If you're not naturally sporty but found something you love...WHAT IS IT?!

[ExerciseWoes]

Yes I'm posting shamelessly for traffic!

I'm hoping for some inspiration please MN.

I was always slim-ish before my son was born but I really just maintained this through eating well rather than any form of exercise.

I've never liked exercise, never enjoyed sports at all. I've tried gyms, I've managed to stick with them for months at a time but never got that "omg I'm totally addicted, love being here" feeling, it was an utter chore every time and I hated it that much that it always eventually fizzled out.

Anyway, since my son a year ago, eating well is not going great. I don't eat appallingly but meals tend to be faster / not as healthy / quick grab something whilst he's quiet style and I'm finding myself really unhappy with my body.

I want to start doing something to get into shape but what?!

My husband has suggested running but it's never ever appealed to me, I really can't imagine liking it. I am quite well... endowed in the ahem chest area... And whenever I've tried anything like the treadmill or a jog I've felt uncomfortable for the entire time. DH just seems to think I've not been trying good enough sports bras and perhaps a decent one could make it bearable?

Anyway... I'm open to trying almost anything..

If you're not naturally sporty but have really gotten "into" something, what is it?! The cheaper the better!

Hiking also known as hill walking.

I love being outside, walking up and down some mountains, enjoying my surroundings and the fresh air!
And while you might think it's just walking, it really isn't! You need to be fit to do 2, 3, 4 or even 6 hours of walking up/ down some rugget paths.
Other agreeable exercises are swimming and a Body Pump class at the gym... all other suggestions are pure torture! for me

Climbing! Before I started climbing I detested any sort of exercise with a passion. I'd tried to get into running so many times to get fit but always hated it and never managed to stick at it. Then my mate invited me climbing once and I've never looked back.
One great thing about it is that when you're a beginner, you progress really quickly at the start. I found that helped so much with motivation as you can see yourself moving up through the grades, and feel yourself easily doing routes that you couldn't do 2 weeks ago. So it gets really addictive, as you improve a lot very quickly.
Secondly I've found the climbing community is so so lovely. When I started I was so nervous about climbing in front of anyone for fear of being judged, but I've come to realise that literally every climber I've met has been nothing but supportive and excited to see beginner's learning. I've gone from stopping climbing every time someone walked in, to tonight, climbing something I found really challenging in a room full of much more experienced climbers, with them all cheering me on.

I've gone on a bit of a tangent there but i absolutely love climbing, I go multiple times a week and I've felt myself get so much fitter (and mentally healthier) since I started. :)

Bodypump classes twice a week.
Pilates and Yoga.
Rowing ( in the gym )- I find it quite meditative watching the strokes per minute etc when rowing along to an audio trainer.

No offence OP but if your goal is the get healthy and in shape, why does whatever you choose HAVE to be super fun? Just get in the gym or run or whatever for as long as it takes to get to where you need to be. You might start to enjoy it. But let's face it, it takes work to get in shape, sometimes you have to just put up with the early slog first.

Spin and weights

@SagaNorenLansrimMalmo

Another runner here. Didn’t take it up til I was 35, having been terrible at sport at school- and legit terrible, I have dyspraxia. Also have large boobs - now swear by Runderwear bras.

I’ve no idea what made me give it a go- and when I started C25k I couldn’t run 60s without stopping, but I signed up to do a 5k race with my (then 65 year old) mum, and the fact that she was managing spurred me on. Once I could run 5k I started doing parkrun, then I signed up for a 10k race, then a joined a running club (of lovely supportive women runners) and it’s all completely spiralled out of control, trail running at 8am on a Saturday is my idea of a good time, and quite genuinely one of my favourite experiences of last year was my first half marathon (which I managed in 2 hours, which didn’t feel too shabby given my first 5k race me 35 mins!)

And I was really NOT a runner - I came last at sports day in my teens. But I am now the fittest I’ve ever been, and it makes me really happy. And I never would have believed that could be true!

@SagaNorenLansrimMalmo

Your mum started running at 65? Can you tell me her secret please?

@AmIbeingTreasonable

Just C25k! She ran for the county in her teens, but hadn’t run for 50 years!

@SagaNorenLansrimMalmo

Your mum started running at 65? Can you tell me her secret please?

I belong to a recreational (ie not competitive) running club and I know lots of people who've started running in their 50s and 60s. They start with c2c, some don't progress beyond run walk because that's what they enjoy, but lots do. What they all have in common is they treat it as a fun socialble thing regardless of results.

One man in his 60s has done 3 half marathons this year, having started running 3 stones over weight last year. Another in his 70s will run Brighton Marathon this weekend, having taken up running in his 60s.

