Why do I have a mental block with exercise?

[Roblakeswife]

I have everything at my disposal. Weights, running machine, cross trainer, rowing machine. A push bike. Even a 5m by 3m freezing cold pool in our garden currently that you can actually swim in. I'm hugely lucky. I want to exercise. I need to exercise. I'm really unfit. The rest of my family do but I struggle with it. I feel silly, self conscious, embarrassed, useless, like I cant do it. The only thing I like is running but gave up after multiple injuries (shin splints, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis).
How can I get over this mental block? I try to do something. Tried the cross trainer and my arms hurt within seconds so I gave up.

I have signed up to Les mills on demand. I find it really motivating. You still have to force yourself to start but the feeling after is great. They have a free trial period too. Just say you will do 10 mins then stop if you want them. You will find you want to carry on.

There are other free things on YouTube you, but i wouldn't know what to recommend.

Good luck

Try a park based boot camp? Solo training isn’t much fun really. Online stuff like Body Coach and others do short workouts. As PP suggests, find a basic 15 min online class and start there.

I exercise regularly and never look forward to it but always feel better afterwards.

Marking place because I’m exactly the same and it’s getting me down. I hate exercise and always quit.

Keep it small at first. Anyone can do 10 minutes. Then go from there.

I’m the same OP down to the Achilles issues and plantar fasciitis (which is currently destroying my life)

I think when you’ve have these injuries it’s actually quite frightening to start....maybe you need to start with no impact exercise to avoid risk of harm

And focus on upper body

My GP advised me to do some low carb to get the weight off (I’m 3 stone over) and reduce risk of damaging myself yet again...

Did you have a negative experience of PE at school? This can linger for a really long time.

Just walk then, 30 minutes per day, brisk walking. No need for all that other stuff.

Yes very negative experience of pe at school. I was absolutely useless at all of it and hated it.

Do you have a program or goal? I find it helps to have set exercises and goals. I do what’s on the list for that day and that’s it, doesn’t give me a chance to think about it or negotiate

No. I just dont know what to do or where to start.

You really do need to find something you love again.

I also hated PE at school, but that changed in my twenties and I trained to be a fitness/Zumba instructor. I also used to be a runner but had an accident and that will never be an option again.

I bought myself a spin bike as part of my recovery and found I actually love it. Sometimes I have a playlist of horrendously bad club classic hits on, sometimes I watch an episode of whatever box set I'm on.

I can also second the les mills on demand classes. I'd done them years ago but signed up at the start of lockdown and I love doing BodyPump and BodyBalance.

The other thing I could suggest would be getting a PT - they will motivate you as you're working out and help you find something you love.

Walking is perfectly good exercise. A brisk walk for 30 mins is great. Can you manage that?
Exercise doesn’t have to be for long though. If you can only manage 10 mins of anything for now, it’s a good start.

There is also a Les mills on demand FB group which is really supportive. There are some very large women who post their journeys and the support they get is amazing. Even just looking at the FB group may help you realise you are not alone in how you feel.

Use the crosstrainer without the arm things. It's low impact but feels like running. Keeping your balance really works your core. Exercise first thing - less opportunity to talk yourself out of it. Give yourself something to look forward to when you're next exercising (listening to new playlist, wearing new kit). If you feel self conscious, wear a baseball cap/sunglasses.

Walking!

There’s a difference in calories per mile between walking and running of maybe 10 to 30 percent

Get a dog?

www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-weight-loss/a20843760/running-v-walking-how-many-calories-will-you-burn/

This is why people have personal trainers. One to one advice tailored to you. Not something you'd need to have forever but to get you in the habit.

Are the rest of your family supportive OP? Often women on MN who find the mental side of exercise difficult and worry they will look silly have been teased or mocked by unsupportive family members.

You don’t like it because it’s hard. Doing anything when you find it difficult is horrible. But it only gets easier if you keep doing it.

It’s all very well saying ‘find something you love’ but it sounds like you have all the equipment and facilities to be doing plenty (I’m jealous!) and it seems mad to waste what you already have. I’d recommend caffeine and drum n bass playlists on YouTube to get you through just about any kind of self-induced suffering imaginable. Start small, just try to do 15 minutes on the cross trainer and a short weights circuit. It will soon get easier.

I’m the same and I recently started very small. I’m unfit so even minimum exercise and I feel it the next day.

In the past I’ve not started slow, been really sore the next day, been uncomfortable for days and given up.

A couple of weeks back I started jogging, just to ease myself in. I’m doing 1 minute jog, 1 minute walk for 10 minutes. The first day my abs felt sore and I hadn’t even pushed myself! By session 3 or 4 I’m already feeling stronger and ache less. One of the days I woke up and my knee was aching a little so I walked instead that day to rest it. I stretch when I get home.

It feels a bit ridiculous compared to DP who goes on hilly mountain bike rides but I have to do this at my pace. I want to form an exercise habit and with the way I’m doing it I’m feeling encouraged for the first time in years.

Maybe starting small in the same way might help you too?

I've gone from being an exercise hater, to working out most days. Hated PE at school, hated gyms and working out in my 20s, didn't really do anything.

Then after my first child, I was carrying extra weight that I'd never had to worry about before. I started couch to 5k, with a goal of a Race for Life at the end of it. I also started seeing a PT, every fortnight for a couple of months, then monthly, he taught me about various exercises I could do myself, and weights, which I enjoyed so much more than the cardio stuff.

It still hadn't really kicked in, and then as I approached 40, I decided it was time to do it, I engaged another PT (who I still see 5 years later), and it finally clicked. Seeing the PT means that I learn tonnes of different things I can do at home as well, I learn form so I'm at less risk of injury, and I'm accountable - if I don't do anything between our sessions, I'm wasting my time and money, plus it makes the sessions even harder!

The other thing that keeps me motivated is my Apple Watch. I love the nudges it gives me to meet my daily goals, and although I've got no competitive spirit against other people, turns out I'm quite competitive with myself, so if my watch tells me I need to achieve something this month, I hate being defeated.

Your injuries make me wonder if your footwear and gait need looking at? DH for example needs to change his trainers really frequently - every 4-6 months, and has several pairs on rotation at once, otherwise he gets awful knees. I saw a physio a few years ago A’s was training for a 10k, and was getting knee and hip pain. She helped advise on footwear and supportive exercises which have helped immensely. I've suffered with plantar fasciitis, and I think my main culprit was tight calves. I had a couple of very painful deep tissue massages on my legs, and now try to massage my own calves most days which keeps it at bay.

Thank you all. That is really helpful

I also saw a podiatrist for gait issues and a physio who does clinical pilates so I can deal with issues as they arise. I actually can't exercise 'properly' for health reasons but I try to walk and do my maintenance physio exercises. Am v jealous of people who can exercise properly. Used to love swimming. Was nearly at the point of considering my first 5k run when I got sick. So enjoy your body and move it around!

I used to hate working out, felt clumsy and bad at the moves, they hurt and I didn't feel like I did them right. I persevered, they got easier, I felt better, looked better and then realised I was good at them, I was powerful, it just clicks really. The sooner you start, the sooner you progress.

I followed online videos by fitness blender, they are all free but you can also purchase (cheaply) a program over a month and they were the perfect way to get into bodyweight and dumbell exercises.

Thank you! So if you were mean what would do today? I have no plans this afternoon. I now work at home (apparently, not through choice!) So can exercise during the week too.