What exercise can you actually stick to?

[bea19]

I’m nearly 40, two DC (4 and 22 months) and have got into a rut of doing absolutely no exercise. I really want to get stronger and fitter. Please could you share any type of exercise that you really enjoy enough to do on a frequent basis? I know there are so many types but I need inspiration!

For what it’s worth, pre kids I swam 3 times per week but I only enjoy doing it in the mornings and we can’t make that work now with breastfeeding and school run etc… plus the pool near us has got so run down it’s disgusting! I’ve done a bit of yoga in the past and enjoyed that. I jog (very) occasionally but am very much a fair weather jogger.

Grateful for any suggestions!

Parkrun. It can be addictive with stats chasing (not necessarily linked to speed) and it is a community so you want to go to see your friends too. You would need to have Saturday morning childcare though or a four year old that wanted to sign up too and a running buggy for the 22 month old. You could start with junior parkrun on a Sunday and do the 2k with the four year old.

Do strength training routinely at home every day. Find a way to make it a habit. (Not saying I love it but it is important)

I can only stick to certain classes at the gym I go to. I like Combat and Attack as they're more fun and music orientated. I get in a routine where say Monday at 5.30pm is one of them and Weds at 6pm another so I know in advance when I'm going. I try to run outside a bit too but as it's not structured I tend to forget/talk myself out of going.

It so depends. For me I never stuck at anything till I found lifting which I love, look forward to going every time and miss it on rest days. I love getting strong, measurable progress, how hard it feels and that I get to do it by myself.

Weights at home (I dislike heavy cardio and you don’t have to do long sessions to feel a benefit ) and yoga

CrossFit - essentially lifting and cardio.

Incredibly challenging yet addictive and very effective!

Running, but only since doing parkrun and joining a running club. The group/social aspect is what has made it stick, even though I now mostly run on my own. Much easier to get out in all weathers and in the dark if you have company. The Running community is very inclusive if you find the right group.

I went to Jazzercise regularly at your age, loved it (I love to dance) and it really builds up your fitness. Nowadays I do a 20 minute routine in the morning based on it, stretches, a bit of pilates and some light weights.

Yoga. It’s the only thing I can stick to consistently. I do three classes a week and practice at home with a video on other days. It helps me feel stronger and more flexible, fewer aches and pains and just more alive.

I walk a lot, too. I’m trying to build in a bit of weights and cardio, but it’s a struggle as I just don’t enjoy them like I do yoga & walking.

if you are coming from a low base now might be worth starting with a fit bit /tracker and aiming for at least 10k steps a day (tho obvs the more the better!)

sign up to yoga with Adrienne - she’s doing an email every day with a 20 min online class for jan (and she’s a good back catalogue).

those are both easy to incorporate into your day as a good start and once they are embedded you can increase or change Yoga or add on a swim /workout (eg joe wicks had loads on you tube) a few times a week

dont underestimate the importance of prioritising time for yourself and your health!

good luck and enjoy

I always found that the day ran away with me if I left exercise to the evening, or even lunchtime, or when dh got in to look after the dc.

7 or 8 months ago I started going to a CrossFit class at 6am 3 days a week, whilst everyone is asleep. The I'm back at 7 just as I'd would have been getting up anyway.

My dc are older than yours, so not baby or breastfeeding, so 6am may not work for you, but if you can find an hour 3 times a week and "ringfence" that time, but booking something in, that might help you stick to it.

Making it a social thing really helps with accountability - and getting kids involved in activities is good for all of you - put music on or play energetic games. It helps to find ways to fit it into your daily routine so there's a purpose to it and it takes minimum effort. Doing a little bit every day is somehow easier to stick to. I keep a resistance band in the kitchen so I can easily do a few reps of something while the kettle boils or dinner is cooking - it all adds up!

For me, anything I dont have get ready and go outside to do. Daily I use dumbbells, resistance bands and an aerobic step at home. I use exercise bike alongside, once or twice weekly. All do-able as I can watch tv or listen to music whilst exercising. When Im out and about I do try to walk as opposed to taking bus. As an aside the aerobic step is just to the side of my kitchen door, as its in my eyeline I tend to do 25 or 50 step ups several times daily as I go past. All of this keeps me fit and a healthy weight and best of all I dont need to think too hard about exercise.

I'm also 40 and really unfit right now.

In the past I did get very into yoga in a proper yoga studio (I don't get as much out of yoga in a gym).

But since going back to work and dh no longer wfh very much, I can't do it. The classes clash with too many things, I have the dcs with me a lot in the evenings and during school holidays and there's just too much to do. I found I was getting irritated during all the meditation / savasana thinking "I don't have time for this"! Very un-zen of me.

I have been on my bum most of this weekend as I've caught some sort of virus as I'm so run down with v early starts at work and kids staying up later these days and just having lots on with kids parties, sitting in freezing party venues etc.

Anyway excuse the moan. My actual plan is this:

1. I have got a spin bike which I'm just getting on as and when in front of the TV! It seems to be working

2. Walk to the gym and swim there. It's private so a bit cleaner and quieter than the leisure centre

3. I am starting a new job next month which will be busier physically and I will also be able to walk wo work. Sounds drastic, but that was one of the reasons I wanted out of my current glued to my desk job which is in the middle of nowhere so have to drive every day.

Solidarity - I am determined to get fitter, but feel your pain.

I’ve thought about this a LOT over the years so here’s my long response!

