I [18F] kinda dislike going to the gym and being active and I don’t know how to fix it

@anylene There are a lot of things that you could change. Go to the gym at a different time of day. Getting up early to go to the gym sounds miserable to me as well and I actually like going to the gym, but I value my sleep. Maybe go in the evening or afternoon when you can.

Change up your workouts. There are so many different machines. Try to find one that you enjoy. When I first started at the gym, I had the same few machines that I really liked and I stuck with those until I got more comfortable/confident with what I was doing.

Now, maybe you do these things and you are still bored at the gym. Well the gym isn’t the only way you can exercise! Try walking, biking, roller skating, maybe try a workout class, pickleball, swimming, tennis, adult dance or gymnastic classes. Try to find a new hobby. There are so many options you should be able to find something that you enjoy.

Lastly, if you really want to see results, you have to make sure your diet is right as well! Diet is just as important as exercise when it comes to fitness. You want to make sure you are properly fueling your body for your workouts while also seeing the changes you want in your body. I would recommend seeing a professional nutritionist about this, especially since you have history of disordered eating.
 
@anylene It's not clear to me what you don't like about going to the gym. Maybe you don't like the types of exercise at the gym, maybe you don't like waking up early, maybe you don't like the structure, maybe you don't like the focus on fitness. These are different problems with different solutions. However, with your history of disordered eating, I strongly recommend seeing a therapist.
 
@anylene I'm not gonna' try to give you any medical/fitness advice as I'm not qualified.

But, I totally hear ya'. I dislike going to the gym (all of my local gyms are too crowded and constantly busy no matter when I go) and working out, so I just find stuff to do that I like at home. Right now, that's yoga and dance cardio videos on Youtube. I take body weight breaks at work just to get some movement in between charting all day. I injured myself lifting during the beginning of Covid-19, work and go to school both full time, have an hour commute 5 days a week, and can't be arsed with setting up and breaking down equipment and 10 minute warm-ups after all of that. But that's just me.

I'm pushing 40 and spent a lot of my youth worrying what I should look like or want to look like and forcing myself to like exercise instead of focusing on the many known benefits of it and preventing the hypertension, osteoporosis, and colon cancer than run in my family. I was working toward an aesthetic instead of taking care of myself, you know what I mean? When I changed (and it took time) to just wanting to feel better mentally and physically and not having to "compete" with or take any advice from whoever social media was chucking into my face at the moment, it helped shift my perspective and helped me enjoy it - and stick with it - better.
 
@anylene Start with your diet... That's like 80% of weight loss anyway. Clean that up, eat within your caloric needs for weight loss (deficic) first and establish those healthy eating habits as best you can.

Maybe you don't like the gym and that's ok... Have you considered other activities? My favorite is martial arts. Muay Thai or bjj are awesome and you burn an insane amount of calories during class. See if they have student rates.
 
@maggie123 This, 1000%. Diet is (almost) everything.

I started lifting this past year (I’m 35, was overweight since childhood and never at all athletic, with like zero proprioception) and found I really like the strength/muscle gains. The lifting itself is boring and a little tedious but I feel much better overall and being able to see some muscle developing is worth the trouble. I prefer cardio (well, jogging/running) but don’t often have time for both. So I’m trying to stick with what’s working for me right now.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that you should ideally find something you enjoy doing, or at least something that is getting you some results to make you want to push through the blah feelings.
 
@anylene If you just want to lose weight, you could focus less on the gym and more on nutrition.

And there’s so many types of exercise that aren’t the gym. Maybe you would like pole dancing, or yoga, or martial arts, or long walks, spin classes….i mean there’s so much out there to try. It could be worth you time to try some things out. As a student the price tag may be an issue though, but maybe you have something like urban sports club where you are.

I also agree with the person who said to try progressive overload. That really triggered something competitive in me and got me hooked. YMMV of course.

If you hate the gym, you don’t need to go. But for your future health, I suggest you do try to find an alternative way to stay in motion.
 