We also have a woman in her 80s who is still running marathons. The majority of members are women over 50. The key is to keep turning up consistently, take it easy and have fun. We get a lot of men and women who turn up during or after divorce, or when they've recently moved to the area, for some fresh air, exercise and social contact rather than because they want to be "runners".

@Knittingchamp

No offence OP but if your goal is the get healthy and in shape, why does whatever you choose HAVE to be super fun? Just get in the gym or run or whatever for as long as it takes to get to where you need to be. You might start to enjoy it. But let's face it, it takes work to get in shape, sometimes you have to just put up with the early slog first.

Because you're more likely to stick at something if you enjoy it obviously.

Yoga, pilates and my electric bike. Yes it gives me a bit of help but I'm out on it far more often than I was on a normal one. I wish I could go back to horseriding as well but I might be a bit too old and creaky for that now.

Caroline Girvan You Tube videos. Her smile is infectious and the feeling when you complete a work out is amazing.

I don’t enjoy doing exercise, but I do enjoy how it feels afterwards, and just focus on how great my legs are going to look like in the summer!

Zumba. I actually now teach it online so PM me if you’d like to join a class.

You're all a bad influence. I've just signed up to try a Body Pump class tomorrow

I'm not a natural exerciser, another owner of a variety of heavy duty sports bras to manage 30F of bounce. I competed in a sport for years that was never about exercise but delivered it anyway, but since I gave up I've been a bit stuck. I have a short attention span and get bored quickly!

Right now I have a gym membership at the local council gym. That gives me free access to the pool (never use it) and to classes as well as the gym. In a good week, when life doesn't get in the way, I do 2x Pilates, which are with different instructors and are very different, and a step class. Plus 2 gym sessions which are 30 minute runs and a go round the cable machines for my arms.

I definitely feel better for doing it and I quite like it, but I won't lie and say I love it. I used to play squash and did love that. I'm useless (short, slow, badly coordinated) so I only played with DH who has to accept my limitations. The best thing ever for anger management.

I do group training sessions where we do a mix of cardio and weights. I am not sporty whatsoever and actually the only lesson I used to play truant was PE. I enjoy the group sessions as I think I’d feel overwhelmed going to a weight section in a normal gym but with this I have the guidance and the other people that go have become friends.

Swimming is good for a heavy bust as they become weightless in the water

Swimming/aqua aerobics, any sort of dance class, trampolining

Squash. I hate cardio but I can round around that squash court for hours. It's so fun that it doesn't feel like exercise. You will definitely feel it in the morning though!

I'd love to do swimming. My local pool only does booked slots though still at the moment and it's ALWAYS booked up other than the fast lane. So annoying.

I do 15 mins speed walking once a day.

It's enough to clean my blood and keep my heart healthy without giving it up.

I dislike exercise.

Body combat is my go to. I just love it. I took it up in my 40s and do a minimum of 2 classes a week. I've also started doing Shabam which is a dance based workout. Great fun and I always get a proper sweat on doing it.
My first exercise love though is netball. I play 3 times a week and even though my knees are starting to whinge, I'll keep playing as long as my club will have me.

A question for those who do weight training: is it something I can do to an effective level at home? I absolutely hate gyms,or anyone watching me exercise.

'A question for those who do weight training: is it something I can do to an effective level at home?'

Yes, to a point. You can definitely make progress and get stronger, and there is loads of free content online . You will need to keep buying heavier dumbbells though and they are not cheap. Obviously you will have access to a much wider range of equipment at the gym. I think we can all relate to feeling anxious and insecure at the gym, but I absolutely guarantee you, no one is looking! They're all too focused on their own workout. So please don't let that put you off

Most gyms will give you instruction on how to use weights correctly- and should be for free since its part of the equipment.

Body weight exercises are also effective though.

Lifting weights.

Get yourself a kettlebell then you can do strength and cardio at the same time! Loads of stuff on YouTube.

@madmomma

A question for those who do weight training: is it something I can do to an effective level at home? I absolutely hate gyms,or anyone watching me exercise.

A really good starting point would be something like this which has weights which can be stacked on a bar and also removed and gripped like hand weights. They use similar things in Body Pump classes. It will mean you can get started without having to buy a bar with weights and dumbbells and kettle bells. Then have a look on YouTube for a beginner’s full body free weight routine.

www.amazon.co.uk/Gallant-body-pump-weights-multifunctional/dp/B09TFRYLWV/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=1IP45NK71ZEFC&keywords=body+pump+reebok&sprefix=body+pump+reebok%2Caps%2C141&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1649160373&sr=8-3