I’ve always loved sports; so that part’s easy, personally. But I’ve also learned to kind of savor the feeling of using my muscles and getting tired. Whatever I’m doing, or even on days where I didn’t have time to “exercise”, I make a point to check in on different parts of my body, maybe tense them or stretch; just trying to notice what feels good and then really savor that feeling. I find that building that mental practice helps motivate me to seek out exercise, or power through when I’m not really enjoying a particular activity.
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.
I do it for my dogs. They drag me out and make me walk.
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.
Soccer
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.
I enjoy the social aspect of running. Parkruns, Strava, meeting friends and getting coffee after etc.
Just fuck my body up until I’m exhausted to a limit I haven’t been before. I like that
Many of us do not.
Yeah, I find the best approach for me is to workout as long as it’s still fun. As long as you’re trying to do more than the day before, you’ll make progress, if that’s what you want.
When I’m not feeling it, I just tell myself that if I start and I’m not feeling it, I can leave, but by then I’m invested and looking forward to it.
find an activity that you legitimately enjoy. that’s it
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
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 the way.
well thats not going to happen.
activity causes pain and exhaustion, both things i am very much not fond of.
Have you tried biking? I like it because it’s so easy to zone out with (and easier on the knees than running).
You can buy a cheap standing bike and watch shows or read books; and, if you go outside to bike, you get the benefit of the sun and trees. If they have rentable electric bikes, those can make the exertion part easier (and, if it feels like cheating, it’s still more exercise than you’d’ve otherwise been getting; plus studies have shown that some people, with electric bikes, ride for longer periods than those who don’t because they’re having so much fun).
Well, shit.
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.
Trial a load of sports. One will click.
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.
still trying to get laid daily as a form of exercise…
I’ve never enjoyed anything at all in my life.
Get a sword and hit things.
So we need to harness your disdain and hatred and work with that…
what do you hate most?
Opinionated software.
Perfect, Grok it is
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.
I’ve never enjoyed gyms or traditional workouts, but yoga clicks with me.
Audiobooks.
Music is fine, but I actually find I will make more time to exercise if I’m listening to a good book.
In a similar fashion I enjoy listening to podcasts while running. I find music to in a way get filtered out by my brain after a while whereas podcasts keep me engaged. Inversely I can’t really focus on podcasts in the gym where I am switching up exercises.
Over time I’ve also optimized my listening experience by getting a pair of bone conducting headphones and a watch that can store and playback podcasts, so I don’t have to carry around my phone on runs.
This needs to be at the top. I’ve never been able to stick to a gym until I started hearing audiobooks/podcasts.
Search apartments.com or whatever for places 1-2 hour bike rides from work. Move there.
…not joking, I’m fortunate enough in that that’s what I’ve been doing. Biking/walking to work is the only way I get any exercise (even though I can work from home). In winter months/if it’s too cold or snowy I’ll use the stationary bikes our work building put in to entice people back from COVID.
I have to have a purpose to exercise (other than health I guess?) otherwise I won’t do it.
I discovered I like hitting things a while back so I go boxing regularly. These days I read some Trump news and then go take it out on a heavy bag for an hour.
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.
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.
