How can I get ‘into’ exercise ?

Here is a simple fitness test exercise you can do at home and will improve how long and healthily you will live
www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/this-anxiety-inducing-fitness-test-purports-to-tell-you-how-long-youll-live-we-investigated/2019/03/18/0a1d06fe-4035-11e9-9361-301ffb5bd5e6_story.html

I go to a jogging group that has different levels.
There are lot's of YouTube videos if you don't want to or can't get outside. Walking videos such as Lesley Sansone and others. Can just do it in front of the TV.

I really need to get back into exercise too @GoodnightGrandma - used to be very fit pre-DC, but lack of time, useless DP etc means I now have 2 stone and quite a few inches to lose...

Are there any local groups you could join (even to try once or twice) such as walking, cycling etc? Just to add a social aspect to your exercising! Or depending on finances, joining a nice gym might be an incentive to go more often, if you're looking forward to using the facilities there

God, I wish I felt great after exercise! I think I’m one of the unlucky minority who don’t get the happy hormones. But this thread has pushed me to get my JM DVDs out again.

I like FitOn (free app) for the incredible variety.

Oh also I do something 6 out if 7 days a week 7 if I can. As I’m older I think I just have to incorporate it into my life. Days off aren’t needed and that’s what gets me out of the habit and “oh I don’t feel like it”. I do all I can to avoid what I feel like now with exercise. I can think of every excuse there is. So I don’t let myself anymore

Yeah I have learned it’s not that I want to do it and won’t probably feel like doing exercise but I know I need to do it. So I’m not all “yay I’m exercising” just “yay let’s go and get it done”. Afterwards I feel great so I keep doing more. I don’t ever start like yay this is so fun. I have learned that not many people do, but the end feeling is fantastic. Find something you can fit in your life and as Nike famously say or advertise “just do it”.

I have exercised on and off for all of my adult life but it was always a chore and eventually got bored. However, this year I have consistently worked out 5-6 days per week apart from an odd break. As PP said, I just regard it as something that needs to be done, like a little self care.

I do my exercise first thing in the morning at home. I have my kit ready which I put on when I roll out of the bed, go downstairs to drink some water and start. I do weightlifting, Hiit, yoga and exercise bike (not all at the same time!) and the sessions vary from 20 minutes to 40 minutes. I get bored easily and if I'd had to do 1 hour sessions, I would start finding excuses to get out of it. Consistency over perfection.

I do miss the social side of gyms but it's so much more easier just to crack on at home first thing in the morning. No need to get stuff together, get the car out etc. Having to shower at mid-day used to put me off too, I want to shower and get dressed in the morning and be done with it.

If you are not used to working out first thing, start with shorter sessions first. You will soon get used to it and the breakfast afterwards will taste divine.

Some mornings are still hard but I genuinely enjoy my routine now. I'm nearly 50 and it's very rewarding to see how my arms have toned up and overall body shape improved. I don't do the exercise for weight loss at all like I used to in the past.

I also like Caroline Girvan's workouts on Youtube!

Exercising on your own is hard especially finding the motivation. You need to find friends or join a group. Where I live they run a Saturday morning boot camp in the village park. Bootcamp might put you off but it's basically a small group of people average age 40 to 70s just enjoying the exercise outdoors. Nobody cares what you wear, if you're super fit or not and is very welcoming Is there anything like this near you ?

and yes re routine. I exercise first thing in the morning before anyone else is up and after work as a way of delineating work and home (I wfh so this became important during lockdown) and both of those times have become a habit now. It feels strange when I don't exercise. Try it for a month and see if it become as habit.

Also recommend Caroline Girvan. There's a new programme starting on 3 January - come and join us on the thread!

I am into exercise, although sometimes have to force my self to do it. But for me I want to look good, I want to have energy, it really helps my mental health and I want to do as much as I can to stave off infirmity in old age. Once you start looking and feeling good, that itself is addictive and you want to do it more.

I do have a bike and a peloton. I also usually do around 18000 steps a day. And love yoga - I cba to go to a gym, but I will always go to the yoga studio. Yoga is also addictive, not just because you feel good doing it, but because you can see the improvement in your strength, flexibility and tone as you do it more.

