To not understand how anyone enjoys exercise??

[Baileysoncereal]

How do you motivate yourself to exercise when it’s horrible being out of breath and sweaty

I’m not moving around at work anymore (covid related furlough/unemployment) and after a few months, I’m really noticing a difference in how unfit I am and how easily I’m out of breath. I’ve tried a ton of sports, and there’s nothing I enjoy and I can never be bothered putting in the effort anyway
Eg. Why run if you can jog, why jog if you can walk.

I hate being sweaty, I hate being out of breath, I hate not being good at something and I love sitting on the couch and watching TV.
So how do you motivate yourself or even shock actually love exercising?!

Oh and yes need a decent sports bra @Baileysoncereal
Not sure what the fitting situation is like given covid, but Bravissimo make a brilliant one and have very good fitters. It’s worth having one or two good quality ones because they last so much longer and will make a huge difference to how comfortable you are during high impact stuff like running

and not everyone is dealt the same hand physically

please don't believe that crap.

Unless genuine and serious medical reason, you are just as able to achieve the same level as most people around you. You might not be born Usain Bolt, and it's too late to become a Prima Ballerina, but any normal adult is perfectly capable to achieve enough fitness to run a marathon, dance all night, or win a hockey match.

You don't need to do exercise you hate as a beginner, you can do something you enjoy.

The hardest part is to put your trainers on.

My favourite sports bras are shock absorber.

17 years ago I was almost totally paralysed following a driving incident. It has been a long hard slog to regain full movement. I fucking love any form of exercise, you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.

@heseesyouwhenyouaresleeping your comments are about as helpful as telling an overweight person “it’s as easy as eating a salad” or someone struggling with mental health “just look on the bright side, it could be worse, you’re not dying”.

My comment was not to discourage the OP from trying, it was to validate her experience that’s it’s ok not to naturally love sport / active stuff & it’s especially great that she acknowledges that she needs to find a way to exercise anyway. It may be hard for you to fathom, but some people will just prefer reading a book or whatever to any form of physical activity - we are all different.

I am not a fan of exercise at all. I have tried running, YouTube vids etc. Is daft because years ago I used to be quite the gym bunny (weights were my thing). I stopped going after hearing members of staff joke about my beetroot red face. Since then, mental health troubles have got in the way.

But... I have found my thing now. Virtual reality exercise! Lots of games in virtual reality get you moving, and there are specific games for fitness too. Think of things like boxercise, table tennis etc. I try and set aside a specific amount of time to play and often go way over as it is fun. Trying to beat my own high scores (and other people's online) appeals to my competitive streak.

I use an Oculus Quest 2 (£299, no PC needed). My mum is in her early 60s... had a go on mine and now has her own that she uses for 90 minutes each day for exercise too. She lost 6lb in the first 2 and a half weeks of having it.

I would absolutely have written your post 3 years ago (ignore the faux wide eyed head tilt naivety that people don't understand ...its put on and dpointless). I would say it depends on the situation so here's mine.

Initially for weight loss I started running. Brilliant it worked. Stopped running when I had lost weight.

Had a stroke at 38 , started running after i was able to walk again (partly because it was a shock to the system and i got overexcited at even being able to run) to lost the 8 stone I had packed on , great it worked. Weight loss. Running officially took a backburner due to a divorce and lack of childcare but if I'm honest it stopped because I lost my goal.

Mental health took a giant wallop this year. I lost my job due to covid childcare , etc etc so I started running again to improve my mental health. That's my goal now.

If someone tells me to exercise for 30 mins a day because I should....
Nope I have bob hope. I just will not be able to do it.

I can't do exercise for exercises sake ever , i need a goal to work towards or i end up counting down time , focusing on the uncomfortable aspects. I am really goal driven so doing something without a specific goal feels really pointless to me. People rattling on about exercise being good for you does me no good.

What does help me is to have my own personal goal. My mental health goal has milestones just like the stones and pounds for weight loss but it stretches into years. (Actually a decade) .

Maybe you are the same. After a while though I found I went for a run because I felt like it , it just added progress to a goal but it was because I wanted to. Again that is starting to happen

Without fail though , the first few weeks are bloody horrible and I winger and complain in my head , I do think you have to power through the first couple of weeks with sheer determination (that's where my goal setting works because I refuse to fail before my goal....even when i really want to) ,after a few weeks you stop noticing the uncomfortable bits as you have moved a bit towards your goal and you don't want to lose that progress.

