@Nrdsb4’s comment resonated with me because I am driven to exercise by fear of an incapacitated old age. I notice that when I do not exercise, my joint aches and pains come back. I consider exercise a duty of care I owe to myself. Exercise is not an option but a necessity.
The trick is to find some form of physical activity you like. I believe that everyone can be good at something. I have poor eye-hand coordination (could never do anything involving the connection of a stick with a ball). I was one of those who was not chosen for teams in elementary school. I was fast and ran track in high school, but I was a sprinter and had no stamina for long-distance running (plus I have flat feet and was bedeviled by various orthopedic problems). I now lift weights, and I take pleasure in meeting and exceeding my goals; I realized fairly late in life that I’m pretty strong for a woman. I have to do cardio on an elliptical (which I find boring in the extreme), but I do enjoy the meditative aspect of weightlifting. I never in a million years thought I would be doing this. I also like the supportive quirky inclusive environment at my gym. It’s the antithesis of the trendy yoga class with lycra-clad trophy wives. It’s possible to find an exercise environment where you feel comfortable, if you look for it.
Great thread - very enlightening! I like being active but dislike almost all forms of exercise except walking. I’ve been more or less committed to regular use of an elliptical for the past 5 years. It’s in my basement, which is dark, cold, and depressing, but there’s a TV down there, so I can combine something I don’t especially enjoy (the workout) with something I love (old movies or some of today’s great television).
I’ve never felt anything resembling a endorphin rush. I would never exercise at a gym because group environments are just too hard for me to deal with unless I absolutely must, like for a paycheck. I was a normally active kid - played outside, ran around, loved to bike and swim. In 4th grade I discovered that I was bad at Gym. Those damned ball sports. Maybe some of you can sympathize with how painful that was. I thought of myself as someone who was lousy at physical activity for many years because of it. But now I’ve got decent numbers and decent joints. So there, Mrs. Caswell, Mrs. Anderson, and Miss Healy.
Mostly I don’t like sweating. I don’t like the changing and showering. And there always seems to be better things to do like being on CC!
I was a skinny active kid, but the only sports I enjoyed were tetherball and four square. I liked swimming, but I’ve never swum competitively, and didn’t have access to a pool for much of my youth. In high school I tried field hockey (I never knew what I was supposed to be doing), Lacrosse (loved throwing and catching the ball, but it had the same tactical issues as field hockey), tennis (my balls always went over the fence) and finally settled on Modern Dance for my sport. I always did a fair amount of hiking as part of Girl Scouts and introduced my family to backpacking. After gaining 20 pounds in college I knew I had to do something and for the next 10 years or so dh (then boyfriend) and I jogged. I never loved it, but Pasadena is a gorgeous place to run and we had a nice routine where we did it before going to work three or four times a week. We even ran in two 5Ks. After kids it was difficult, I got most of my exercise pushing a stroller because we only had one car and dh used it for commuting to work. When kids were in nursery school I used to swim laps for the two or three hours. It took about just the whole time by the time you did all that dressing and undressing (and maybe a sauna!) In elementary school I dropped my kids off at school then did Dance Aerobics taught by a fellow Mom then went to my part time job or later my part time work at home job. As my business got busier and the Mom moved the class to evenings I stopped doing that. I discovered weights when my kids were taking swimming lessons. I thought watching them was extremely boring so I’d sneak away and do weights at the Y. I liked that better than anything else I’ve done except walking. I do love walking, but it’s soooo time consuming. Currently I go to Y once a week on the weekend with dh we do weights then elliptical. During the week I have weights and a bike in the basement or I take a walk. But it’s really easy to not get to it. I’ve finally learned that even 15 minutes or half an hour is better than not doing anything. I was really good about it for a few years, fell off the wagon except for the weekend workout, but am trying hard to get back on track. I did discover that I enjoy playing with kettleballs and dumbbells and TRX. I also try to incorporate small stuff into the day. I’ll do a set of pushups a couple of times a day nearly every day. I’d wall sits while brushing my teeth. That sort of thing.
Speaking of weights - at the last physical the doctor had me squeeze my hands in hers. She was a bit surprised at how hard I squeezed and that my left hand was as strong as my right. Yep, that was all that playing around with weights.
And to continue my overlong post. One reason I know I have to exercise is watching aging parents and relatives. My Mom never really exercised while her sister was the energizer bunny busy with training border collies. (She’s slowed down to labs now.) It was really noticeable what a big difference it made in their lives, even before my mother came down with Parkinson’s (or more likely another similar disease.)
Me too. It doesn’t bother me. I have always been a heavy sweater, even when i am in shape. I had a coach once tell me that it’s good to sweat a lot, as it’s the sign of an efficient cooling system; it’s a myth that fit people don’t sweat.
