Exercise...getting it done!

[sallyseachange]

Do any of you have any particular tricks to make exercise less of a chore?



I know some people adore exercise… and the more they do, the more they seem to like it. Like they get really hooked. Sometimes I ask myself if those lucky people release endorphins (the great ‘pleasure hormones’) more easily than others, during exercise.



I’m not one of the lucky ones. Exercise for me, is a helluva chore and a bore. A real pain. However much I stick to it…however many months I do it for… I always absolutely loathe it. Guess I must be the original couch potato!



If anyone has a tip or threeon how to make exercise a bit more fun, do please share!



My own tip is this: Get it done and out of the way very first thing!



I get up… go to the bathroom… weigh myself… then straight away do my half hour of exercises. Then I shower, dress, feed the dogs and immediately take them for half an hour of ‘walkies’: brisk walking, up hill and down dale. Sundays I skip the work out…but the dogs get an extra quarter of an hour walk because, however much I explain it to them… they can’t seem to understand about Sundays!!



The walk is fine (though even that too gets a little boring day after day), but I know that if I planned the exercise work-out for any later in the day, it would only be hanging over me and I’d never get it done!



I read posts from people like Betty, and they fill me with wonder and admiration. They plunge into their exercise so enthusiastically and seem to really enjoy it! Oh to be like them!



Am I the only one that has this trouble? C’mon guys… ‘fess up and lets share those ‘making exercise palatable’ tricks!



Sal

[allierw26]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

What kind of exercise do you do? Is it always the same old thing, or do you ever try new stuff? Do you go to a gym and do aerobics? Or weights? Or the treadmill? There are tons of different things to try at a gym--don't be shy, ask if you want to know how to use a machine or try a new class. Find something that you like, and it will be easier to get into it. I love weight training and especially the elliptical machine, so that really motivates me to go.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

No... actually, I've never been to a gym Allierw26. Timing is all wrong for my lifestyle... the gyms are closed very early morns here (Italy)... but I have thought about it. Might be worth a try. Hard to re-organise one's day and commitments though... will give it some more thought.

As for variety, in the past have tried various things... yoga, aerobics, jogging etc... but I still tend to get bored very quickly. Am really looking for that 'rush' that happens to some... I just hate the 'feel' of exercise generally, whatever the kind.

You're right though, I should vary more...
Tks for the reply!
Sal

[SugarFreeSheila]

I recommend the XM MyFi!

I don't like being in the sun, and prefer the control of knowing precisely the speed I'm going, so I do 4.3-4.5mph/6.9-7.2kph treadmill-walking (never running or jogging) indoors. I get bored very easily; so since the age of 11, I've always opted to have a television on Mute in the room for a visual, as well as music from a walkman to keep me hoppin'. This keeps my mind very occupied, so the 30 minutes passes rather quickly and painlessly!

I never got into the whole MP3/iPod thing, and instead have been very into XM satellite radio for the past 18 months. No commercials and very little talking (the '80's & '90's stations are my favorites!). I loved having it in my car so much that I bought the new walkman version, which is the Delphi XM MyFi. It also records up to 5 hours of music, which is what I prefer for exercise. If I'm working out, my patience for songs I don't like too much is at about zero, so I get to flip on to the next one. While at the gym, people do double-takes at it because they can't figure out what it is. lol

Best of all, the recorded songs change EVERY SINGLE DAY, provided of course you set it that way. You don't need to constantly purchase new songs off the Internet, get tired of those songs, then purchase more on the Internet. You can buy an XM MyFi for much cheaper on eBay than what they retail ridiculously high for. I bought mine a few months ago from a reputable seller with 100% positive feedback and haven't had a single problem - I love it! So much, in fact, that it sounds like I work for the company. lol But really, the only thing I would change is that I wish it recorded 10 hours of music instead of just 5. I got really tired of the same songs while overseas for 2 weeks last month.

[allierw26]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

I have XM radio too, Sheila...I am going to have to check out Myfi prices on Ebay!

sallyslimsoon, can you get workout dvds in italy? maybe try that for variety? That may be a better option if you don't have time to go to a gym.

[FightingTheFight]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

Exercise for me, is a helluva chore and a bore. A real pain. However much I stick to it…however many months I do it for… I always absolutely loathe it

I know it may be difficult, but you need to get it out of your head as a chore, something you just have to do. To be honest, alot of is all Mind. the close it gets to the time to workout your mind starts messing with you, trying to talk you out of it. If you can overcome that, the exercise part is the easiest.

you maybe the type of person that needs to try some more extreme versions. Can you do 100 pushups at once? how about 100 crunches. Try to make a game out of it. How far can you walk in 30 minutes? try to keep increasing the distance in the same amount of time.

