To wish I enjoyed exercise

[iwant2cats]

I genuinely wish I did. I don’t; I never have and never experienced the endorphin rush.

I know that if I want to be mentally strong I have to exercise. I don’t always enjoy it!
I hated sports at school but loved dance so started with that. Then added in strength training and reward myself with dance afterwards 😂

I don’t love exercise naturally and I loathed any form of it until I was in my late twenties.

I have just built it into my schedule as non negotiable and while I don’t always actively enjoy it (sometimes I do, sometimes its a pain) I do get the endorphin rush, it sets me up nicely for my day and it also is really good for my mental health.

I don’t do it to lose weight, I do it for: general health and cardiovascular health in particular, mental health and sleep and because it’s got me through the worst of menopause. So it’s something I see as a part of my life.

I run and do Parkrun and I find the social aspect of that really helps motivate me as I now know people on the Parkrun circuit.

But I think its about a) finding something which works and fits with your life and b) just committing to it, feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

I still don’t always love it but its a part of my life, its been great for my physical and mental health and if I don’t do it for a few weeks I really miss it.

I go to the gym because I'm at least a stone overweight but it's a chore.
I'll go for a walk if it's a nice day but getting into autumn and winter they'll be few and far between

I've been a runner for nearly 20 years and I think the "runners' high" is semi-mythical. I've experienced it about 10 times in that entire period - really, everything (energy, weather, body) has to align perfectly. I actually got one last week and it was magical. It's not the norm though.

The thing is that exercise is meant to be hard work and hard work will always feature a few moments (sometimes many moments!) where you don't want to do it. There's a bitch of a hill on my running route and every time I approach it my brain goes... what if you just stop and walk up it, wouldn't that be better? I have to actively refuse to let that happen. And honestly my worst runs (especially in the winter) my brain is in a massive sulk for the entire 15km.

But you learn to enjoy the other bits - choosing music to listen to, being out in nature, the dogs I pass, the moment when I get to the top of that bastard hill and I don't have to run up it again for a few days. And the absolute best bit is when I finish - not just in a "phew that's over" way but after I've run my mood is lifted, my body aches but in a good way and I have a huge sense of accomplishment even when other aspects of my life are wanting. There's a real sense of strength that comes from knowing that halfway round I thought I couldn't go on, but it turned out I could.

I also know that if I don't run twice a week, I'll feel like shit physically and mentally. Quite annoying really.

I find exercise for its own sake boring, but I can enjoy it if I'm doing a sport (eg tennis). The fittest I've been was when I lived somewhere very hilly and got exercise naturally every time I had to walk anywhere. I don't know what the answer is except to turn it into a social activity so you look forward to being with others despite the exercise?

My personal trainer always says that we all hate doing “hard things” and we always try to do something easier.
so i dont think people “hate exercise” but maybe the hate doing something that makes them uncomfortable, that is hard?

Same. Absolutely hate it. The only way I manage it at all is by spending so much money I can’t justify not doing it and having someone standing over me making me do it. So personal training or classes you have to pay for in advance (I am doing reformer pilates at the moment.)

I don’t get the endorphin thing, but I do enjoy exercising regularly in the gym for several reasons. It’s not the exercise exactly, but what the exercise delivers.

• an hour and a half in the gym gives me an hour and a half listening to an audiobook, plus the walk there and back
• it keeps my blood pressure down
• it leaves me physically tired at the end of the day, so I sleep really well
• it increases my calorie burn so I can eat things I really enjoy without gaining weight
• if I go more than a couple of days without going to the gym, I get antsy, so it obviously affects my mood in ways I can’t identify

But it’s also very, very, boring. I find that worse than it simply being hard.

What have you tried?

I think often too many people see exercise as some sort of a punishment rather than a way of showing what we are capable of.

It shouldn’t be a case of “I ate too much so I need to exercise” or a way of punishing yourself for putting on a few lbs. It should be something you do because your enjoying it and your making yourself fitter and stronger.