I agree with Nrdsb4 comment that you just have to make it something you do regularly, like flossing or a colonoscopy. (No, the prep for exercising is not the same!!). I go religiously every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Sometimes I don’t want to go, but if it’s Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday, I have to go. Just like Thursday is put-out-the-garbage day.
“Personally, I don’t get the get into a car, drive to a gym, change, exercise, shower, change back and drive home. Why not just rake the yard, vacuum the house, walk to the grocery store, run after the grandkids on the playground? The thought of running, inside or out, for no good reason borders on insanity. What a waste of time. Time and physical effort that could be put to so much better use.”
3bm- I don’t think anyone said that you have to run. The activities you describe, while laudable, are not going to lead to much gain in health or fitness. They SHOULD be part of everyone’s life, too! I actually don’t drive to a gym and shower etc. I almost always run from my house or from a trail parking lot. I am outside in nice scenery and see others either running, walking or dog walking. Or I don’t see anyone- like at 4:30 this morning along the Pacific coast before I had to catch a flight home. IT was peaceful and I liked the feeling of being out there with myself. As for “no good reason”- I think fitness is a VERY good reason to run. In my case, there’s also the reason that I happen to be good at it and enjoy being competitive and challenging myself in races. I hope what others choose to do isn’t as threatening to you as it seems. If so, sorry for you!
Actually, it could be that 3bm103 and her mother are getting significant exercise as part of their usual activities, rather than having to allocate specific time to exercise doing activities that are neither useful nor enjoyable to them.
It is probably easiest for people to exercise when it is either in the process of doing useful work (e.g. commuting on foot or bicycle, walking the dog, manual labor, etc.) or if it is part of an enjoyable activity (sports).
I used to be pretty active, but It just seems like I don’t have time to exercise anymore. I get that you have to make time for yourself but I feel like I’m usually just too worn out by the time I could squeeze it in. I do get a short walk with the dogs in before starting work at 7:30 and I try to squeeze another one in at night, but it is more for their benefit than mine. I often don’t get out of work til 6 and then have to head to my Mom’s to help her out. We have caregivers for her during the day but I’m there a lot on evenings and weekends. I also do all of her bills, banking, and arrange for maintenance. By the time I finish and get home I’m just too wiped out to think about exercising. I think I’d enjoy exercising if I could fit it in w/o stressing about the other things I need to do.
ucb- I doubt it. Yes, it is “activity”, which is good for all of us and where the step trackers help. However, those activities will not lead to much improvement in cardiovascular fitness. So, no, it is not “significant exercise”. I would also like to point out that if I say “white”, 3bm will come on any post and say “black”. Not sure what the deal is with that.
Was always the last one picked for gym class. Always the geeky uncoordinated one. For many years I was fortunate to remain at a healthy weight with minimal exercise. I hate doing things without a purpose (yes, I know health is a purpose, but not the immediate motivation I need). So for me exercise typically included walking the dogs and biking to work. Biking to work was great - I had real motivation, especially on the ride home. Didn’t like the having to shower twice a day though (I’m a heavy sweater, so even biking in cool weather requires showering, which means hair washing and styling).
Now I work 50 miles from home. I’d have to start the night before to bike to work. And with that commute, I have less time in the day. Haven’t yet figured out a way (other than dog-walking, which is not enough) to get more exercise back in my life.
I read through all of these – what a great thread. I related most to @hyperJulie with bad memories of gym class and awkwardness in my youth.
In adulthood I’ve found that regular walking, even though I’m slow, is my favorite option for keeping active. Podcasts and music help cut the boredom, and I’d much rather be outside than in the gym. (Sometimes I go to the gym to do the elliptical, which is a nice change. Like others, I also get annoyed by the loud music there–can even hear it through my headphones and over my own music! I’m always debating with myself about canceling the gym membership since I use it so little, but it’s a cheap one, just $10 a month.)
In recent weeks I’ve had a sore knee (arthritis flare), which makes it hard to walk any distance. I walk short distances a few times a day at work to keep the knee limbered up. It gets stiff when I sit for long, so I’m constantly up and down. I’m starting an anti-inflammatory med this week, which I hope will get me back to the long walks that I actually do like (and miss).
After I herniated the disc in my back, my doctor said walking or swimming were my only exercise options except my PT. That went on for months. No pool nearby then, so I ended up changing at work and walking downtown (lived in a city with skyways, so usually in those). Occasionally I walked at a mall on the way home. I don’t think I missed a day for six months. Not super exciting, but I had a pretty significant commute – it worked best to get a walk in daily.
Running (and exercise) for me is also a stress-reliever. It helps keep me sane. I have an extremely demanding job, which I love, but which does not permit me to really “check out” very often. I’ve dealt with elder care issues and some significant and very painful issues with a family member over the last few years. Running is my anti-depressant- and it works. Also, it gives me the energy level I need to handle the rest of my life and not run out of gas.