[SugarFreeSheila]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

the close it gets to the time to workout your mind starts messing with you,
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This is why I do my workout first thing in the morning - even before breakfast. I apply sunscreen all over, do my tummy Pilates for 20 minutes as it absorbs, put on my workout gear, and I'm off to the gym. (If it's not a day for resistance training and I don't require the gym, then I just roll out of bed and get on the treadmill at home!)

[sallyseachange]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

Wow you guys! Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.

Yeah... I think music is a must. I must organise something, and maybe, yes, try an exercise dvd too.

As for changing the 'mind bend' and pushing myself more...er...um...gulp! I hear what you say... maybe you have a point. Worth a try too, I think.

Tks again pals!

Sal

[Effie]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

Hey Sally,
I go through phases with exercise. If I'm on track, it's easy for me to stay on track. I find myself looking forward to it and saying, "Wow! How come I haven't been exercising all along?" But then I'll skip 2 or more days and I cannot convince myself to do ANYTHING. I agree with Sheila on the music. I have an MP3 player which I wear when I go jogging. I forgot it once and it was painfully boring and all I could think about was how soon I could end my workout and get home. I also jog around this park that we have down the street. It's .75 mile around, and there are baseball fields, a football field, a playground, and a water fountain park, so there's plenty of districtions along the way. I've been doing 3-4 loops, and it's been fun to see if I can beat my time (like Fighting said, it almost becomes like a game). The weird thing is... I never thought I'd enjoy running around the park, especially not 3-4 times. Where I live is really hilly and there are no sidewalks anywhere, so it's really not pleasant to run on the streets. I used to run a lot before I moved here (two years ago), but when I got here, I never ever got into a routine so then I just stopped altogether. It wasn't until I went to the park that I rediscovered running and realized that where you run (and what you're listening to) plays a HUGE role in how enjoyable the activity is.

Other activities I've been doing that I look forward to: Belly Dancing and Exotic Dancing lessons on the "On Demand" channel of cable. Do you have that in Italy? Basically you can pick a show, play it whenever, and there are no commercials. You can even pause & rewind. Oh yeah, and it's FREE. I would love to join a class, but a) it's too humililating to even do in the privacy of my own living room and b) I wouldn't pay for that kind of public humiliation. These kind of classes are more fun than plain old aerobics, because I can tell myself that when I get thin, I can actually "perform" the belly dancing or exotic dancing routines for my husband. The thought of doing a grapevine or an elbow-to-knee show for my husband just isn't as motivating!

[Starmaker]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

Yeah I bought Carmen Electra's Strip Aerobics DVD's, and I haven't even popped em in the player yet. I am starting the exercising slow, walking 30 to 50 mins a day now, then will work up to a Curves membership, and when this little tummy I still have is gone....Look out cause hubbys gonna have to install POLES in the house hahaha!

[sallyseachange]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

Thanks Effie and Starmaker for the replies. Just love the sound of the belly dancing... what fun!

Sal

[Alienore]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

Hi Sally - may I suggest joining one of the exercise challenges? You commit to exercising on a certain number of days a week and have to post on the site what you've done and how long it took. That way if you say you'll exercise 4 days out of 7 you're much more likely to do it because you have to then tell everyone what you've done.... it's certainly been damned good motivation for me!

I do a combination of weight-training and cycling on a stationary bike which seems to be working well for me. I don't live in the safest part of Edinburgh so jogging around isn't an option so I do most of my exercise at home although from today I am committing myself to taking the stairs at work instead of the lift whenever possible.


Deborah

[k5commando]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

If exercise was fun there would be no overweight people! I am luckily one of those people who is hopelessly addicted to exercise. After you do heavy exercise for a month you'll NEED to do it and WANT to do it. I used to hate it as well untill I started this diet. Theres a few things I do to keep from getting bored:

1) I'm a goal oriented person, I'll set mini goals at the start of a workout or at the start of a week, this keeps my mind tuned and on the track to achieve tht goal. Some goals are to increase time on a machine or resistance. This really seems to help me.

2) I Listen to music while I'm working out, this really seems to help especially when I'm mixing the tunes up a lot.

3) Mix up your workout, if your doing the same thing over and over your body will get bored just like your mind. Swim one day, bike the next, orbital machine or tread mill next, etc.....

Hope some of this helps.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

Great suggestions Alienore and K5commando! Thank you!
Maybe the exercise challenge would be an incentive... especially as you say it helped you Alienore. Will very probably join the next one and give it a try.

As for NEEDING to exercise rather than HAVING to... that's the feeling I'm really, really after. I've exercised religiously for far more than a month, but have never gotten that need. Maybe the key words are 'heavy exercise' K5.... Gulp!

[Alienore]

Re: Exercise...getting it done!

Lol Sally - do come and join us! It's amazing how much you can actually find yourself doing when you know you need to post it on the board..... and then at the end when you measure yourself and see how many inches you've lost it's a great feeling - especially when your family and workmates then start to NOTICE that there's less of you.


Deborah