If you just hate the thought of exercise you’re not alone. Even if you don’t hate to exercise you might not have an exercise routine in place.
If either of these situations applies to you then see what some of my very own students gave for suggestions. They’re real and they’re great!
- Kevin suggests walking or bike riding, while still an exercise some find it relaxing and fun.
- Deb had this to say – awesome!
First: I had to stop thinking about whether I liked to exercise, and stop telling myself I hated it. Exercise is something you do to take care of yourself. It’s like brushing your teeth. I don’t think about whether I like it or not because it doesn’t matter. I like having teeth, so I take care of them. I like being alive, so I take care of my body.
2. Find something that you don’t completely hate. Like company? Join a class. Like outdoors? Ride a bike. Like socializing? Dance. Hate to sweat? Swim, you don’t notice the sweat.
3. Concentrate on how you feel AFTER the exercise. Righteous? Proud? Better than couch potatoes? How do you feel about clear skin from sweating out those pores? How about less pain in joints from arthritis? How about sore muscles? That’s a good feeling- you earned those sore muscles. Revel in them.
It’s truly remarkable what a change in attitude you have. I have never, ever been athletic. In my family, we never even watched sports in TV, let alone actually playing. I considered tying my shoes or looking for the remote as exercise. Now, -220 pounds, I ride, walk, run, swim, you name it! - Phyll had this to say about mindset and exercise
Maybe we should get rid of the word “exercise” like we got rid of the word “diet.” It’s a mindset. I love a saying I heard a while ago “some people go walking in the rain while other people just get wet!”. It’s all how you think about it. Think health and enjoyment and pride and you’ll be fine.
- Cat looks at exercise as a reward.
I had always been an athlete, running, biking, swimming, softball, volleyball etc til I hit 40. Then it all stopped when I blew out my ACL. Sliding into home (I was safe). Now I try to think that exercising is a REWARD. I say, I GET to go to the gym today instead of I HAVE to go to the gym.
- Patricia says reward yourself and start with something you can tolerate, then like and then love.
Take those things, get your calendar out for next week. Plan at least one session for each category above. Decide how many times that week would be ideal to work out. Put each and every workout on your calendar, down to the time you will start and end each session. When you complete each workout give yourself a star or sticker. Once you accumulate x-amount of stars/stickers in x-amount of time, reward yourself accordingly. Eg- 16 stars in 30 days. The reward should be something you get REALLY excited about, even if that means it’s a little too big for the effort. Who cares, this is a new habit, make it excellent!
- Todd says “Focus on knowing that exercise will help you achieve your goal of health and fitness. Also, start off easy and slow. Something in the beginning, is better than nothing.”
- Susan says “Find things you can challenge yourself with. Walking a 5k can be a great goal to challenge yourself with. Just find one thing, go for it and then find another thing. You will be amazed at the things you are capable of doing if you just sit back and enjoy those endorphins.”
- Sally says find something interesting and engaging.
“I used to hate to sweat. ‘Ladies don’t sweat I was told growing up. They glisten.’ I began a dance class and then added tennis lessons. I was not able to move fast but gained self-esteem to try more. Then, I found riding my bike was fun and engaging and began riding short rides that turned into longer rides. I enjoyed the wind in my face and seeing all of nature around and smelling the sea air. Build onto the activities to give yourself more options and enjoy!”
- Karen says try new things until you find your happy.
There’s a joy that comes in finding that you could do something that you had ruled out for yourself. Recently, for me, that’s been the jump rope. I learned to skip rope as a kid and have now learned to jump rope properly. Love it. My advice? Do something. And then keep doing different things until you find your happy.
- Shannon says “Swim! There are even weights you can use inside the pool that creates a nice resistance. Zero sweat and all the burning!”
- John says “When I don’t feel like going to exercise I focus on the end results long a short term. Long term is how I’ll look when I reach my goal and short term is the endorphin dump you get.”
- Catherine says start with hiking or something that doesn’t feel like exercising.
I needed to start with something that wasn’t JUST about the exercise. I needed a distraction. Hiking worked great for me. I could enjoy the weather, the scenery, the smells and sounds, the animal sightings and even sometimes, the company. My hikes could get harder and harder (or higher and higher!) until I was in better shape and eventually the other things I used to enjoy didn’t seem so challenging anymore.
My mom did the same thing after a surgery and started with walking while listening to books on tape (or today, on mp3). She would set a time/distance goal to make sure she was working hard enough, and then she’d listen to a story she enjoyed while walking. That story got her out there every day because it was the ONLY time she’d let herself listen to the book. By the time it was over, she was moving well and ready to try other fun things again (for her it was tennis).
I really like this! I really like trying different things until you find wht works for you! I am enjoying my gym membership and looking forward to great results!