Zeraph

I've tried running before and hated it. Couldn't figure out why for a long time since I am otherwise a very active person, playing sports off and on since I was 9 or 10. I have a treadmill and I had been running on that, I couldn't stand it for long, even though I got the "runner's rush" I still hated it. I felt confined or almsot claustorphobic.

Then I tried facing the treadmill toward a window (was facing the wall before) that helped a bit. Then I tried running outside (normally can't much since its sooo hot here). That helped even more though I still had problems keeping up the habit as it still wasnt very fun.

I tried hiking. Hiking was much better, so much better that I can do it every day for an hour or more straight (I don't though, I know I need to give my body time to rest) if I want to, even in nasty heat.

So it seems for me that I need a physical obstacle to "conquer" for me to have any fun in exercising. In other words, artifical goals don't seem to work for me. I can't just say, "OK, 100 reps this time" since even if I accomplish that goal I still don't feel like I really acomplished anything. I could do sports before because I was "conquering" other players or whatever. Even just running to certain points, like 1 mile down to the convenience store kind of thing wasnt enough.

So, I posted this for two reasons, one I thought this might help someone who might be having trouble having fun exercising, and two Im curious if this is a common thing and anyone else out there feels the same?

My dad's main form of exercise is swimming, another thing I can't stand for too long as I'm not "going" anywhere. My mom uses a treadmill just fine, so no one else in my family is like me.

Siege

I'm similar to this. I hate running on treadmills, although I never experience the runner's high. I experience the runner's "oh my god it burns."

The way I get my exercise is through sports. Be they basketball, racquet sports, running away from people trying to kill me, whatever. These are all good ways to get some exercise done without it seeming like "work"

However, when I go weight lifting, it's all "work" but I enjoy weight lifting very much. Probably because cardio exercise takes forever.

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stevie667

When i hit my weights, i hate every god damned second i've got something in my hands, all i think about is getting to the end or quiting half way through my exercises.

The thing that makes weightlifting fun for me is everything that happens afterwards. I'll happily spend hours in front of a mirror flexing and posing, just to see how all the muscles work together, how i look bigger, how i look smaller e.t.c.

When i havn't worked out, all my muscles have a flat spongey feel, so i have to go back to hit some weights to bring them back up to a standard they were before. Then i can make them bigger, so my motivation to keep going stems from being totally un-arsed to have to keep repeating myself because of missed workouts.

I've had a 'high' after a few back workouts, where i've just gone hell for leather on deadlifts, you step back, fall over, and grin inanly at the ceiling for a bit even though you can stand up. It's strange, but kinda fun, sort of, until you wake up the next day

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Leo

This is a great point Zeraph. I think it's all horses for courses - it's pretty hard to keep being active at something you don't enjoy. I hear people say "I tried exercising, but it doesn't work". What they often mean is, "I tried running (or some other thing) and hated it". They haven't thought that they might enjoy swimming, or rowing, or squash, etc. You see different people in a gym. Some love the stepper, some love the rower, some love the bike, etc. Other people can't stand gyms - they need to go out and do something 'real' (like Zeraph).

For me, I love to run, anywhere, anytime: treadmills, cross-country, laps round a track, whatever. I do other things than running (hiking, motocross) but it has to be something I enjoy (although I do kick a football around with my son because he loves it. I wouldn't choose football if it were left to me only)! But I figure you're usually only going to keep at something active if you enjoy it.

I guess that's a long way of saying - find out what you enjoy and do it!

Sauron5

Artifical goals only hold as much weight as you think they do. Sometimes I'll finish a set at the gym and find I still have energy to do more, so I keep going. Othertimes I don't reach my goal, but I always exhaust myself before admiting failure. My long term goal is to gain strength; this is importent enough to me that I've kept up a regular exercise routine for just over a year now. If the goal wasn't importent to me I'd quit, or never have started in the first place. No point in making an artifical goal you don't care about.

Swimming can be goal oriented.. Have any lakes nearby? I have a perfect lake with a few little islands on them, every summer I swim there a couple times. Five years ago it was a difficult swim for me and it was a good workout - you can't really stop in the middle of a lake. Of course, I do have more fun doing things I enjoy (mountain biking, windsurfing, etc), but these are things I do for fun, I don't think of them as goals except to do them beter then everyone else if possible.

thingstodo

I think you need to find something you can enjoy. For me, the main thing is biking and I especially love the energy from a spin class. You aren't going anywhere but you don't really care. After you get into it a little and build some endurance, you love to feel you body working and won't even notive the time. I also lift weights and use an Arc trainer, which is an eliptical machine without the arm portion. I use the Arc trainer after lifting.

A heart monitor makes measuring progress very specific. Distance and speed don't matter so much as training in different heart rate zones. I've also trained my body to burn more fat which helps with endurance. It's also amazing to apply the heart monitor training along with spin classes and see the results when I actually ride my bike on the road. Further, faster....

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ryfo

I go to the gym 4x weekly, I find I hate going there, but once there I actually enjoy myself. Hate walking/jogging on the streets (too self-consious) I like to think anybody at the gym is there for the same reason as me to improve themselves so I dont get paranoid. One thing I hate at the gym is the rowing machine, dont know why, but it bugs the hell out of me, trying to beat the little boat in the computer....aagh!

The Magic

Try using running as your transportation maybe. I'm not sure how far you live from where you work, or what dress code you have (if you'll be able to get in shorts etc), but try running either to or home from work and see how that might work.

Actually using it for something and realizing, "I went somewhere with this", is quite an amazing feat -- especially the longer the run.