Committed exercise phobes

[Pastperfect]

Have any committed exercise phobes found something they enjoy and stuck at it?

I hate exercising: over the years I've tried classes, team games, DVDs, running, cycling etc I hate it all. I go in fits and starts where I force myself for a few weeks but it's impossible to stick at because every minute is under sufferance.

Someone inspire me please

What are you looking to achieve? Weight loss, fitness or the feel good factor?

If you are overweight water is a great way to excercise. In the summer, i love to paddle board and also do swim training. I joined a club and it's really energising.

Walking/ golf keep some people gripped but i started playing badminton last winter and loved it. Inside and warm and having a partner kept me very motivated.

Until June this year I had not moved faster than a stroll since PE at High School (15 years +) and even then I hated it with a passion and avoided exercise at every opportunity.

Fast forward to today...I ran 10k before 8am in less than an hour.

All thanks to the Couch 2 5k app on my phone...try it! There is a very helpful thread on here to keep you motivated.

Can you start something with a friend? Might help to motivate you a bit if someone else is relying on you.

Yes! Three months ago I joined my local gym and tried every one of the classes that I could reasonably make it to. Some were awful (Step was a particular low point) but a few have stuck. I think it's a lot to do with the instructors and the crowd that goes. Classes work well for me because I respond better to the structure of a time/day/location than the flexibility of running/swimming/etc whenever because that would quickly become never.

As well as actually enjoying the activities for themselves, I'm now seeing genuine progress which is awesome.

My reasons for starting were that I wanted to be fitter and stronger, I wanted to interact with other humans (I work from home so this is really important) and I needed to de-stress. Like slavetotherave said, what do you want to get out of it?

Thanks all - some inspiration there

Principally, like maybe I want to be fitter and stronger. I'm a flabby size 10/12 so toning up would be a good start.

I like the idea of liking exercise - running, with pony tail swishing looking like a Nike ad, in reality I'm more likely to be found with wine in front if TV

I hate exercise. Really hate it, and spent my twenties avoiding it altogether. I'm now 45 and I still haven't found anything I actually positively like, but what works for me is cycling to work (so that the exercise is in place of a grotty journey on public transport rather than in place of something I'd prefer to do), and doing fitness DVDs to improve my strength and flexibility on work mornings before DS gets up. I'm a Jillian Michaels fan: a lot of hers are under 30 minutes and they really make a difference to strength and fitness. I've done it by making it a non-negotiable part of my weekday routine: I get up, put the coffee on, do my workout, then shower and have coffee before I need to get DS dressed for school.

I don't really enjoy much exercise atall, but one thing I love is pole dancing classes. I love it and even when I'm really tired and can't be arsed I still make myself go and love it

Also I found it makes me want to be stronger and fitter so I do other exercise to help me get better at pole if you are what I mean.

I think you need to find something your are passionate about that challenges you in a way that makes you want to learn. Running etc would never do that for me

Another way of looking at it (and the one that made the difference to me as I got older) is that exercise is like personal hygiene: it doesn't matter whether you enjoy showering and brushing your teeth or not, you just have to do it. I find it's easier to make myself do it if I think about it like that.

I tried rowing and loved it, i had to give it up for various reasons, but i still miss it and ive never found anything else i can bring myself to do.

I did Kung Fu as a teenager and loved it! 30 years later, I'd never go back to a class, but just found a DVD that is like a beginner lesson, it was much better than an average exercise DVD as I could see the point to it. is there anything like that, when you were younger that you could return to? ( I also loved horse riding, but its expensive :( )

also ( as I'm similar, I go from one thing to another) , don't worry if you don't have "your sport! " 12 months of doing different stuff in rotation still counts as exercise. I do envy people who have found their true calling in exercise,

I don't really enjoy cardio - hate classes (or the idea of them, having only ever done one) because I don't like to do things in groups or be told what to do. I hate machines because it's boring to stare at the wall while feeling uncomfortable. I do manage to do about 20 hours of cardio a week, though.

One thing I do is split my cardio in half. I do ten minutes on the stair climber (misery) and then go lift weights. (I enjoy lifting weights.) Then, unless it's a leg workout day, I do another ten minutes. Sometimes I'll do two fifteen minute sessions. As it so happens, you get the same benefits even if you break it up into ten minutes at a time, more times a week.

Another thing I do is to go hill walking. I love hill walking. It's not as intense as the stair climber (I'd class it more as moderate while the stair climber is vigorous) but I can do it for hours if I have the time.

Ugh... not 20 hours a week. TWO hours a week. Sorry.

Ooops, ...but for others, variety is a good thing

I like the idea that it's a mindset and I just have to get on with it.

I did try boxing this week and actually really enjoyed it so let's see....