How do you keep yourself exercising is you hate it?

[Youbutterbelieve]

I know I have to exercise to retain my health and mobility. But the only exercise I enjoy (and therefore do) is hiking and that's reasonably sporadically due to work and young kids.

I need to include more regular exercise in to my life, ideally resistance/ weight stuff. But I hate it. I'm one of the 12% of people who doesn't get exercise induced endorphins, so I don't get a clear benefit from having done it - makes maintaining a routine so much harder!

I'm not overweight and I'm reasonably fit (can easily hike 15-20miles a day, multiple days) but I know I need to be more regular.

How do maintain an exercise routine if you hate it?

It’s so hard. I’ve lost loads of weight and need to exercise to maintain my weight. I just tell myself that I am doing future me a favour - mostly works. The key is doing something you enjoy, for me it’s walking or dancing.

Yeah that's the issue, I literally only enjoy hiking and that's time commitment heavy!

I need something I can do quickly multiple times a week but I just don't enjoy anything I've tried.

But what if you hate all exercise and you don’t have enough money to join a gym?

I have an exercise bike at home and try to do 10 miles on it 3-4 times a week, if takes me about half an hour and burns about 250 calories according to my Apple Watch. I don’t enjoy it at all but I like that it’s quick and listening to music helps. I sometimes give up and hate myself for it so I completely understand what you’re saying. I do feel better after so I keep giving myself a pep talk and doing
it at the same time each day kind of helps.

Do you have a local gym? I know you hate it but I used to do a 30 minute hiit class at 7am then shower and go straight to work. My DH used to do the breakfast club drop off. Then I'd done my exercise midweek and then can go for a walk on the weekend

I got rid of my car so have no option but to walk everywhere!
Still.hate the gym though.

If the outdoor aspect of hiking is enjoyable, would running work? 20 to 30mins 3 times a week takes up little time and you can listen to podcasts or books while getting some fresh air,

When I exercise, I wear a heart monitor belt called ‘Myzone’ which links to your phone via an app. You have a monthly goal of exercise to achieve. This keeps me accountable.

The target is very achievable but you would have to exercise a few times a week to achieve it. When you get your monthly target you are awarded a status ‘iron’, then after 3 months you get ‘bronze’, after 6 months you get ‘silver’ etc…if you miss a monthly goal you drop down in status. It works for me as I feel like I’m achieving something and keeps me accountable.

I’ve gone from never exercising to exercising 6 days a week and I’ve maintained this for regular exercise for nearly 8 years. Never missing a monthly goal.

I am just off to the gym. Forcing myself with a podcast and also will reward myself with some sugar free biscuits DH has baked.
Diabetes in the family so no choice. I am not overweight. Just unlucky genes

I know I have to exercise to retain my health and mobility.

I sometimes think that the modern belief in the need to 'exercise' is overrated - no one in my family of my parents generation or older went to the gym, did exercise classes, jogging etc, yet most of them lived to their 80s or 90s.

They were active but they didn't 'exercise'. But modern life has so many conveniences that many people don't have a high level of activity built into everyday tasks anymore. As a PP said, if you don't have a car, you have to walk (even if it's only as far as the bus stop). Carrying shopping home instead of having it delivered. Hanging out washing instead of putting it in a tumble dryer. Hoovering instead of having a cleaner or robot vacuum.

OP, if you don't like exercise (I'm with you on that), examine your lifestyle to see how active you are. Are you dependent on your car or do/can you walk for some errands instead? Do you carry shopping back from the supermarket? Do you do housework that raises your heartbeat? Even sitting on the floor while watching TV - being able to get down and back up again is an important level of agility to maintain throughout your life. You might be surprised how active you are.

On the other hand, if none of that applies to you, then I'm afraid you're stuffed and formal exercise is the only way to go.

