Exercise SO HARD

[Dontknowwhattodo223]

I am so down at the moment and finding exercise so difficult. I went to a gym class yesterday and it felt like I was wading through treacle, my body feels like the tin man. But one of the main things that gets me down is how fat I am so I need to keep exercising. Any tips?

also: embrace exercise being hard
there is nothing better than the feeling of achievement with your cold drink after you finish!

Yes, keep exercising to get better at it, while fixing your diet and sleep schedule in parallel.

Shift your mindset that this is what you do until you die, not to lose some weight and then go back to a fat person's lifestyle.

My motivation is through the floor at the moment so I can't be much help but I'm glad you posted so that I can try to get some inspiration too. I used to love exercise but I just don't know where my mojo went.

Even if it felt like treacle, you should commend yourself for getting out and going to the exercise class. That is half the battle, well done to you! If you can just keep turning up, no matter how much of a grind it feels, maybe it will gradually get easier?

For now, I walk my dog 3 x a day (and enjoy it) and resign myself to that being my only exercise. Better than nothing I guess!

There's fat and fat tho. I'm still fat but feel much better as underneath the thermal overcoat I'm quite muscly and able to do loads of things that I couldn't do before. I'm still the slowest person doing the things I do but it does not matter. :-)

It really does have to be a lifestyle change tho with decent food and sleep. It gets more important as you get older too to hang on to muscle and be cardiovascularly fit.

Even if it felt like treacle, you should commend yourself for getting out and going to the exercise class. That is half the battle, well done to you!

Yes, I've heard yoga people say "Just getting to the mat is the achievement." Once you're there, you may as well do some practice.

Just do something for 10 minutes. Then each week, add 5 minutes.

I need to get up at 5:45 to leave the house at 6:45 for work, I don't think I could bear getting up any earlier. I feel knackered all the time as it is :(

Do you, at some point in your day, have 5 minutes? If so........

• put the kettle on
• do this:

• have a cuppa 🍵

Just do it! First time you'll think "no way!!!!! I'll never be able to to a side plank 😱....... but just KOKO.

You'll get there. I'm 70 and know whereof I speak. And it's totally worth it.

Just hold the plank for 30 seconds is surely going to put OP off.

Look for Sharona'sHill on YouTube, she does walking workouts with lots of adaptations. I've just started exercising again after about 20 years of doing bugger all (except comfort eating!) and she's brilliant- so positive and the music's fab.
Just keep at it, at a pace that works for you :)

I’ve tried so many different eg things over the years: aerobics, running, yoga, Pilates, swimming, gym..then I discovered powerlifting. I go to a women’s only powerlifting gym. I do a set class with 1 trainer to a maximum of 4 of us and we do sets so we are monitored as we do our lifts. I absolutely love it. I was on a funded place for a while and when that finished I joined as a proper member because I missed it so much, not just physically but for my mental health. It’s about finding something that you love. Exercise doesn’t have to be miserable!

Sorry op but I’m another one who says “do it first thing or you won’t do it at all”. I can find all sorts of ways to talk myself out of exercise during the day. If I just get up and go without thinking about it, I do. And i Get to feel smug all all day too. 😜

also someone said on here and it Really resonated with me it’s not about willpower it’s about discipline.

Just wondering have you had your thyroid checked? Feeling down, unmotivated and like I was walking through treacle made me go to the doctors and bloods showed I had hypothyroidism. I’m meds now and my life has changed so much!

Holding a plank for any length of time may seem impossible to begin with, but it gets easier every time. I was in my mid-60s when I started. I remember, the first time I tried it seemed incomprehensible to me that I might ever be able to hold a plank for 30 seconds, never mind 3 minutes.

But I KOKO and slowly but surely my core got stronger. I cannot remember how long it took to go 3 minutes but I think it was maybe a month or so? But however long it takes, it is totally worth it.

A strong core is the key to physical strength and fitness. It makes virtually every exercise easier; walking, running, lifting weights, Russian twists and other abdominal exercises..... I used to get lower back pain - not anymore.

All it takes is 3 minutes or so each day. (I'm 70 now but I can do 15 minutes.)

This lady does great dance workouts at 3 levels. She's not pretentious or annoying and there's a huge range of music and movie themes etc. Must are done in a tabata /HIT style. Look through and find one you like the music to and give it a go. 💖

https://youtube.com/@emkfit?si=KwYeuY49uT2uFgFl

It's OK to feel tired/ knackered during/ after, that means you're challenging your body and it's working. (Actual pain other than a stitch is another matter)

As a runner, it often feels like it never gets easier, but when you realise you've achieved more for the same effort, that's when you realise you've made progress.

Just doing something and keep doing it is important, and many people start from that at all ages.

If you persist- go 4-5 times a week, after 2-3 weeks you’ll feel much better. But those first 2-3 weeks will feel very painful and hard.

What aboit dance? I went to ballroom and it was fun but bloody hell it was a workout.
Do weights too.
Or the Ramblers is fabulous....meet other people and walk.

Thank you so much everyone.
I think walks are the way forward for me. Did nearly 6 miles walking today!

That's great! @Dontknowwhattodo223

Well done...
Walking has so many benefits.

I have a treadmill and use it nearly every day. Instead of sitting around watching tv at night I watch something while I'm walking away on it. My DH does the same with an exercise bike. They were both really good investments for us