It may be completely different for you but that's the mindset that worked for me. I detest with every fibre of my being working out for no specific goal. I hate the first few weeks of working out. Once into the swing though , completely amazing and the one thing that keeps me sane.

Good luck OP

Xenoni have just this evening seen someone on YouTube using just such a headset whilst on his treadmill.

I found it ingenious and hilarious at the same time. I can imagine using it myself

Xeno I have..

I don’t think many people love exercise (I don’t haha) but I do love the way I feel after and when I commit to it regularly as it massively boosts my mood and mental health.

A good ritual after exercise also helps, really long hot shower after with some lovely shower gel, maybe a hair treatment, then a lovely carb rich meal to refuel your muscles. A kind of reward for the effort!

I want to live a bit longer, I want to have beer and pizzas.
I like to look in shape.

Those things to me are worth the effort.

I loved it as it was great for my MH when I lost my mum.

I now need to get back onto it (especially after my 3year old son said mummy your tummy is weird, its gone bigger, after Christmas chocolates)

Once the routine is there it's amazing, it being hard enough on yourself initially to start.

@DecemberDiana

Xenoni have just this evening seen someone on YouTube using just such a headset whilst on his treadmill.

I found it ingenious and hilarious at the same time. I can imagine using it myself

Haha, I wont lie.. anyone using the headset looks like a prize twat at the time. But if you are the one wearing it, you get so immersed you don't care about the people chuckling around you.

I do hiit 5 times a week. I hate it but it's short at least. I've tried loads of exercise and hate it all. I really don't get it when people talk about it releasing endorphins and stuff or when people say I'll feel better once I've done it- I don't, I never have.

I do it because I know I have to do something or I'll be fat and unhealthy. It's exercise or change my diet, and love eating shit more than I hate exercise.

Heard from another poster on Mumsnet about Leslie Sansome Walk at Home on YouTube. It's not just walking but other movements too and 30mins goes really quickly. I don't find it sweat inducing but it's easy to follow and easy to stick to and I'm feeling the benefit when out and about now.

Music is the key for me.
I hate getting breathless and sweaty but if I’m listening to music which lifts my spirits, it makes so much difference.

A few years ago, I invested in a personal trainer who came to the house. She was great, same age as me and understood my body.
I bought a step, dumb bells, weighted ball, yoga mat and a few other small pieces of equipment. Weighted hula hoop is fun.
I try to do a workout a couple of times a week and it helps so much.

A mind shift was the most significant thing for me.
That exercise is a gift to myself, that I deserve to look after and appreciate my body, that it’s a treat.

Yoga is brilliant for this.
Try Adrienne on YouTube.
It’s free and is fantastic for a positive mental attitude as well as being so good for your body.

Leslie Sansome is really good if you've not exercised for a while / ever.

I don't like it either and it makes my hip hurt. I do strengthening exercises and do an online video. It is only 20 mins and has a countdown . I used to do yoga,

A countdown is good!

DS and I are very much enjoying the ringfit adventure game on switch which we got for Christmas :o it is really fun. I love video games so the adventure/platform type style is good for getting me moving a bit.

I really like the countdown aspect of the YouTube videos I was doing earlier in lockdown (Lucy Wyndham-Read)

I agree about music too, I bought a step for aerobics and I’ve made my own routines to some favourite songs.

I love swimming and because it's enjoyable it doesn't feel like a chore. I also love exercise DVDs. It's about finding something you enjoy so it's not an effort and the difference to your mental and physical health is a boost.
Finding it hard to fit exercise in with a baby at the moment and have noticed the effect on my mental health.

Swimming is one thing covid has wrecked for me. Temporarily I hope. I can’t swim a lot in one go (due to fatigue/muscle issues) so I find swimming in lanes quite awkward as I have to keep stopping after a couple of lengths and letting people past etc. I know the anxiety is totally my issue but I miss enjoying the pool! 😳

I do still enjoy aqua fit though so I look forward to that being back on again.

I miss swimming and aqua, too. I can do online yoga classes while my real classes have stopped, but I can't quite afford my own swimming pool...