How to start exercising, when you hate it

[butterfly]

Hi all,

I'm a rather lazy, moderately healthy (aside from crohns...my doctors would argue that I'm unhealthy because of the levels in my blood im sure, but I cant make sense out of them) 19 year old girl who has never, ever been able to maintain an exercise routine. I want to start trying to exercise to help crohns symptoms - how do I start, what should I do? I'm so lost because this time i dont wanna do it to lose weight, i wanna to it to feel good. So im not sure what will make me feel good, or what will wear me out. Any suggestions would be great

 

[Entchen]

What a neat opportunity -- you can explore this huge range of options for fitness and see what you like. Maybe you'll even find something you are passionate about (or maybe not...time will tell!). Do you like music? Dance! Zumba, ballroom dance lessons, hip hop...
Like meeting new people? Ultimate frisbee or dodgeball could be a good way to go. A daydreamer? Grab a pair of rollerblades or a cheap bike and head over to a quiet street or path. Adventurous? Sign up for scuba lessons, go wall climbing, or go horseback riding. Broke? Invest in a decent pair of sneakers and explore a new part of your city. Next time, run for 30 seconds at some point. Then a minute.

Pre-Crohn's, I was quite fit (run half marathon distances, etc. etc.). But I still avoided weights like the plague. Now, my favourite thing to do is lift weights with a big group of people in a weekly strength training class. I mix it up, too, by attending a variety of classes each week (strength, Zumba, cycle spin, water fitness) and by telling my friends that, okay sure, I'd love to get together, but can we do something active -- play Frisbee, go to a waterpark, take our bikes out for a ride. Half my friends think friendship means sitting down at a coffee shop and pouring out their feelings, and the other half are the fun ones, lol.

 

[rygon]

I would say getting a group of you (or a group activity) is the way to go. Its hard to put it off if you have others making you go the extra mile. Personally i harte running and weights, so i got into kickboxing (very good exercise and you dont have to fight). Rock climbing is another one for me. Do jog a bit but only 3miles at a time else i got bored. Ive heard very good things about zumba. Theres always tai chi and yoga.

You could always buy a fitness dvd and get a few mates around

 

[TwinkleToes]

Well, start slow. Don't expect things to change overnight. Once you get into the habit, and stick with the routine (whatever works for you), you will find that you can't live without it.

Personally, I love to dance, run, and do yoga. Yoga is great for breathing and stress relief, and dancing and running helps me deal with stress and keeps my weight low. Do what makes you happy, that's what's going to be your best bet! Good luck!

 

[tiloah]

Roller derby! What? Oh, sorry, I'm biased.

 

[Dogluv]

Hi! Try a form of dance like hip-hop, ballet, or jazz. Also yoga really helps me, it is so relaxing, and you feel like your working out without having to move at all, lol!

 

[hainman]

ive been doing mountain biking for over a year now,its great fun,good for fitness to and gets you outdoors,albeit sometimes in shitty weather,on the zumba my wife does classes and she loves it,

 

[Miss Spencer]

I'm a rather lazy,

I am extremely lazy and find 99.99.99.99% of exercise to be mind numbingly boring and a chore to do.

Except one type: Dancing

You get a great workout. I was going to dance class once a week and in just 12 short weeks, I lost weight, toned up and felt great.

Best of all, it does not feel like an exercise chore, as you are having fun and learning a new skill.

I recommend Latin Jam or Salsa.

You could also try tap, jazz, hip hop, disco, ballroom, ballet, pole, rock 'n' roll, bollywood, zumba, tango, etc..etc...

Some dance schools and colleges offer a sampler class, where you can try a bit of everything before deciding what to do. I didn't even go through a dance school, I just took lessons at a local library hall that were community run and advertised in the local paper / local community noticeboard.

 

[Karissa]

Zumba is so much fun! You should try it!

 

[butterfly]

Wow, you all helped me so much! thanks a lot! Such GREAT ideas!

I took a Hip Hop class last semester which I really did enjoy and I didn't expect to enjoy it. But I was really bad at remember the dance moves so I didn't always get the greatest work out, Hip Hop can be a little difficult. I also always used to love playing dance games like Dance Dance Revolution for PS2. I don't have the dance pad anymore, but now we have a Wii and dance games for that (like just Dance! the the michael jackson experience) , and I noticed that there is ZUMBA for the Wii now, so maybe if I get bored of those i'll try that one.

I don't have a lot of friends back at home anymore, most of them live far away, too. But I used to love bike riding a lot, and would bike ride for hours, and it felt great. I havent ridden in over a year because of the surgeries i've had on my bottom, but they are closer to my lower back, so I think I can start cycling again =)

I just remember that in my Hip Hop class, we had to do a warm up before, and some of them required leaning back and balancing on your butt. This is directly where my scar is and I couldn't do that, it was discouraging.