Same! The main exercise buzz for me is having done it and knowing I don’t have to do it again for at least 1-2 days. Exercise does make me feel better but I never, ever, EVER want to do it.

OP, I find myself singing the ‘I do it anyway’ song a lot. Have a google if you haven’t seen it, it’s v catchy

I naturally do not seek out exertion at all. So the key for me has been finding a group class that I can regularly do x2 a week. It is really very intensive and it has proved to me that I CAN actually manage quite high levels of exertion, and that afterwards I will feel good (albeit quite tired, but good tired). The group dynamic means I am distracted and also I just have to keep going. So, in summary, not liking exercise isnt a decent excuse for not doing it. Most of us dont like it, but we've found ways to get it done regardless and we feel the overall benefits.

I do work out but it is purely because I also like food and alcohol so, you know, balance.
The only thing of those that I do that I actually enjoy is riding, possibly because it's more about being around horses-it is a good work out though so I'll take it.

I guess to me it is not boring because:
. I can see progress (stronger/faster/fitter/bendier)
. I set goals and work towards them (at the moment i really want to do a handstand)
. I have fun listening to my playlist
. i right the wrongs in my head (that annoying co-worker? As i run faster on the threadmill, i imagine i am overtaking her and tell her everything that is wrong with her!!)

If you find the right activity, it doesn't even feel like exercise.

I love the countryside, and photography, so I walk about 15 miles a day when I am on holiday, or at weekends for planned hikes. I have a dog. I meet friends and we walk and chat.

Also, make exercise sociable. I meet my friend for a swim. We easily do an hour while chatting.

I go to classes, I have made friends and we go for coffee afterwards.

It's also amazing seeing your body change. I do body pump and I can't get over how defined I am starting to look. It makes me want to do more. I have so much body confidence, even though I am 50, I have tanned toned legs and looked good in shorts all summer. So disappointed it's too cold for shorts now 🤣

A PP tried to use big boobs as an excuse for not exercising. I have large boobs, it's doesn't stop you exercising!! I mean, I'm not going to do star jumps, or run, but I don't do that sort of exercise.

Same. I'm mid-60s and really dislike all the ways of exercising I've tried (I've tried lots). I have arthritis and honestly, my pain levels are massively reduced if I sit on my bum with my crochet. It's probably not good long term but meh. Who knows how much long term there is.

Walking is great excersise.

I never enjoyed running really when younger. If I could I'd tell my younger self not to bother as it knackered my knees, thus forcing me to give up tennis.

OP I agree its tedious and makes me miserable I do it though as otherwise I would be bigger than I am.

The only thing I remotely enjoy is Zumba.

You just haven’t found the right exercise for you

What are you doing in the garage with a head torch on? Genuine question - it made me laugh 😊

And 'having so much fun' that's the bit that made me laugh!

I am a target driven person so i joined the conqueror challenge - its about £30 per challenge but you choose your challenge (i have just finished a virtual 500 miles around north coast of scotland) and imput activity into the challenge. While doing it you can see where you are on googlemaps, get postcards and info about the locations you are passing and at the end you get a medal through the post. As someone who likes shiny things this has really motivated me in a, you check your app and you are 4km from the next check point so go for a walk, kind of a way.

I'm with you all the way. Any kind of outdoor exercise meets the problem that it's too hot, too cold, too wet, or just boring and time consuming. Indoor exercise has similar problems, only partly ameliorated by being in shelter. The only type of exercise I actually enjoy is swimming, but then you have all the faff of getting there, changing, showing and changing afterwards etc.

I guess if I were rich enough to have my own indoor pool with shower facilities attached I would exercise regularly, but sadly I'm not.

I’ve never found exercise I enjoy. I’ve found some I can tolerate. I do it because I have to. I am jealous of people who enjoy it

Solidarity OP, I bloody hate it. It never, ever makes me feel anything but knackered and slightly nauseous. I rank it as a chore on par with putting the bins out. Not nice, but needs to be done.