To dislike exercise?

@Wellhellooooodear

not all of them but if going to the office then I do

7mins yoga
40 mins walking
standing desk - balance board

if at home
15 mins skipping or rebounding if raining
10 mins weights
10 rowing or yoga or more weights.

Takes a bloody age but you can fit it around everything else.

I do genuinely find exercise interesting, because I fence twice a week, rather than running or using a gym. It’s a technical skill as well as a work out. And it motivates me to do other exercise between sessions to help with the fencing.

But it’s not something you could just start safely doing without kit and training.

There are loads of fun and interesting ways to exercise, but they are expensive. And that is a bit shit.

I do sort of agree. I'd rather read a book on the sofa than run or lift weights. But like teeth brushing it's just part of life if you want good health.

How about a team thing? There are netball and football groups for women coming back to sport. Or badminton/tennis/volleyball. These are social and fun.

I run with the dog, and I'm definitely checking how long I have left! 🤣🤣

I can sympathise! The game changer for me was outdoor bootcamps. I started at a military fitness style one which was great because you never knew what was next so you had no idea of the time and the trainers and the rest of the group were fantastic. I was always the slowest but gradually I realised that I was going further and doing more reps each time. (Though a particular highlight was a group of teenage boys offering me a backie on one of their bikes to help me catch up with the rest of the group....) I go to a local group now which is a bit less variety and not as hardcore rolling in the mud as milfit was but there's something about being outside whatever the weather that really helps to make it better.

I now genuinely enjoy exercise (well, not pool swimming even through underwater headphones are a bit of a game changer to alleviate the boredom) but it definitely wasn't always the case and it took me a while to find what I enjoy. I have a chest infection at the moment and I really miss being able to exercise - I'm more cranky, don't feel good in my body and am getting way behind with my regular podcasts.

There are still times when I find it tough to get out the door but once out I do really enjoy the sense of freedom and headspace and me time when I'm out for a run, plus there's a real joy in moving strongly through beautiful places and seeing the seasons change. I can just feel the stress melting away and everythign relaxing. Getting the intensity right so it's a good workout but not painful definitely helps! Though there's also a strange satisfaction in pushing your limits knowing you're getting fitter and stronger - throwing in the occasional fast-as-you-can 20 second sprint mixes it up and feels great.

The exercise high is real (endorphins, endocannabinoids etc) but seems to vary in intensity between individuals, plus some of the chemicals require about 90 minutes of exercise before they're released. And very unfairly you produce more of them if you're fitter, which can be a block for people starting off. (This is also discussed in Dan Lieberman's Exercised where he goes into the different types and the research that has been done.)

I mostly enjoy it. Listen to an audiobook or podcast on my phone in the gym. Don’t do that in the pool obviously but I enjoy swimming.

Don't agree at all, I enjoy it at the time, not all of it but most, it's a time to switch off from life. Also never taken a pb in my life

I'm just like you OP. I hate it. But my father had a stroke a few years back and my mother has high BP so I know I need to stay healthy so I do it. I go to classes at the gym (because I can't seem to motivate myself) and have spurts of going swimming, again at the gym because I'm realistic and there is no way I would go into the sea / river in the UK. My DH loves exercise and will run 10km regularly because he enjoys it. Then he plays tennis and goes to spinning class etc. We've been married over 20 years and I just watch him in awe and wish I could enjoy all that stuff. However, I do recognise that I feel better for having exercised so that kind of keeps me going though I do still drag myself to activities. So I don't have an answer for you but you are not alone!

I have a real aversion to being outside, i hate it so i would never just walk as exercise if i wasnt actually going anywhere. Last september my son bought me a treadmill for my birthday and it has changed my life. Headphones go on for 30 mins morning and evening and i walk to music or a podcast. Initially getting up and doing it is hard but i know i feel so much better afterwards.

Me too, OP. I was going to my class on Sunday morning, and DH said have fun. I was like WTF I do it cos I need to, not because I want to.

I do love pilates but need to do other things too.

By choice, I would horse ride (my own horse would solve the problem completely), swim, and join a walking group.

I can't afford a horse or regular riding at £35ph.

I do swim a bit, but it's cold and time-consuming. I'm going today as I'm having a day off work

Walking groups are when I'm at work or weekends, which is the only time we are all home together, and I can see my elderly mum.

When I retire, I'm doing all of those things

I only half agree with this. There are parts of exercising that I genuinely find enjoyable. Mostly around the moving and stretching of a body that's been still. But yeah, I spend a fair chunk of the class waiting for it to be over. But I'm still happier going. If I haven't been for a while I can feel how it's what I needed as soon as I'm back.

Is it the fact that it's an organised led exercise class? Can you do the exercises on your own either at a gym or at home. Not everyone is I to the Strength Through Joy, " all together now, after me gels, what ho!"
I hate it, endured it to pass out of BRNC Dartmouth and progress in the royal navy, but walks, with or without a dog, homework, gardening and tin lifting is me.

What is it that you like about them? Is it the being outdoors? It is the following a route and ticking it off? Is it the mastery of the skill? If you can work this out can you find a more practical version you can do regularly?

Everyone hates it, even though they will vehemently deny that this is the case. Runners are all aiming for PBs to get it over with faster. What everyone enjoys is when you stop doing it, that feels great. You can only fully appreciate how great it feels to not exercise by doing it and then stopping.

Fair enough. I lay in bed at 6am and think shall I fuck this off every morning but I don't, and I'm happier after, and I have started to enjoy pushing myself while I'm there.

If you never will I think thats quite sad because its very important to keep up with exercise. Hopefully one day you will start to enjoy it.

Would you sign up for something like tough mudder etc?

It'll sound silly but I bought a VR headset just for the exercise games and I love it. I too find exercise really dull but I spend 30 mins a day getting a full aerobic workout either shooting robots and lasers from the sky or doing one of the virtual sports like table tennis or believe it or not, horse wrangling. It's been a definite game changer for me. The headset I bought was £300 but I figured I'd easily spend that in a year on exercise classes not to mention the petrol and effort to get there.

No. I don't like it either.....at all.

I completely agree. Aerobics isn't for me. It doesn't feel like much of a workout (maybe I don't try hard enough) and I don't like the songs they use. If it was proper pop music I think I'd like it more.

Have you tried running Couchto5k? I wouldn't describe myself as a proper runner but it's the only thing I've stuck at. It definitely feels like a workout, it's free and once you can run 5k you can be out and back in half an hour (which is the commute time to and from a gym or class for me). Also can listen to your own tunes or a podcast.

I would find going out to the same class on the same day each week repetitive and boring.
I can see why you feel the same about swimming in a pool too.

I walk - lots of different places to walk and I'm happy on my own, and I do water sports outside. I also do the occasional yoga class. I don't think I'd mind the odd game of badminton either.
.

I love it, plus I get to eat a lot to sustain my level of activity. Win win!

More sex?

I only like exercise if it has a social element - long hikes with a friend and a flask of coffee, personal training so that I have someone to chat to during the rests between sets, group exercise classes in a lovely warm village hall on a dark night or parkruns for the camaraderie. Once I realised that and stopped trying to slog it by myself, my experience has greatly improved and I love it. I exercise three times a week. None of it by myself.

For the whole day **