Next semester I am taking Yoga as my physical education class. I took Tai Chi a year ago and found it to be difficult.

Thanks everyone! now im going to try to see what kind of things are available in my area

 

[tiloah]

I'll give a serious answer. The only way to get yourself to exercise regularly is to find exercise that you don't "hate" or that you don't think about as exercise. For me, that's skating. I can work my tail off in a two hour intense workout and it will fly by, because there's nothing I enjoy doing more. For you maybe you can find enjoyment in a hip hop class or Zumba or join a sports league like a recreational soccer team or hiking club or something or even start snowboarding in the winter and horseback ride or kayak in the summer. The point is don't go to the gym and run on a treadmill because you're just not going to be able to stick with that. It's boring and nobody likes doing it. Even a "spinning" class would be better than that.

Maybe start out slow with a 20 minute walk each day? Get somebody to go with you and the time will pass very quickly.

 

[tiloah]

I just remember that in my Hip Hop class, we had to do a warm up before, and some of them required leaning back and balancing on your butt. This is directly where my scar is and I couldn't do that, it was discouraging.

Your instructor should ALWAYS mention during class that any parts anyone can't do they should either modify or skip. You shouldn't let not doing a small portion of the warmup discourage you. Just sit out until it's over. You probably haven't noticed other people making modifications to their participation but I promise you they're there.

 

[Lydia]

If all else fails, a walk is always nice. A good stroll is good for the soul.

 

[Beach]

I hired a personal trainer to help me with exercise. He pushes me to do more than I would on my own. I do not enjoy working out. It is hard work. But it does make me feel better overall, once I've recovered.

 

[archie]

exercising is great it really makes you feel so much better and it helps your energy levels so much. I love getting out on the bike and walking the dog nothing like a bit of fresh air in the lungs I also like a wee bit of running but I know this isn't for everyone, I also teach pilates which is a really safe way to exercise, tone up and relax at the same time and won't make you sweat it really helped me last year pre and post surgery. Other than that horse riding is brill, but after reading these posts i'd LOVE to try the dancing sounds like great fun and all dancers have great figures so I must look into it. Best of luck

 

[shamrock15]

I agree with thoughts above- pick something you enjoy, and something that is social. You mentioned biking, and that is a great activity to take both in. It is my primary form of exercise, and you can definitely customize it to your ability. Even on days that I am not feeling great initially, getting out on a sunny warm day and letting the rays soak in and warm me up can vanquish a lot of bad feelings.

Start small and build up, maybe ask your doctor for some specifics on this so that you don't stress your body out and trigger something instead of preventing it from happening.

The upside? Far faster recovery from flare ups, and for me, a vastly improved recovery from surgeries when they were needed (playing hockey two months after a double bowel resection). That is worth ALL of the effort, and hopefully enjoyment, of a physical activity program.

 

[Swirl]

It helps to join a support group online that has your exercise. Its the same with this support group and IBD. bodyspace.bodybuilding is one site. Music helps. Once you get into it, its easy to stick with it. It becomes like any other sport, very addictive lol.
Youtube videos help a lot too. You can start off doing 20mins a day then increase the time and amount of days you do it.

 

[mom2twogr8tkids]

My husband and I own a gym and as far as myself and people I've seen come in the gym, once you get past the first few weeks it's a piece of cake. Pretty much comes routine after that.

 

[joss8]

I play Ultimate Frisbee as I love it, and am fortunate enough that the team I play for are hugely motivating when it comes to exercise. This pushes me to play every weekend, spend a few evenings a week in the gym, and cycle my commute every day.

Enjoying sport is one thing, but having a strong team of people around you to motivate you and encourage you is the really important thing

 

[wild_one353]

start very slowly so you don't get too sore afterwards.
youll need a variety of exercises like cardio/aerobic to make your heart work, then aerobic/weight training 1-3 days a week, start with some very basic exercises then slowly work your self up to a normal regimin no longer then 1 hour per day. give your self like 3 months to work up to a normal regimen.

 

[InstantCoffee]

wildbill's advice is great, too many people follow a set routine that's built for healthy, athletic individuals and will push you too far.

Find something easy like a basic bodyweight routine with pushups and lunges and stretching, maybe some light jogging, and do just enough to get you a tiny bit tired. Track how much you did on paper.

Rest 1-2 days, do it again and do just a little bit more.

This is progressive overload and it's how anyone gets going in fitness.

One of the most important things is picking a schedule and sticking with it. Telling yourself that monday, wednesday and friday are workout days and not letting yourself get lazy.