Great, hope he likes it!

Oh, that sounds great! My DH is housebound atm, and this might help with his wellness- thank you!

Oh! And you can put on a sort of help cheat mode (forgotten what it's called) " where it'll do the running for you automatically if you have dodgy knees or something, or let you press a button rather than doing some exercises.

Hi @CovidPassQuestion Yes, Ringfit is brilliant, I can't praise it enough, especially for beginners to exercise.

There's a video game element where you play through levels. It starts off very simple and slowly builds up in intensity day by day (or level by level). Every day you do some jogging and fast running on the spot, some strength training using the ring (a bit like a Pilates ring apparently), and lots of yoga moves. Over time you customise it more and more to the exercises you like.

If you're not into the game element, there are also mini games and customised workouts where it will guide you through loads of exercises.

Obviously it all depends what you physically put into it. You can "fool" the sensors by waving them around if you want to for example. But I do it with all my might while listening to music, so it's been revolutionary for me 

@overtrain Is the ringfit actually a workout then? I have been dubious about how effective it could be, but that might be an option in this house.

@SweetBabyCheeses99 Brilliant quote!

I hate doing exercise, but I now feel good when I’ve done it rather than feeling like I want to die!
For me, the only way is to go to the gym, to classes, with a friend. That way we force each other to go, the classes mean you can’t really slack! We go two or three times a week so if we really can’t be bothered, it’s just twice, so it feels less full on!

I'd also say having a friend do something with you helps - you're more likely to go to something if you risk letting someone down. I used to do a circuits class (sadly the instructor stopped with lockdown 1 and never restarted), and had a Whats App group of local people who had expressed interest or attended previously. Every week I'd send a message asking if anyone needed a lift - it got me out the door as someone was now relying on me, and often it got them out the door when they hadn't felt like it.

I absolutely HATE and detest exercise. Always have, all types! This year I decided I simply have to get healthier, but knew I would never stick with anything. So I see a personal trainer three times a week. It is the ONLY way I know I will stick with it. He's waiting for me to show up, doesn't let me get away with anything, and is just a lovely person to chat to. I still don't enjoy the exercise, but I'm proud of myself for doing it, and I know it only works because I am literally purchasing my own compliance.

Not sure if anyone's already mentioned this but "habit stacking" might be a good idea.
So basically find one thing that you do every day - eg. Brushing your teeth, driving home from work etc.and add your exercise to that.
So your routine becomes get up, brush teeth, shower, exercise. Or drive home, exercise. Whatever works for you.

Have you got a garden where you can exercise using YouTube videos (I love Pop Sugar Fitness). In my experience the enjoyment comes if you exercise very regularly and start to see your body getting slimmer and trimmer. You'll also get fewer colds etc.

The motivation for exercise comes after you've done it and this feeling will hopefully make you want to do it again!

I recommend:

• Couch to 5k (I was unfit for 20 years till I did this and now run long distances)
• HASfit on YouTube (husband and wife & the wife does the low impact option)
• Joe Wicks (but make the workout your own, you don't need to put his level of energy into it or do every single rep)

I hate exercise, but I do it because I know I should. I do feel good after a workout and shite if I go a few days without one, but despite that it's not enough to turn me into someone who loves exercise.

Hi OP, I’m mid 40s and last year I decided I needed to loose my post baby bulges and get fit. I have 2 primary school aged children, a husband who works away from home for half the week and work almost full time (although was between jobs when I kick started my health regime). I’ve done exercise classes and running in the past, but there was no consistency. I started small- running for 20 minutes 5 times a week, and have built up from there. The key for me was making it accessible for me. An hour gym class + travel time was never going to be a lasting solution. I found a personal trainer who lives 90 seconds walk from my house and see him 1-2 times a week, run 1/2 he twice a week and do online yoga or Joe wicks for 20-30 minutes on the other days. For me making me want to do it involved cutting the time it took- fitting it into life. Trying to find 1hr 40 minutes for a gym class including travel and change time just wasn’t sustainable. 45 minutesPT was. I’ve lost 8 kg toned up and have never felt better.

*An exercise avoider!