I hate walking

[Namechangequeenie]

I know that sounds dramatic but I do really dislike walking. My activity levels have plummeted over the last few years and I’m getting pretty enormous. However when I try to exercise by walking I regret it as I don’t enjoy it and it makes my body ache. I put music on and I try to keep going but I often get some of the way and wish I hadn’t started! Then you have to get back so have to continue longer than you want to. Anyone have any tips to make it more tolerable?

google council run health walks for your area, we have a few a day round here, literally every day of the week, all graded from beginners to the fast walkers.

So you get a walk plus meet new people, might be worth a try if your area does these.

I always associate a walk with listening to a good book or podcast, if there good enough you’ll end up not even noticing your walking.

just 20 mins a day equals over two hours a week, 8 hours a month.

I do think walking is important because being indoors all the time isn't good for mental health. I get pretty bored walking round the streets near me, but I love driving to woodlands or lakes to walk and just soak up the scenery and breathing the fresh air. Podcasts are great too

I used to hate walking too, I've always had very painful feet. When I finally got those sorted out (they are hypermobile so too flat and too flexible) with decent orthotics and walking boots I started going for a weekly walk with a friend. We've been doing it for several years now and I really look forward to it, it's our time to chat and catch up and the actual exercise bit of it happens almost by accident.
Do you have anyone you could walk with? Join a local group? Or just ask on Facebook/next door - someone set up a women's walking group on ours that does short distance walks as well as longer ones.
don't give up, you can crack this!

P.s I’m sorry to say I do have a tip for making walking more comfortable and that is to keep it up. You ache because you’re unfit. The only way to ease it is to become fitter. This will apply to any exercise you do with the exception of perhaps, swimming.
Think of it as short term pain for long term gain, however you choose to move your body. If you stick with it, it won’t always be awful like it is now, I promise you.

And yes, go somewhere scenic if you can.

Thank you all so much for being kind and giving me ideas. I know I need to do something as I’m so shocked how much I struggle. I’ve piled on so much weight that I’m now carrying 8 stone more than I should be (I’m very tall) and man do I feel it!
I suffer with depression and fatigue which has become a vicious cycle because it’s made me less willing to go out and do things but in turn has made me gain more weight and get more and more unfit.

Now to find some podcasts…..any good ones people can recommend?

I wouldn't focus on how far you go to start with. Stay out for as long as you can manage but don't go so far that's it's a struggle to get back - stick fairly close to your house and do laps so you can call it quits when you need to.

Can you build walks with a purpose into your day, rather than treating it as ‘exercise’? I used to drive to the station, then get a train and then bus as part of my commute. Now I walk to the station (15 mins) and when I get off the train I walk 15 mins to work instead of getting the bus. Just that 1 hour of walking a day has improved my stamina no end.

I also do one long walk every weekend with a friend. We start off with a coffee, then do a good 90 minute walk on local heathland. Chat a bit and the time flies. If I did it alone I’d probably give up after 20 mins!

@Namechangequeenie im listening to Rangan Chatterjees podcasts at the moment, they make me feel inspired to be a bit healthier (though disclaimer I am quite fit and eat well anyway so find them reinforcing, so don't listen if you think they will have a negative impact on your MH or make you feel worse).

I listen to audio books when I walk the dog, I have an audible sub and also there are some free books on there. I tend to stick to authors I like in print form, so listen to spy books and thrillers.

I adore walking. I have two dogs so spend a lot of time walking them. But in the week I go out at 5am on my own and walk a circular loop from my door and back to my door. Take about an hour. I listen to my headphones and hear the birds and see the wildlife and I love that special time just for me.

I also have foot issues, an achilles problem and nerve problems, but I just try to make my feet as comfy as I can and keep going.

Good luck.

I hate walking without a point! I'm fine if I have a reason, I have a dog so absolutely have to walk him. Could you walk to work or part of the journey? Is there anywhere you need to go and leave the car at home? Aimless walking isn't very exciting and hard to motivate yourself to do it.

You may find you prefer walking on a treadmill at the gym, where you can control the gradient and basically just watch TV whilst exercising. However, that does require you to have the ability not to give a shit about being an overweight person in the gym - I have this ability and like to think that my presence there will help other people feel less self-conscious (and the gym I go to is full of young toned professionals, but if there's any judging going on I've never noticed it, due to not giving a shit).

Anyway, back to podcasting, there are loads of brilliant ones, if you give an idea of what kind of things you're interested in we can point you in the right direction.

