Last time I enjoyed myself doing exercise, I probably played table tennis with a tennis ball and hands as paddles. The hard part is finding people who have time when you do, and who are on a similar skill+fitness level as you (picking silly games like the one I described helps).
So yeah, I’m not getting much exercise, either.
Cycling/Spinning
It’s usually low impact on the knees & backs of perrenial beginners like me. If I’m stationary cycling, I can sneak in my favorite entertainment to make the time fly by.
find an activity that you legitimately enjoy. that’s it
still trying to get laid daily as a form of exercise…
well thats not going to happen.
activity causes pain and exhaustion, both things i am very much not fond of.
I’ve never enjoyed anything at all in my life.
So we need to harness your disdain and hatred and work with that…
what do you hate most?
Opinionated software.
Perfect, Grok it is
Get a sword and hit things.
I hike/walk daily with my dog. ~8km per day, although some days are shorter, some are longer.
is your dog Clifford?
No, not last I checked… Why?
This is what I did. I joined a football league for fatties and it’s helping keep me active whilst not being massively outclassed by people younger and/or fitter than me 🤣 there’s no pressure to be ‘good’ at it, as the weightloss aspect of the game is more important.
Holy crap, How does one find something like that
And ideally also something that doesn’t require too much preparation. If it takes a long time to prepare for or get back after you are usually less likely to do it.
Well, shit.
wasn’t trying to be flippant or trivialize this but at the core it’s what is needed
I found that trying to distract or occupy my mind while trying to work wasn’t enough, for example watching a show or listening to music while using my row erg as a primary workout. Still found myself counting down the time and minutes
I climb shit. In the gym and outside. It feeds my inner child, it’s fun, it’s exciting, and it involves problem solving so stimulates the mind. Rowing and biking are now secondary exercises or activities to support my climbing fitness and ability. I find doing them with less intensity, less often, and as support (shorter duration) makes it easier for me to digest because I know it will better me for what I truly enjoy. Along the way you just may find yourself growing to accept, like or love something.
Kinda gotta find workable angles that suit your mind and goals. eventually you’ll have tricked yourself into becoming a healthy bastard who has some fun along the way
Sorry, I totally wasn’t trying to be dismissive either, but I think it came across like that. When depression gets bad it’s just hard to find anything enjoyable, and sticking with it anyway is real hard. I’ll just have to keep at it until something clicks I guess.
Not the person you replied to, but I’ve also experienced depression. Just let me add that exercise doesn’t “feel good” either during or after a workout, but once it becomes part of the weekly routine, yes, let me repeat that- routine - the impact on mental health starts to show as well. It’s tricky because it’s not so much a “positive feeling”, instead, it takes the edge off the blues and anxiety.
I’ve also noticed the thoughts that swim in my head all the time tend to be more positive after a workout. This feels completely out of my control, if you ever tried meditation and found it really hard to clear your mind of thoughts you’ll know what I mean. But, for example, immediately after exercise I have a tendency to think or remember positive moments in my life or positive people. Worst case scenario, if I was on a trend of self sabotaging thoughts or constantly going over resentment and painful memories, those thoughts are likely to stop after a workout for a while. If I really want to I can of course think of whatever I want, but soon again I’ll catch myself with some positive thoughts.
My two cents. Hopefully this adds up.
The other side of the coin is that it should be something that you do on a regular schedule with other people who you enjoy being around.
Fun and accountability are the keys.
Trial a load of sports. One will click.
I can emphasize.
I only found out with past 40 why that is, because I am a medically very curious case. Happy to have found out it’s not my fault but it still sucks the same.
This is the way.
Soccer
I do it for my dogs. They drag me out and make me walk.
I like exercise that is also something else and isn’t purely exercise for its own sake. Things like hiking, where I get to see scenery and animals, or biking, which serves as a mode of transportation. Currently, I do renaissance fencing, which is fun and social in its own right, and I get to master a skill.
The amount of sword artists in this comment thread is higher than I expected.
Exercising is part of my precious me-time. I put on a good podcast or some nice music and have a good time. No stress, no hanging on the phone, no Netflix - this is my opportunity to dwelve into thoughts or just do nothing. It is super relaxing.
By doing physical activity that’s intrinsically rewarding.