The key to sticking to exercise long term and loving it is about matching your personality type + your routine + thinking strategically & ensuring your environment supports you.

Ask yourself:

Do you love stats, progress and measuring results or does that put you off?

Do you love the challenge of crushing a goal eg C25K or would it make you feel bad if you didn’t meet it?

Do you need accountability, eg a structured weekly class you pay for and have to turn up to or do you do well on your own?

Do you love classes and a high vibe community or is exercise more about restoring and winding down?

Flexibility: maybe you could run spring-summer but switch to restorative yoga autumn/winter?

Over the years I’ve done yoga, gym, cross fit, tennis, boxing, golf, swimming, online work outs, running, and boot camp: now late 40s.

I’ve only consistently stuck to swimming and gym as a) they get results and b) I use exercise as switching off time and I can’t always meet class schedules.

I absolutely love the gym and can’t wait to go every time. I line up podcasts, great headphones, workout gear, a nice coffee on the way and it’s a five minute drive on my school drop off, as proximity and ease of access is also key.

Hope you find something you love!

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses. I agree it’s definitely about making a routine and finding something I love to help me stick to that. We do have a new CrossFit place in the town I live in but I was a bit intimidated about trying that. I will definitely try to find some studio yoga classes that don’t clash with the kids bathtime-bedtime routine! I would love to get a cargo bike for the school run (for exercise and the climate!) but I can’t afford one. @RunningAndSinging do you find parkrun accessible with a running buggy?

Re feeling intimidated is that's a barrier, communities like that are so welcoming. CrossFit isn't my bag but I know they are renowned for being welcoming. I'm a powerlifter, I now walk into lots of environments that I would have seen as intimidating (hard core gyms, huge strong men, chalk flying, loud music, weights crashing etc) and they are the most welcoming places. Honestly. It makes me quite emotional the way these super strong people cheer me on just as much as the stronger people. If someone had told me this 2 years ago I would have 🤨 but it's honestly true.

I fell in love with boxing training about 18 months ago - before that I did F45 but found I stopped pushing myself and 40 mins was never enough for me.

Boxing is a full hour (and then some) of cardio and resistance training and I've never been fitter.

I also run but do so to support my endurance in boxing. I rarely spar, but do bag work, pad work and HIIT combinations.

The endorphin rush was like no other, I never finish a work out and wished I hadn't done it!

Why can you only enjoy swimming in morning?
Noon swims tend to be the quietest ones.

I walk or cycle to get to/from places, that means most of my exercise happens by default, I don't have to think about it.

Walking and yoga (but only by going to classes twice a week). I did 18 months of doing it daily at home but it didn’t stick long term

The same as a previous poster, I've found early morning suits me best. I work full time and have a baby and a school aged child so I go to the gym and mainly do strength training on a wfh day while they're all in bed still then back for the breakfast/school/nursery run. I do a dance class straight after work also on one of the wfh days once a week that's purely cardio. I try and do the gym on a weekend morning early too. It's so hard fitting it in around work and then throwing in the 4 x week sport commitments my eldest has which means one of us takes them and the other is on baby duty. If I go early or straight after work it means I don't have time to think about it, I just go so I can't make excuses, and I love it once I'm there.

I used to love running before having kids and when I was a lot slimmer. This was when I had more time and a fancy pants gym membership (I'm at the local council one now ) I've just got a second hand treadmill so the days I have to go in the office or can take a proper lunch break I hope I can do that too, I used to like to do interval training or increase how long I can do without stopping. The increase in time was addictive.

Peloton is the one I've stuck with
Not just the bike but the weights classes too

I have a very active job, which I choose after an office job redundancy.

Otherwise I go for walks/ hiking regularly.

I'm still new at this so my input needs to be taken with a grain of salt. My motivation is because of a heart disease diagnosis that I've been given at a relatively young age. As I want to do what I can to avoid a heart attack and I want to increase my heart's health I am motivted to go to the gym. Because of this I don't expect to always want to go or to be happy whilst there - I see this as something I just have to do now, like brushing my teeth or doing laundry. My other motivator has been to find a minimum and stick to that until I get bored - I like repetition so this will take a while to kick in for me. My final motivator is to work as hard as I can in a short space of time. So I get in, do 30 minutes full on, and get out again - it's a 10 min walk either side so I'm using this as my warm up and cool down for now.

I've learned that I do not like specific classes where someone esle decides what we're doing at what time and for how long.

When I get home I have a shower and then a cup of tea in bed to finally cool down. That part feels like a treat and I can feel proud at that point for making good choices.

Just turned 40 and have two children, 17 and 11. Before kids I would go to the gym like 4 times a week. Whilst pregnant I switched to Yoga and continued for a little bit. I have been off and on with fitness since my eldest was born. I've always been slim (although I dont see ut as I have body dysmorphia), but it was more that I wanted to feel better, especially my mental health. Joined the gym with my eldest back in June and I love it. I mix it up with cardio and weights. Sometimes it's hard to get over during the week after work, but we have gym gear in the house too so will mix up home workouts with the gym. OH prefers to go jogging now rather than the gym, which is fair enough. I either go with ds 17 or on my own if he has football. Hope you find something you enjoy 🙂

For me it's videos at home. All I need is sports bra and a small space in the spare room. Have now added a range of weights but at the beginning I couldn't even manage 1kg.

I do Team Bodyproject as Daniel is the right mix of encouraging and realistic.