My faves are:

• Shrinepod: TV podcast, they cover episodes of shows when they're being broadcast like Line of Duty, Trigger Point, Happy Valley.
• The Rest Is Politics: Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart
• Trashy Divorces: genuinely hilarious series about marriage breakups, I know that sounds very weird! They've done some great series in the past like Trashy Tudors and The Swans
• 13 Minutes to the Moon: the stories of Apollo 11 and Apollo 13

But you can find anything you might fancy - fiction, non-fiction, short, long, and this will help make it less tedious. Also keep in mind this is a rubbish time of year so definitely harder to get the motivation to go outside.

This may seem like a bit of a bonkers way of thinking, but having been where you are in terms of weight (I lost 10 stone) it’s worth considering.

I was a very active kid and used to play outside all the time as I’m sure we all did back then. My nickname in the village was ‘pigtails’ because I ran full tilt everywhere with my pigtails flying out behind me. To my mind, running got you there quicker so it made sense. My other favourite thing to do was pelt about on my bike, cycling up the hill and cruising back down at high speed…I still bear the scars.
Anyway, I’m 47 now and it turns out that now I am fit, I still enjoy the same activities. ‘Pigtails’ goes trail running and mountain biking these days. The feeling is just the same. I feel like a kid again and it is fantastic.

Have a think about what you liked to do when fitness was no issue…in your childhood, what did you enjoy? Reconnect with that feeling or activity. Good luck.

And def an audiobook or similar

Lots of good advice above. One thing I wanted to add was considering signing up for a virtual challenge where you complete a certain distance (they vary hugely so there's something for everyone), see yourself progress along a map and get a medal at the end. You can even do them for charity.

If possible you could also add in swimming or aqua to your routine - your weight is supported by the water so there's less impact on your joints and it is a good way to mix up your exercise to give your mind and your body some variety.

And finally do think about if you can get even a little strength work in as this will have amazing benefits in building up the muscle you need to keep mobile. It definitely doesn't need to be at a gym or require equipment, you can do an amazing amount at home with things round the house. There are dozens of videos out there, including lots aimed at people who are out of shape and want to get into shape. Michael Mosely had a really simple little and often routine that you could try, involving a backpack with books in, a water bottle and I think two tins: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4CJDns2FXjNH9XByMWyK6l2/how-lifting-weights-could-improve-your-body-and-your-mind

I adore walking. However I have a knee problem which is grounding me ATM .Awaiting physio with hope of getting back to it.Also need to shed some weight! A short walk maybe 10 minutes or so?Build it up slowly .I am not exactly on a diet but have cut back on bread.Seem a bit more comfy .My cousin eats Porridge for breakfast ,maybe some Ryvita/cottage cheese for lunch, and just eats normally evenings. Trying this out .Tweaked with a "treat" here and there 80 calories for a bag of quavers ,90 smarties tube.

As someone else said upthread, the Active 10 app is brilliant. It records how many bursts of 10 mins of brisk walking you do. You aim for 30 minus - 3 bursts a day. It gives you something to aim for and is far more achievable than the random 10k steps someone once came up with. Better for your cardiovascular health too.

I don't think this has been mentioned....try playing Pokemon Go on your phone 😃
I dislike aimless 'going for walks' but will happily do the rounds of the local Pokestops and Gyms. Seeing a Stop just out of range spurs me on to walk that bit further.
There are MN threads for players [an element of the game is making 'Friends' who also play]

I am also a keen photographer and will walk with my camera. I'm recording Listed Buildings for this project:
britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/
You can look for birds, or trees, or interesting-looking people or whatever takes your fancy.

Can I also say that you complain that it makes your body ache

Shouldn't you be celebrating that you have done enough exercise to make your body ache ? Shouldn't that make you proud of yourself ?

There's a podcast for anything you like really.

I quite like ones that tell me a story on a long journey so things like Serial, Dirty John, British Scandal are absolutely great. If you want a giggle then definitely try My Dad Wrote a Porno.

There are also podcasts about popular TV shows, parenting, current affairs and famously, true crime.

I also hate exercise by the way - just never enjoyed any of it but I make myself do 30 mins of brisk walking everyday by telling myself it’s essential for my health. Like eating vegetables and whatever else. I don’t give myself permission to see it as optional.

I hate walking. Turns out that I have hypermobility and a fat disorder that makes my thighs enormously deformed. My gait is very compromised.

It takes an awful lot of stuff to get me ready to walk. Decent trainers with enough support. Sports compression. I tape up my knee. Charged phone, charged headphones, music, water and a PLAN. A target.

Walking is much harder for some of us than others. I like Nordic walking because I can get a lot more energy expenditure without going fast. The poles also help.

I started playing Pokémon to get me walking - it worked!

I have hypermobility and although ive got all the right orthotics and support boots and trainers and whatnot Im still quite unsteady, not helped by peri menopausal vertigo, hence my dislike of the camber on pavements or any fluctuating surface (which another poster found quite funny, not sure why).

Sent you a PM

Audio books and green space /blue space and vary it.