To feel like shit after exercise?

[Knucklehead101]

I fully admit that I am a fat lazy lump and I should get off my arse and do more. I've been out for a walk four times this week - nothing massive about two miles (although a bit hilly). It seems to be getting more difficult each time though and I'm enjoying it less and less. Does it ever get any easier? I absolutely couldn't even consider couch to 5k as I am struggling to even walk 5k at the moment! Do i give up now and resign myself to a life of fatness? Please dont say I've left it too late?!

I sympathise! I’ve never understood or experienced “endorphins” or had any positive feeling after any kind of exercise. I’m also a fat lazy lump, but I didn’t used to be, and I’ve always felt the same about exercise.
It hurts, I can’t breathe and then I ache for days. Then it feels worse the next time!

I am too and I fully believe that it will get easier so don’t give up! The benefits will outweigh the difficulties in time. I decided it was time to start exercising m earlier this week and told myself that I had to do it every day. By Friday I was weeping at my feebleness as I was definitely getting worse, with everything feeling harder, and not better! But I am giving myself a break this weekend and will get back to it on Monday. I figure if I can do this for a month then I should see a difference, it should get easier.

Don’t give up, OP. Good health is so important, and in time I’m sure you will be feeling better. Good luck!

It does get easier, I promise you.

I find using a step tracker or activity monitor helps you, especially when you see how many calories you’ve burned.

It gets easier! Honestly keep going. 1 or 2 short walks per day every day. Keep hydrated.

Maybe you are like me and not really liking walking? Have you tried other exercises? If I don't want to really do something I end up like these teenagers on a tv who walk behind parents, not lifting feet, having annoyed face on and sighing whole moving so the arms freely flap around😂 Just dragging myself to it and then just being physically and mentally meh.

Just.Keep.Going. You can do this, keep plodding on 👍🏻

Are you just walking foe the sake of walking or do you have music/audiobook or something to keep you company. I can walk for miles if I have something like that/nice scenery or good company, but if I was just pounding pavement id find it soul destroying

it's been very cold and grey, which doesn't make it any easier

Op I always thought walking or running was supposed to be amazing and once you get into it you will love it. I truly hated it. Hated it. I am very petite so was doing it more for fitness reasons rather than losing weight. My body ached, knees and shins always felt awful and I was just miserable. Then I started looking at low impact high cardio workouts and have finally found my thing. I'm trying to say that running isn't for everyone, maybe try another type of workout.

as you get fitter it seems just as hard, until you realise you are going faster and pushing yourself a bit more each time ?

Or, start with 2 days off between each session to help recovery?

When are doing the exercise in your day? If it’s already after a long day or a low energy moment you may find it unpleasant. Similarly if you’re just starting and exercising back to back that might be challenging - spread it evenly across the week and keep it consistent - better 3 sessions a week for 4 weeks than one week of 4 and nothing the next week etc. Consistency will give you improvement which should aid enjoyment.

Also... there’s many amazing podcasts out there to pass the time... Dad wrote a porno etc

I think if you're really unfit, it will take a while to enjoy it, but that absolutely doesn't mean you should give up.
On the contrary, that makes it extra important to keep going!
But it is also worth looking for ways to make it bearable, as other PPs have suggested. Listening to something, photographing things with your phone, thinking if there are other forms of exercise you might prefer.
If none of that helps, I'd try reducing the distance you walk to what you actually can do comfortably, but doing it more often for a while. Then very gradually increase the amount. I promise it's worth it! Feeling fitter is actually an amazing feeling, and everything gets just a bit easier.

Agree with PP about trying something different. Exercising gets a lot better once you find something you actually enjoy doing.

For me, it’s weights and trampolining. I’m definitely not a natural runner and every time I’ve tried to run I despise it, so I don’t do it!

I recently bought myself a mini trampoline from Argos for £30. It’s great fun and low impact. There are some good videos on YouTube and I can hand-on-heart say that it gets easier within a week or two.

Weight training is a good way to lose fat and tone up too. It burns calories for longer than cardio, so it’s worth adding in. Even body weight exercises can make a difference.

You need to think about making it more enjoyable. As others have said - could you create a motivational playlist or listen to a good podcast. I will second My Dad Wrote a Porno - its hilarious. You could also phone and chat with a friend while you walk, set yourself little silly challenges like spotting certain birds or colour cars along the way. Use a fitbit type watch to log how well you are doing. And reward yourself when you get back with an episode of your latest show or a long bubble bath with a book.

Failing that try something else. Hiit workouts are brilliant for me as they are short so over quickly. I do Chloe Ting and the Bodycoach - both on You Tube and involve little coordination

Don't give up, it honestly does get easier.

A lot of people are just out of practice at walking a lot because we tend to drive everywhere.

Have you got a friend you can walk with? I can honestly walk miles without noticing if I'm chatting at the same time.

Also, you don’t need to be able to walk 5k to start couch to 5k. I just looked back and my first session of it I did 1.5 miles, so less than you’re currently walking. It starts off very gently with just 60 second bursts of jogging and it can be as slow as you need it to be!

I’m not saying you have to do it, just if you want to don’t be put off because you can’t walk that far, it really is designed for people who can’t run far at all.

I used to think exercise was a bit shit and I still slightly feel that way about some things. But y'know what i never thought was shit? Playing when I was a kid. So I don't exercise, I play. I rollerskate, rollerblade and dance on a trampoline. Can do any of the above for hours and hours. It's good alone with good music and it's amazing with friends.

I listen to music and also sometimes I get my husband to drop me say 2 to 3 miles from the house. Then walk back it gives you an aim.

How are you sleeping? If I try to exercise when I'm short o sleep, I feel dreadful.

Slow and steady OP. It's better for you to be able to go at a pace where you are breathing a bit harder but not to the point you can't breathe! You will lose weight more easily by going at a steady pace than running your self ragged and giving up! Make the walls a bit shorter and then extend your time period slowly. It will get easier and maybe take some earphones and music/audio book. Well done and good luck

Do you mean you feel shit as in a few aches and stiffness? That's totally natural and honestly I learned to love it - it was a sign that I'd really worked my body. As you get fitter the stiffness the next day is nowhere near as intense!

Or do you mean you feel shit as in you didn't have a nice time and didn't think you did well enough? Enjoying the process might never come - running in winter never stops being a bit grim - but I promise the improvement will, and the motivation that comes from the improvement, and the satisfaction at improving.

It's also OK to give yourself a rest. Sometimes your body just needs a rest day or even two. And then you might be raring to go again...

I actually saw on TV something about the fact that if you are very unfit, you won't benefit from the endorphin rush, which is why many people who are really fat stay that way because you need to persevere with exercise before you start seeing the benefits. So 1) persevere with the walks and 2) add other types of exercises too, something to tone up or bring up your heart rate.

You definitely didn't leave it too late!!

Also thisChinese proverb comes to mind: “Thebest time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The secondbest timeis now."

The only exercise that doesn’t make me feel shit is Zumba haha. I hate waking or running etc. Only thing I struggle with is getting extremely hungry afterwards