now, lol.
Seafoamgreen I am with you. You all are such a great inspiration. I have a DVD that gives a full body workout, get this it's only 21 minutes ... I have yet to do it, but that will change tomorrow with the beginning of my journey. Wish me luck Looks easy, we'll see. (my children did it, I watched). Maybe I'll come back one day saying I love to work out Have a great day.
Best of luck to us all in our weight loss journeys.
Wow - I really hope to become like one of you ladies someday. I'm far from it at the moment and still have to talk myself into working out and need to stop finding excuses not to do it. You are all very inspirational - maybe it will rub off on me a bit! Thanks for the posts -
I feel the same way you do!! I hope that some day I look forward to working out!!
when I first started going to the gym, the thought of working out made me wanna go back to my bed! But now a year and half later , I find that if I don't do my work out , I do not feel right the rest of the day. I do circuit training and some weights, so I make sure to work every part of my body. And it keeps me from getting bored. I also have a treadmill and a total gym at home, so if I can't make it to the gym, I have stuff at home to switch up the work outs too. Now a days there are alot of choices exercises wise where you can make your work outs work for you
Yup, hated it. I started with a run-walk program which I used to do at night in the dark because I didn't want anyone to see me. It was run 30 seconds/walk 9 mins 30 seconds. This started in 2004. Then eventually I got to 5k and then I added cycling and then eventually I tried a triathlon. Now I LOVE cycling and running. In fact, I would say that if somebody gave me the choice of staying at this weight forever or quitting cycling, I would stay at this weight and keep cycling. But nobody is going to say that.
For those who just hate exercise
