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

@anylene You’ll start to see results by 6 months. You’re in what I call the “awkward stage”. Hang in there with your habits and you will see progress. Also follow a program with progressive overload and track your workouts(if you’re not already).
 
@brigitta Like, seriously. This shit ruined me as a teen. I went nuclear and deleted all social media. I won’t pretend to me happy healthy and stable, but I’m a lot better off than when I was on it all the time.
 
@anylene Ok so, I like the gym. I’m a gym person. But I don’t like cleaning my house, doing my dishes, doing laundry, yard work, that stuff. And yet. I still do it because otherwise my habitat is gross. Seems worse to be stuck in a physical vessel you don’t like. You don’t have to go to the gym to lose weight but it helps. For that one you’ve gotta eat less, many strategies there. And you can put on muscle that will make your body appear leaner. Recommend not going to bonkers on that front while you’re trying to lose weight because it will make you hungry and you’re trying to eat less. But some muscle is good. Maybe get professional advice on how to achieve your goal if you’ve put in several months and don’t feel successful. Anyway, I give you freedom to do it without liking it because it’s worth it to you.
 
Perhaps worth it to find a dietician. I am a middle aged person who has previously had an eating disorder and after a large Covid weight gain I found a system that works for me and doesn’t make me feel in danger of falling back into old habits.
 
@anylene Do you follow a program?

Bear in mind if you’re looking to lose weight then your diet is very important.

In terms of the bodies you see online - consistency over years and good programming. You have to follow a plan and consistently overload your muscles. Just going to a gym and doing random stuff will give you random results.
 
@anylene Personally I recommend tracking what weights you're lifting, because seeing yourself getting stronger can be really motivating and addictive. If you see the weights increasing and don't love it then try to find something you do love.
 
@anylene I started during the pandemic just running on the streets because I too was never active. I did it just as an experiment to see if I could learn to love something I hated within a few months. Turned out I got addicted to running and did it for 2 years before slowing down.

It’s been 4 years since the start of the pandemic and I hardly run anymore. Last December I got a gym membership so no more being outdoors. I force myself to go at least 4x a week using mainly the machines and can do the leg presses up to 250lbs 10 reps average… but I too don’t necessarily ENJOY it. It’s cool to see progress but like, I’m only doing this to stay healthy since everyone says exercise is what keeps so many bad things at bay.

When people here say “find something you love” I think it’s really true. I can’t run outside anymore because I took on a 9-5 a few years ago and it gets dark when I’m off the clock and the treadmill doesn’t feel the same… I also haven’t lost any weight and muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat if they’re both the same amount of lbs right?

I will say though even if you don’t love it, what keeps me going is knowing I’m going to appreciate this habit when I’m older. You seem younger than me, but I’m in my 30’s now and suddenly when you sit on your ass at a desk job, you feel your body aches all over and that really does suck. So know that you working out now, helps you so much if you stick with it and build a habit out of it for the rest of your life.
 
@anylene I think the more you go the more in to it you’ll get. When you’re bigger and a beginner the gym isn’t that fun. I was 200 lbs and I too hated it. Now I’m 140 lbs and it’s enjoyable since my fitness has gone way up over time. Just give it some time 😉
 
@anylene Don't give up 💞 you have a lot of good advice here, but if you ever just want to vent don't hesitate to dm me! I was fucking horrified of going to my uni gym, yet there was absolutely no way I could work out at home. Do not give up!! You're so close to making it a real habit and that's all you need. Keep going until you find what makes you happy, it's truly the best thing you can do for yourself.

And on the same vein, be patient w yourself bc uni is stressful as fuck and we're all just going our best
 
@anylene The key is finding something you don't hate!

If working the machines at the gym isn't your thing, try taking a class like body pump, cardio kickbox, Zumba, something else fun.

Try your hand at cycling, or do indoor spin classes. The Peloton app videos are fantastic and you can do them on any spin bike.

What about a team sport? Join a rec league for soccer, rugby, roller derby, something that will keep you moving really hard.

Try your hand at distance running! Find a plan, sign up for a race, push yourself to beat your personal best times.

If your gym has a pool, get some swim lessons (if you don't know how) and do some laps. You can join a local master's swim group to do group workouts, or there are tons of individual plans out there online.

Once you find something you actually enjoy, it's so much better!
 
@anylene I don’t love the gym so I keep a few sets of dumbbells at home, there are zillions of YouTube fitness accounts out there with free workouts. I follow my favorites and then just pick something based on my mood, like yoga on a more mellow day, hiit workout or boxing when I’m feeling it, etc.

It’s not a super consistent routine or following a program etc, I just try to do one 20-30 min video every other day. I don’t put pressure on it and that makes it feel more appealing/sustainable.
 
@anylene Absolutely hated the gym and doing any type of activity as well. I didn't start exercising consistently until I was 30 ish. So you are way ahead of me in that regard! When I did started with a group and the trainer taught me how to use some of the machines in the gym. The group fell apart but I've been consistently going for more than 3 years now. I think of fitness more of consistency than motivation.

Here's a couple things that helped me:

-I no longer go with friends but watch my favorite TV shows on the treadmill or hear YouTube while I do weights.

-I also found machines that were my favorites and stuck to them for arms and legs.
  • started tracking my fitness with apps and tech. Charts just do it for me
  • I've told others not to comment on my body since I don't comment on theirs. I grew up in a family that loves to tease.
-found healthy snack replacements for processed stuff

I may be assuming too much but you may be suffering from low self-esteem that could impact how you are viewing going to the gym. Headspace has a great meditation program that helps me every day. I wish I would have started it 3 years ago too so thought I would mention it. I hope you stick with it, fitness does wonders when you start to enjoy it.
 
@anylene For me, getting a smartwatch that tracks my workouts was a game changer. Even when I don’t see changes on the scale, there’s a ton of data I can look at that tells me I’m getting stronger.

I didn’t actually buy my watch for workouts- I just wanted a gps watch for hiking- but it’s absolutely the reason I’ve been able to stick with running for the past three years.
 
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