To ask what exercises you found doable if you don't like exercising!

[WhySoSeriouss]

I hate exercising 😖

I have no will power to do and I am yet to find a type that I enjoy.

I've been to gyms, classes, running etc... And I never continue because I just don't enjoy doing it.

If you felt like this but then found a form of exercise you surprisingly enjoyed, what was it? What can I try?

It's not so much about losing weight as I'm not over weight but more just keeping generally fit.

If you're shy try at home dvds. I really do hate exercise but have managed to stick with them more or less every week, once a week for years. I look at it like brushing teeth or showering. Just a chore in my life I need to do. I feel great afterwards.

@WhySoSeriouss i know what you mean about feeling self conscious. The thing about possible trying c25k this time of year is that it gets dark pretty early so you could go out when it's darker and there aren't people around. I like to wear a baseball cap as it makes me feel a bit more incognito ( though nobody actually cares! ). I'm assuning youre somewhere you can stick to street lit places though.

Weight lifting op. I think you don't enjoy cardio, not many do, and you don't like classes due to thr social element, I'm the same, and things like swimming can be a pain in the arse due to the changing, getting hair wet etc etc,

Weight lifting you can either do in the gym, or if you've a little bit of soare cash, buy some iron plates from amazon (York is good and not hugely expensive ) and and some dumbbell bars from amazon, and download an app, like Chloe madeleys weights for beginners and do that at home.

Weight lifting for women doesn't bulk you up it makes you leaner with definition, and hugely improves your overall fitness.

Bounce is awesome! The three different classes I go to are so friendly and I really feel like I have fun when I go.

Spin and step classes. Something a bit dance based was a good introduction. Spin was one of the first classes I did that felt hard but also reasonably fun. Plus it is sort of dark and I didn't feel quite so exposed.

Now I have minimal time available so I run. I have a love /hate relationship with running. I hate it at the time but do enjoy the post-run feeling.

Walking the dog, horse riding, volunteering at a riding stables (so mucking out, grooming horses leading them), salsa dancing - they are the types of exercise that I do because I enjoy it first and exercise is an accidental side effect.

Other things i'd suggest are martial arts, gentle yoga, feldenkrais, volunteering at a nature reserve, volunteering at a dog charity (be prepared to muck out as well as dog walk), gardening or most outdoor hobbies where the aim isn't exercise but it's a side effect. So probably not boot calm classes, but maybe rock climbing.

FYI - I don't think you have to love exercise to do it. I generally do it because I like how I feel afterwards. And I still have to force myself to do it. I think finding the right time of day is useful too. I have no doubt that early mornings are probably my best time - when I'm most motivated. Sadly, I can't really do them anymore but I'm least likely to make excuses not to go.

Have just joined a gym and found that I love rowing. It’s relaxing and the rhythm puts me in a sort of trance. Like swimming too.

Dancing. Literally the only form of exercise I positively enjoy. Not in a class, just sticking some music on at home and going for it.

Walking

Skipping rope.

Dance exercise classes.

Last but definitely not least - in fact essential for me: YouTube with Lucy Wyndham Read and Rebecca Louise.

How long have you tried these things for previously? As I do think that, for most people, regular exercise is part enjoyment and part habit. I’m a runner and do ‘love it’ but there used to be many times when I just had to force myself to go and it has also very much become a habit. I would say that you have to pick something you think you’ll quite enjoy and then just make yourself do it until it becomes part of your routine.

How long have you tried these things for previously?

I went through a stage in my very early twenties where I did go to the gym for about a year. I wouldn't say I enjoyed it but I just felt more motivated then (no serious relationship/kids etc...)

Now that I'm married with two DC at home I just have no motivation to go after work and spend time at the gym. I would rather go home.

I do take the dog out regularly so I suppose I am getting exercise in that way! But I wouldn't say I enjoy walking. I'd just feel guilty on the dog if I didn't!

I think I might give swimming a go. There's a pool right by my work so I wouldn't have to drive to the gym and would still be home early-ish! I'm not holding my breath though.

Parkrun. Gets you out for a 5K organised run every Saturday. I’m done and dusted by 11am and then the weekend is yours. It’s free and a great atmosphere. All shapes and sizes. You just need to be able to run 5K, but you go at your own pace.

Aerial classes like aerial yoga, hoop/lyra, pole fitness are a lot of fun. The aches the next day show you were doing a serious workout even if it didn’t feel it at the time.

Netball (back to netball, very relaxed and spend most of it chatting and laughing whilst we play). Running - don't enjoy it as such but I like clocking up the miles and it gets me "time" - away from the house/kids etc. Also running is fab cos you can do it whenever and for however long you have. I run 2 x a week just for 3.5k (about 20 mins) before work as that is all I have time for on those days can't be arsed to get up earlier.

I also do Bodypump 1 or 2 times a week. Great weight bearing exercise to ward off osteoporosis and do it with a lovely bunch of people who I go out and drink with

Keep trying and you'll find something.

And I will be honest - if I didn't need to exercise (mental health and waistline reasons) I cannot truly say I would still get out there 4/5/6 times a week.

But I do need to.

Yoga & Zumba

Reformer Pilates.

Cycling. I joined a local cycling club and can choose whether to do a nice, easy ride or push myself a bit and we always stop half way for a coffee and a cake somewhere. After gaining a bit of confidence I quite like zipping about on my bike rather than getting the car out for short trips.

Op I'd also say you don't need to do the same thing every time. Mix it up to keep it interesting.

I do the gym six days a week, two days cardio, one day weights, rinse and repeat till I have my rest day, and even when doing cardio I use different machines, as I get bored otherwise.

I'd also say half the time I need to drag myself in there. Often I am having a mental conversation about how little I will do when I do get in there. I always do it all, I'd say it takes me a good ten to fifteen mins before I start to feel really good. And I feel brilliant after. But that first ten or fifteen mins is a bit "oh ffs"

I'd honestly say I do it for two reasons, it is now habit, and pure vanity. When you see the results physically it incentivises you to keep it up. By results I mean looking more toned, having some definition, etc.

I get up early in the morning, stick YouTube on the telly and do a '2 mile walk'

I really enjoy it and it goes dead fast.

Sets me up for the day. I like to do my 10k steps a day and that gives the number a big boost in the morning.

Honestly? All exercise is a chore that I usually hate and only occasionally enjoy! By nature I would be a couch potato, people assume I love exercising but I always have to force past feelings of not wanting to go.

I feel 100 x better for doing it though.. I run with a club 2 nights a week, swim twice, cycle to work most days and parkrun Saturdays. Sometimes swap a swim for pilates.

Gardening. Can't stand any exercise but will garden.

For me, the key is it needs to be something you don't go out and do specially, because, frankly, there are always more appealing and worthwhile ways to spend your time -- so I do the school run on foot, whatever the weather, and it averages me about six miles a day if I don't do any other walking.

I've just downloaded the Downdog apps. There are three; yoga, barre and hiit. I am planning to do one session every day. Not long sessions obvs and tbh, I'm scared of the HIIT one, so might work up to that.

I used to do a tonne of yoga and loved it, but it's time consuming and you have to get into the right frame of mind, which feels like wasted time when you are a bit time poor as I now am. Like really? Ten minutes of fucking lying here? I do not have time for that! I know how unyoga that sentence is, but it's how I feel about it at the moment. It is also so expensive where I live. Minimum £10 a class and I was doing three a week 😬.

Also my favourite yoga is Ashtanga and it's impossible to find a class where I live for some reason.

So, I'm hoping barre is the one! If not, martial arts seems to get a few recommendations on here so might give that a go.