I think you either change your lifestyle so that being active is incorporated in your day (eg walk rather than drive) or you tell yourself it is literally just 30 mins out of a whole day that is an investment in your long term health. On the latter the key is not to negotiate with yourself about it eg don't overthink it just force yourself to do it.

agree with @zzplea I too think it's more about keeping active, housework, dog walking, gardening, walking everywhere as much as you can.

I do go to a gym, and I don't get a high from it, but I go 3 times a week (ish) for a weights class in the morning. I

I also do a couple of long dog walks at the weekend and walk in the evenings in the summer.

I do the gym bit because I could feel myself getting so unfit as I hit my 50s and the general active stuff wasn't doing it for me. My aim is to get back to reasonably fit and then I'll have retired and be able to do the fun stuff like hiking...

It has to be something you genuinely enjoy. What about gymnastics? Fencing? For me it was horse riding.

Yes, incorporating walking into my daily life helped me lose a stone.

I consider it a chore that simply needs doing. I'll never love it, I'll never be highly motivated to do it. But I don't love cleaning the bathroom. I'm not highly motivated to mop the kitchen floor. I do it because it needs doing. I'm much better at exercising since I viewed it that way, rather than trying to find some wonderful joy in it.

YouTube workout videos and uplifting music.

Very quick results when it comes to muscle tone and circulation boosts.

Hate is extreme - it's not that bad is it?

I also hate exercise, except walking and hiking. For some reason exercise makes me angry and frustrated, then after a while I get really anxious and tearful. Very strange! What about walking to work or the shops instead of taking the car?

YouTube, a very good exercise mat, and make it non negotiable. I bet you eat green veg and fish and drink water. Exercise is no different.

Besides I never got endorphins from anything but running, but I can't run anymore due to injriy. So I do 'bodyfit by amy' on YouTube, pilates online on recorded zoom (patreon), yoga with Kassandra on YouTube and I swim in my lunch hour.

I was the girl with the note from my mum as I hated PE so much.

At 47 I peri meno, I know what will happen if I don't do regular exercise!

I was the same as you - hated running, hated sports in school, just liked hiking and going for nice walks in the countryside. Took a plunge though and now do 3 strength training classes a week in the gym and I LOVE it. With weight lifting you're always working towards something and it's so rewarding when you realise you can press or squat more than you could the month previously. Plus I need someone telling me what to do and organising the workout.

So short version - try a couple of structured classes in the gym and see if you enjoy it. You might end up sticking with something.

The way I maintain it is by having already maintained it. I feel demotivated if I don’t have something good to build on. But if I’ve been to the gym every other day and I’m able to increase the weight I can lift, then this makes me go again.

Just tick the box because the training you do will keep you fitter and stronger for better walks

Set a timer - 30 min weights session and think of it like cleaning the bathroom or whatever other boring things you don

I think 'you've got to find something you enjoy' is actively unhelpful for some who literally hate all forms of exercise. If you can't enjoy it you can't. In that case you just need to suck it up and do it rather like the hoovering. It's 30 mins a day and it's necessary.

I think that's what I need to do, just see it as a chore that needs doing.

I'm relatively active in daily life - walk the kids to school twice a week, walk the dog every day. Errands are done on foot. But it's definitely not feeling like enough. Not sure where I could add in more active daily stuff but will re-evaluate.

I've tried lots of exercise classes and things (never fencing though, maybe I should give it a go!). I've done couch to 5k twice and hated every single second of it. Also did 2 months of Joe wicks 90day plan before giving up 🥴 I'm a hopeless case.

I do think I might just need to set a routine like with laundry and get it done.

I'm the same as you. I hate exercise and I don't get endorphins from it. I reframed it as it being exactly like my job which I've got no choice but to do it. I have to go to work because I want the money. Likewuse I have to exercise because I want the future mobility. No choice: exercise = job. I get up in the morning, have a quick snack and drink, and just get it done. 30 mins strength class from an app. I hate every minute but it gets done.

Walking. Not actually going on a long walk but when I go to work or supermarket park further away in the back of the car park. If I need to go to the local corner shop I'll walk instead of drive etc