Hate to Exercise? Try These Ideas!

Fresh Fitness Ideas from SparkPeople Members Are you the type of person who hates to exercise? You're not alone! If your motivation (or creativity) is lacking, try some of these workout ideas from SparkPeople members like you. They're simple, accessible and fun—you'll never dread another workout again! • "I used to hate exercise, because I associated it with things that are boring to me, like sports and bike rides and walks. But now I have a stationary bicycle, which is great for me, because I can read while I'm on it. Reading is one of my favorite things to do, and definitely not boring. Now I actually look forward to exercise." —ALETHEIA • "I find it's easier to exercise if there's a purpose to it. I don't run on a treadmill, but I run to the grocery store to buy one small item. I ride my bike if I need to go to a bookstore. I walk to the grocery store if I need to buy something I can't carry while running." —ANARIE • "I have always thought of my exercise time as ME time, and I try to treat each session like any other appointment in my day. I don't do it for anyone else's benefit, only my own." —DMJAKES • "Buy something that makes you feel good about yourself when you workout (a cute top, cool sneakers, etc) and that helps too." —EADAVENP • "Try coming up with something you really want to do, like a triathlon or road race, and figure out what you need to do to accomplish it. It is a great motivator, and more importantly (I think), your motivation changes. It's no longer about losing a few pounds, but rather accomplishing something much larger." —GEORGINAA • "I used to not like working out—I'm not athletic at all. For me, it was as simple as signing up for exercise classes at my local community college. Once signed up, I felt like I needed to attend. My first class was Zumba, and it was such a blast I signed up for it again this quarter. I also signed up for weight training and water aerobics. It certainly seems to be helping not only my weight but also my disposition." —GETTASCHOMMER • "You don't have to 'exercise.' Just find an activity that you enjoy—maybe dancing? The more you start to move the more you're going to want to move. It may sound silly but it's true. Start small and just add a little more movement each week. Also, weight lifting can be very empowering. You just may like it." —HEVER79 • "I hate exercising to, so I have to be very creative in what I do. I always do my stair step machine because I can watch television while I am doing that. I usually pick something to watch that really entertains me because it takes my mind off of what the exercise is. Other times I walk my booty off outside. I take different routes each time I walk. That way I have something new to look at while I'm walking." —KIMMERZ67 • "I thought I hated exercise, but what I really hated was going to the gym, so I don't go. Now I have a couple DVDs that I do in my living room and I do power walks that include these really steep stairs in my neighborhood. On weekends I hike or ride my bike." —LILBLUFISH • "You need aerobics and you need strength training. This can be exercise or it can be play. Since you hate exercising, then you need to play. For aerobics, try dancing, skating, sports, playing with the kids, or walking with your best friend while chit-chatting—find something FUN. For strength training, volunteer somewhere you have to lift things, find toddlers you can use as free-weights while playing, or wrestle your spouse for the remote control. You can choose to strength train or you can choose to have osteoporosis. Which do you think is more fun? Consider it insurance for your future." —LITE99 • "Working out is the hardest thing that I have to do all day. Try distracting yourself while you workout. I received an iPod shuffle for Christmas and use it every time I work out. If you figure that one song is roughly 4-5 minutes, then in a 30-minute workout, you will have listened to 6-7 songs. Not bad, right? I find music to be a great distraction when I'm working out. Each song takes me to a different place! It's great!!" —MICHELE1010 • "I often find it hard to get motivation to go to the gym, but not to go on walks. What I did when I started was only walk outside. I lost 30 lbs in about 3 months, just by walking everyday and eating less." —MICHELLE8182 • "When I go to the gym, I dread doing cardio machines. So I do 10-15 minutes on three different machines. This way I get my 30 minutes in, but I have small breaks and I feel good. I am not thinking after 5 minutes, '25 more minutes?' I am thinking, 'half way there!'" —NIKKI1982 • "Start small and build. I started by getting off the subway train a stop early and walking 10 minutes to get to work. Now I get off three stops early, coming and going for a total of 50 minutes a day." —OHHHCHELLE • "I used to hate exercise and only did it because I had to in order to lose weight. Then I started trying new things. I discovered that I love yoga. And the most surprising thing is that I like to run! I think once you find something you enjoy, the more you do it, the more you want to do it. I also used to hate exercise because it was hard for me. The more I do, the easier it gets, and the more I like it." —OUTOFCONTROL • "We have to stop thinking about exercise as a nuisance. Our bodies were designed to move! Don't even call it 'exercise.' Just get out and live! I'm at a point now that I can't end the day without doing some sort of meaningful movement, whether it's taking the dogs outside or just 10 minutes on the recumbent bike. It seems like I usually end up doing more than I intend to do and I feel so good afterwards." —PENSKE40 • "I hate exercises too! I use Coach Nicole's video workouts." —SOGOOD_7 • "I do 'activity' exercises like tennis or rollerblading. Put me on a bike and I'm lucky if I can do 20 minutes, but when it's sport-like I don't even notice that I'm exercising!" —TALLAROO • "Different things work for different people, so try a bunch of different things. Go to your library and see what they have in the way of fitness DVDs. There are also a bunch of places you can download audio files of workouts to use while walking or doing stuff at home. If you think you might enjoy group exercise classes, check out your local gym. See if they'll let you try it out for a week, or pay as a guest to see if you like it. There are more and more video games that involve activity. If you have a PlayStation 2, there are a bunch of dancing games, fitness programs like Yourself Fitness, and even games that use a little camera (EyeToy Kinetic)." —TERRIMEIER • "I started running at age 44 (I could only run for 30 seconds before I had to start walking). Fast-forward 18 months and I now run 5 miles (average) 3-4 times per week. What keeps me going are the constant challenges I take on.—signing up for a 5K run weeks ahead of time, keeps me totally inspired to keep on training. If you need to find a race in your neck of the woods just check out Active.com. Keep in mind that the majority of these events are run/walks. I have over 25 T-shirts and 8 medals and trophies and I wear and display each one. And the best thing is that I am getting healthier while donating money to many great charities." —5KMOM911