What I did NOT like was going to early morning swim practice when I was competing in triathlon. Something about getting into that pool (which never felt warm enough to me initially) in the dark or barely light early hours just was awful. I did it anyway.
For so long all I wanted was to be thin - didn’t matter how I got there. I ran in high school and college, but wasn’t a natural, or really any good at all. I didn’t particularly enjoy it. Flash forward almost thirty years and I decided that I was tired of being so grossly overweight and that I had to diet and exercise. It was pure vanity - if I had swam in open water, I might have been mistaken for a whale or manatee! I couldn’t do yard work. I couldn’t clean the house. I became so short of breath it was scary. I didn’t have a dog to walk - mine died shortly after my father did and all I wanted to do was eat. So, I joined a Planet Fitness and the rest is history.
That was several years ago. I’ve tried a number of different types of exercise and yes, some forms I like a lot more than others. I’m never going to be particularly fast at running, and I’m definitely not thin - but I am fit. I hate yoga. I am terrible at any sport that involves a ball. But the reward of being able to run down a country road in the early morning to watch the sun rise, to see the farmers caring for their animals, to be with people I care about - that’s helped me come to enjoy exercise and get through the monotony of the runs that aren’t so much fun.
Apparently MoWC thinks I care what she thinks. I am merely responding to the question asked by the OP. I didn’t think only people that agreed with MofWC were allowed to respond. I thought the OP WANTED opinions of those who don’t like to exercise and that’s what I was doing.
What she does is not threatening to me in any way. Again, I was responding to the OP’s question. I’m now going to have to go tell my 93 old mother that she’s not getting enough exercise because MofWC said so. I’m sure she’ll feel very badly about it.
I was always extremely athletic growing up. I never “threw like a girl,” and taught my younger brothers how to play baseball. I played field hockey, basketball, soccer, softball, ran track, everything. I played shortstop on a co-ed softball team at my job. But, I did realize as I got older, that my younger fitness activities, team sports, were not going to translate so well. I spent about 10 years walking 3 miles a day at a good pace with a friend, and that kept me relatively fit. As I’ve aged I have joined a local gym. I do strength training-I’m extremely strong, do the elliptical, and have added 2 days of spin classes to my workouts in the past 6 months or so. The spin classes push me like nothing has ever before. I had my annual physical a couple of weeks ago and the blood test results just came back. I dropped 40 points off my cholesterol total, and I attribute this to the spin class! I also umpire high school softball in the spring, but that really isn’t such great exercise except when I am the home plate umpire and might do 300-400 squats in a morning doubleheader.
However, I “get” why people don’t like exercise. I have to force myself to do all these things. You get into a routine and you make yourself do something.
I enjoy exercise and have always enjoyed being in motion. However, there have been a few distinct times in my life when I didn’t exercise. The first was in elementary school when we played skill sports like baseball. I didn’t know how to play and often was no good at them. That made me think I wasn’t good at sports and made me not want to exercise. I was good at reading, not good at sports. What saved me was when we would do more non competitive, freestyle activities, like run far (“far” being maybe four hundred meters) or folk dancing. I would be reminded I did like to move. I didn’t play team sports, but I did take swim and dance lessons.
The second was when the kids were little. We had just moved and I didn’t know anyone to babysit. Sure, I took them out in the stroller, but I couldn’t find time to work out hard, to run or swim. Eventually I found a gym with good child care.
The third time has been recently, as my body has been getting older and I can’t do everything I want to do. Still working on that solution…
Boredom is the big issue, and that’s why I prefer classes or personal training sessions. Generally, I like activities and sport rather than gym. We spend virtually all our family vacations hiking, cycling or skiing. I also joined our local cycling club, and try to ride with them on weekends weather permitting, but it’s clearly not enough.
For my day-to-day exercise, three things are very important for me: convenience, having a routine and good chemistry with gym instructors and peers. Routine means adding classes or training sessions to my calendar - if I get to decide myself when or whether to exercise, I will always find excuses to do something else. Convenience means exercising productively, and having enough time left for other things. I cannot spend my entire evening getting to/in/out of gym, so it must be a convenient location, parking space, classes starting at convenient time, and exercise must be intense (agreed with @momof3sons – spin classes are great) and long enough (usually an hour) to get the most out of it. Lastly, it is very important for me to like the facility, the instructor and the group. I am pretty competitive, so group exercise classes help me a lot - I don’t want to look weak in front of others, so I have to keep up with them.
I make it work, but it takes some effort, and I usually do gym exercise only twice a week. If I did it every day, it would drive me crazy (at least while I work – I can see myself exercising daily during retirement). I bought a mini stepper and I try using it at home every day after work (on high resistance) – not super-intense, but convenient, and still better than nothing…