If you enjoy bike riding, go ride your bike, and don’t even bother thinking about it as exercise. Enjoy, and get into it.
The fitness part is just a side effect.
I’ve speculated that it takes time and discipline of exercising regularly for a long enough time, until you get the psychological reward from it. After which for some including me, makes it an addiction. I literally crave it. And if something happens to where I can’t workout, like an injury or work or whatever, it really sucks and I can’t wait to be able to get back into the routine. I’m talking of a mix of “boring” weights and cardio. I love it.
So my two cents is, muscle through the initial several months of boring suckage but make it count. Eventually, maybe you’ll catch the addiction. But this might not work for everyone.
I noticed that I feel better emotionally and physically when I exercise regularly and feel like shit when I don’t, so it’s kind of a self-preservation thing.
A couple ideas:
One of the best things you can do to be active is walk/run/use cardio machines for long stretches of time. So,
- Get some wireless headphones and catch up on some podcasts, albums, or audiobooks you’ve wanted to check out.
- If you have a convenient way to set it up, you can try to get an excercise bike or treadmill in front of a TV screen, and watch or even game while you’re active
- Find some trails nearby. It’s more fun moving around if your focus is on sightseeing an exploration, instead of exercising
But also, gamification can be fun. Stuff like,
- Last time I did 3 sets of 12 reps of 100 lb, can I do more this time? Get an app and keep track, aim to increase either reps or weight when you can
- Last time I went a half mile in 20 minutes, can I do it faster this time?
- Yesterday I walked for 5 minutes, can I handle 6 today?
- Can I piece together a workout from some exercises that I don’t hate? One that gives me push/pull/legs? One that covers certain muscle groups? That planning can be kinda fun
- Likewise with diet, get a calorie counter app and try to eat with intention. Think of it like a strategy game for min/maxing numbers. Can I get a slight surplus? Deficit? Can I get xyz grams of protein a day, or stay below xyz grams of sugar?
If you’re looking for a “life hack” to make any exercise instantly enjoyable, then that’s really not going to happen.
But you sound like you’re motivated to start exercising so that’s great. You can add this in layers to make this genuinely enjoyable:
-
find something you like (for me: weight lifting and squash are fun. Running and swimming are hell)
-
Decide on a fixed time (for me: 10pm every day is designated for exercise)
-
Make it as simple as possible and remove as many barriers as possible (for me: I don’t sit to watch TV or play video games close to exercise time, otherwise I know I’m not going to get up again. I put on exercise clothes when I get home from work so I’m already ready when the time comes).
-
Add something else that’s really enjoyable (For me: I have a TV series that I only watch when I’m in the gym. So if I want to find out what happens next, I’ll have to go to the gym tomorrow.)
-
Make this routine (once you’re habituated to doing this regularly, then it stops taking will power to force yourself and is just embedded in your routine)
-
Forgive yourself for missing sessions (any time you miss a session, it doesn’t matter, you’ll start making progress again any time you start exercising again)
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Make it social (some people love this and you can do exercise with someone. I personally hate that and I love the meditative solitude of exercise time)
-
For me at least: getting out into nature. Cycling can easy get you out and into the countryside. And is easy on the joints etc. I prefer road bikes as I can see more.
Otherwise, I often drive to walks or runs with good views etc. I cycle to a nice forest park run.
The other trick that works with me is statistics. Going for Strava or park run segments/records can really motivate me. I also now use the wanderer.earth extension to get ‘points’ for exploring new places I have never been.
Going to the gym sucks. Swimming is nice in moderation.
I dont tolerate cardio, its really not feeling good and it seems to take forever to get to a place where its supposed to feel good. If it ever does.
But lifting weights is fun. I enjoy that since body looks better and feels stronger. And there, results show clearly in just 2 months or faster.
A doctors note telling me I don’t have to. :)
When you have a heart attack, they enroll you in a program called “Cardiac Rehab”, it’s like physical therapy for your heart.
Had the first heart attack, started the program, doing the workouts, felt pretty good. Actually, while using the machine, it felt like I could do it all day.
Then they’d have me stop, cool down, drink some water, my blood pressure would crater and I’d pass out. :(
Doc said “Yeah, I don’t think Cardiac Rehab is productive for you…”
Had the 2nd heart attack. “Well, that was 5 years ago, lets try it again!”
Sure… Same deal.
