People who say that exercise is boring

[lljkk]

People who say that exercise is "too boring": my prejudice is to guess is they spend a lot of time watching tv or scrolling social media or watching paint dry... Things I would find too boring. I'm wrong, right? Tell me about how you find exercise "too boring" and what purposeful or constructive activities you are doing instead with the same time you could have exercised.

Or maybe "too boring" actually means "too tiring and I need brain dead time instead" (xx) which I could completely understand needing. But too tiring is not what some posters say. They specifically say "boring."

(xx) or some other thing that doesn't mean too boring but people choose the wrong words.

Exercise for the sake of it bores me to tears. I exercise by dancing and going to pilates classes that are regularly changed up. I cannot understand people who train for marathons or similar events, running is so fcking boring to me. I’ve tried many times to get into it and cannot. Same with going in exercise machines or swimming laps or cycling long distances. So. Boring.

For me, excercise is boring in the way that maths homework is boring.

I don't enjoy one second of it. I find it painful and difficult. I get no sense of achievement or dopamine hit afterwards. I'm clumsy, uncoordinated and unfit. It's always been a struggle - even as a child. As a baby my mum says she would put me somewhere and I would just sit still and observe. I'm still like that. I can remain sedentary for long long periods if I left myself. Boring is probably the wrong word. Torture is more like it for me.

I much much prefer reading, socialising, films, theatre, crafts.

Do you enjoy cooking or personal hygiene? Do you love having a shower and washing your hair and brushing your teeth etc or do you just do it because you have to?

Do you enjoy walking? Just walk more.

Do you know what is poster does in terms of exercise? How odd to give unsolicited advice when you have no idea of their circumstances or lifestyle. I think the comment I can remain sedentary if I let myself really needs more info if you are going to offer advice, which really should only be offered when asked for.

I'm autistic and depressed.

I like how showers feel but I don't always have the spoons to deal with the minutia of pinning my hair up under a shower cap and locating towels to have one. When I do have one, I rarely have the spoons to clean my whole body so I target my armpits, groin, and feet.

I mostly eat Huel because I don't have the spoons left to cook after a day at work.

I don't always manage to brush my teeth.

After digging two small holes in the garden to plant two clematises today, I went to bed and slept for over two hours.

But sure, "just walk more"...

@chuggachug yes I really enjoy cooking. I mostly love personal hygiene. I love baths, sheets, washing my hair, applying makeup, painting my nails and brushing my teeth.

I used to enjoy walking until I got a knee injury last summer. Now if I go for a walk more than 4 miles in a day it takes me around a week to recover.

We can't all enjoy the same things you know. Some of us just really hate exercise.

I'm disabled. Cooking is a dinner a la ping. Showering is painful and difficult. Washing my hair I don't do unless my daughter is here. Brushing teeth is propping elbow on side of basin with electric toothbrush.

I already walk as much as I can - I physically can't walk more.

Your point is?

I'm also autistic @VitoCorleoneOfMNMafia . I have multiple physical disabilities as well.

I hear you and I understand.

@exerciseshmexercise well obviously you have a lot of challenges that I can't imagine having to live with. But surely you don't think most people on this thread including the OP have your level of disability do you? If people are able bodied they should treasure their mobility and health and not take it for granted. Surely this you agree

You see, I can't get my head round that. I would have no recollection of what happened during a TV show (or podcast) if I was doing high intensity work at the same time. Literally everything else gets blanked out - a bomb could go off next door and I wouldn't notice.

That is my approach. Because I don't have a disability and I can.

But I do still find it boring and tedious to do.

And actually what got me to the point of doing regular exercise was stopping listening to people like the OP who suggest that there's something wrong with me for not enjoying it. I searched for years and tried out so many things because I believed that I just had to find the exercise I enjoyed.

Now, I accept it won't be fun, just like loading the dishwasher isn't but I do it anyway.

I value my mobility and good health very much which is why I exercise. I lift weights and spin so that I age as healthily as I can.