@anylene Perhaps it's worth finding a class that you'd like and go a couple of times a week instead? Or find a nice place to walk?
You're more likely to go long term, and if you enjoy it you'll be able to start thinking clearer about your food with it. 4 times a week if you don't like it won't last much longer.
 
@anylene You need to focus on progressive overload. When you start seeing progress in terms of numbers of the weights you can lift you’ll know you’re stronger. That will motivate you.
 
@morse86 That’s my motivation as well. I used to be a cardio junkie and then I started lifting pretty steadily back in September of last year. I know I’m still considered a beginner (not to fitness in general but to this style of training) and the getting stronger part is such a rush. I’m a tiny girl and went from barely being able to curl 12 lbs to curling 20’s and sometimes (on a good day) a few reps with 25’s.
 
@morse86 Yes! And it’s crazy because I really didn’t think I was capable of that. But it’s so encouraging to see how strong you truly are. And most of this progress has been with home workouts! I have a gym at work that I go to occasionally and it has a lot of great equipment, but the bulk of my progress has been achieved in my basement.
 
@anylene 1 - There's a lot of "fake it til you make it" in the liking working out scene. The results start to outweigh the discomfort/lack of interest and the generally better skills/physique tends to just make you less uncomfortable.

2 - A lot of people act like there's only one way to get fit. Find an activity/sport/workout routine that actually works for you!
 
@anylene I hated the gym when I felt out of shape. I would just wear baggy clothes and be dying to get out of there.. felt like all eyes were on me. Now that I have been a regular for a few years and am in arguably the best shape of my life, I absolutely LOVE and crave the gym. I feel so so so off if I don’t go.. to the point where a rest day is genuinely difficult for me mentally.
 
@anylene Find something you like. It doesn't have to be the gym. Walking, running, exercise classes, dancing, swimming, cycling, skipping, hula hooping, roller skating. Maybe you'll enjoy the gym and lifting weights one day, but that doesn't have to be today. It doesn't have to be ever. Take the pressure off yourself
 
@raistlinmagic Going to add bouldering to the list of options. An indoor bouldering gym feels like a playground for adults and it has made my body so strong and more athletic looking than it ever was in my early twenties.

I was addicted from the very first moment I set foot in a climbing gym and I never stopped going. It’s worth giving it a shot, OP!
 
@ssge I was going to add climbing, but you beat me to it! I've never been stronger than I currently am, and I owe most of it to climbing 2-3x per week for the last couple of years.
 
@anylene Disordered eating is no joke, speaking from experience. I’m SO glad it sounds like you got out relatively unscathed.

I also struggled with exercise for the longest time. I think the number one thing is to learn about yourself. Ask yourself if there’s anything specifically that makes you dislike it. Is it the intensity? Do you get bored? Is it painful? What can you do to change that if anything? If you can’t change it, what would make it more tolerable? Some people can motivate themselves with the future or with maintaining what they have. Some people use the reward system (e.g. ‘if I exercise 5 days a week for a month, I can get this thing I want’ or ‘I can have an ice cream at the end of the week’). Sometimes you can just straight up address the issue.

For example, exercise is hard for me because I usually find it very dull.

Unless I have a buddy I hate going to the gym, I love swimming but can’t afford the facilities around me that have one, I want to hit my head against a wall after doing set after set of weights at home, I don’t generally like the music during YouTube workouts and if I turn it off I can’t hear the timer, so I have to stare at the screen the whole time (I also get bored TO DEATH), I like running well enough but my bad knee can’t really handle the impact.

So, what do I do then? I set a timer for 40-60 minutes and dance, like, dance-like-no one’s-watching dance in my bathroom on a yoga mat. I put my earbuds in, my favorite high energy music on, and just move how I like. Sometimes it’s jumping jacks, sometimes jogging in place, sometimes its actual dancing. Usually a mix of those things. Whatever I feel like based on the song. I have weights in my bathroom too, so I’ll use those in between dances. It’s easier to bring myself to do them when my heart rate is already up.

I dread and avoid the boredom of exercise way more than the exertion or pain, so my solution is to make it interesting for myself and a little bit chaotic. It’s the first thing that has truly worked for me long term.

Good luck finding what works for you!
 
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