Much like brushing my teeth, I still find it pretty boring, which is what the OP (and perhaps you) can’t understand.

As someone who hates exercise I think this might be a better way to frame it actually.

I think the issue I had was that the people who talk a lot about exercise are the people who love it.

But if you don't love it, what works for them isn't going to work for you.

What does treasuring your mobility and health look like? You can lose it in a heartbeat.

It's possible to exercise loads and still find it boring (I used to find the gym deathly boring for example).

I don’t like cooking or exercising but I do both of them because I have to!
I think it’s ok to find it boring or a chore at times. I do appreciate the benefits of it - like when you sit down in a clean house after doing it all - doesn’t mean I enjoyed the process

Exactly. We are all one car crash away from being in a wheelchair. No amount of gym-ratting will protect you from an accident.

I know someone who was on the treadmill when he had a stroke.

Cooking, washing etc are boring but they're easy and over relatively quickly. Exercise is time consuming, painful, awkward and uncomfortable. House work is also boring and time consuming but I don't want to live in a shit tip.

Idk, i use to find it boring. Gym ect, counting down minutes on a treadmill.

But then i worked with a cyclist and athlete, he changed my way of thinking. Can't remember how he said it, but either way. I changed how i do it.

Surfing, badminton with my friends, going kayaking on the river with my DH, walking along the moors. I just made exercise work for me day to day, in social settings, to aid relaxation. I have my own cricket and badminton sets, i just go to a field with the family and have a game.

Brisk walk in the morning through the woods with a coffee with music on to unwind.

Swimming with the LO.

Even if your stuck at home, getting chores done, not sitting down and dancing with the kids. I feel its easiest and maintainable to incorporate it in your daily living in a way it works for you.

This is really so true. Actually the other day I was on a long run and trudging up a hill, and as I was doing I was listening to a podcast where a doctor was saying she thinks we should all do 1-2 workouts a week that we hate, because it you hate it because it’s hard, it’s probably exactly what your body actually needs you to be doing.

I found that super super motivating and it got me up the hill! It was like, permission to hate doing this, and also to know that might actually be a good sign.

No I've encountered this poster on many a thread, before, I'm sure they aren't a journo.

And the person that started the useless degree thread is a different one and they've started lots of stupid and superior threads

Love it but then I catch up with friends while working out

I love going to the gym, it's my happy place, a place where for 90 minutes nothing else matters. I can stick my music on and off I go but I can understand why people would find it boring especially if they don't have a plan of what their doing or why they're doing it.

For a lot of people it is boring yes. Boring as in - they may force themselves to do it for health reasons, but it does not engage/excite/interest them. I used to 'enjoy' tennis but I was not good at it 😂 everything else has just been a chore and a means to an end. I go home and enjoy cooking from scratch, reading, learning about things which interest me, movies or documentaries. Some of those things would be extremely boring for others and may be a means to an end or avoided!

The joys of all being human and different

You're right that the term "boring" could be used in various ways and may not always accurately reflect the underlying reason someone may not enjoy exercise. Here are a few possible interpretations:

1. Lack of Interest: Some people may find traditional forms of exercise, such as running or weightlifting, uninteresting because they prefer more engaging or mentally stimulating activities. They may choose to spend their time on hobbies, socializing, or learning new skills instead.
2. Perceived Lack of Time: Others may use "boring" as a way to express that they prioritize other activities over exercise due to a perceived lack of time. They may feel that activities like watching TV or scrolling social media provide more immediate gratification or relaxation.
3. Physical or Mental Fatigue: "Boring" could also be used to describe feelings of fatigue or low energy that make exercise seem less appealing. In this case, individuals may choose activities that require less effort or stimulation.
4. Misalignment with Goals: Some individuals may find exercise boring because they haven't found a form of physical activity that aligns with their interests or goals. They may be more inclined to participate in activities that they find enjoyable or meaningful.

In any case, it's important to recognize that different people have different preferences and priorities when it comes to how they spend their time. What one person finds boring, another may find enjoyable and fulfilling.