Knowing I won't feel like shit for the rest of the day.
Play is a good one for aerobics. Going for a run or bike? Try to find new routes or go places you haven't before. Maybe run an errand. Maybe try to study wildlife or plants around while running one to another.
For strength training IDK. just pop in some absurd music and know that later it will feel good either just post exercise or weeks later when the exercise itself feels nice. It's also going to be nice when you go to lift a thing or hike and recognize you're actually stronger. Always a rewarding feeling!
In either case, it's important to reflect positively on your progress. "Hell yeah i can do this thing now thanks to my effort!“ and not negatively e.g. "my goals are so far away I'm so weak".
I just do it until I physically cant
Experiencing the benefits of strength training day to day (being able to move heavy shit easily and not struggle with things that I used to) also seeing how I look in the mirror after I do it helps.
I've always loved sports; so that part's easy, personally. But I've also learned to kind of savor the feeling of using my muscles and getting tired. Whatever I'm doing, or even on days where I didn't have time to "exercise", I make a point to check in on different parts of my body, maybe tense them or stretch; just trying to notice what feels good and then really savor that feeling. I find that building that mental practice helps motivate me to seek out exercise, or power through when I'm not really enjoying a particular activity.
I try not to think about it as a punishment for what I ate, and more a celebration of what my body can do.
I like to bike, and my motivation is to see what is around the bend…. And so i needed to spend a week recovering after biking 50 miles, and hard bonking 35 miles from my car. But hey i absolutely had the motivation to do that to my self.
Now my next motivation is survival, because the Sun has totally gone down, and if i don’t make it back to my car, i might actually die. A very powerful motivator that one.
Dance
Dance
REVOLUTION!!
(That rhythm game with the arrows on the screen and ground that you stomp on)
Not sure if this answers the question; but, as soon as I learned about BDNF and how muscle building can increase the levels of it, I became a gym rat. I want my brain to keep working past 90 and be able to program well into my 90s (I wanna be yelling at everyone about my struggles with Rust).In all seriousness if you don't wanna have dementia a little too early in life. Lift. Weights. Don't ignore cardio though. But BUILD so you can reap the benefits of your lean mass into your elder years . Training also helps me improve my MTB performance, which I find really fun.
Sorry for the wall of text :D
I got a kid but not a car. Just walking to the kindergarten and back twice a day is movement. We spend a lot of time outdoors at playgrounds or parks and I have to do all the grocery shopping by bike or walking. I don't do other physical exercise admittedly, but this kid is a fitness machine. We be running, playing, I need to lift her, carry her, carry her stuff, clean up, wrestle - for real having a kid made me the most physically fit and active I've ever been.
When I was younger I liked to dance. Trying to lose weight I'd just put headphones on in my room and dance for hours. A friend of mine actually lost a crapton of weight this way, think obese to normal weight.
Also, making a kid (and training for it and reenacting it) is great exercise.
I'm trying to do stuff that's quick that I can do every day. I do pushups before my morning shower and some squats whilst I brush my teeth. Do it every day, I feel better for it and it only takes like 3 minutes. You can do extra sets around the house if you have a spare 30-60 seconds too.
Sports or recreational activities, as opposed to going to gym for the sake of exercise. The physical exercise is a part of the activity rather than the sole focus.
Flow arts
Try different things until you find something that feels good even as an idea. Think about things you like doing and how you like them. For me, I dislike team sports and being surrounded by people in a gym setting. I like doing things on my own, preferably at home while not talking to anyone. I first start thinking about maybe enjoying a spooky story podcast while walking so I start thinking about the temperature and the things I like watching while I'm out, etc. Same for weight lifting, pilates and yoga (Those are my cyclical workouts. I get bored easily) I hype myself up in my head first and then use the "do it for five minutes" method.
I have NEVER said "Well I wish I didn't come to yoga. This class sucked" "That lifting routine was a total waste of time. Not doing it again"
Also, having cute/neat stuff for it helps, just beware of spending habits. Did I need to buy green yoga blocks? No Do they make me Happy everytime I look how they are the exact same shade as my pothos? Yes they do.
None. I enjoy exercise itself. No music, no tech, no nothing. Just a program and a timer. When I'm running, I get runner's high. When I'm doing calisthenics, I look forward to doing advanced moves.
Find sports that you actually enjoy - try out different things. In my case:
- Cardio: running fucking sucks, swimming is boring as shit. Cycling, on the other hand, is pretty fun. Feels like flying when everything aligns.
- Strength: lifting weights at the gym is doable, but boring. Climbing? Hell yeah, give me more routes where I have to tie myself into a knot while pulling up all my weight with my fingertips.
It can be an exact opposite of it for you. Or you'll find out that team sports are the bees knees because support from other people is what you've been missing.
Combine with work. Birds and stones.
I put some vtubers when running.
Personally, I like a treadmill.
For years I planned to get one, and all the runners in my family would talk about how awful they are, how no one ever uses it once they have it, and getting outside is so much better.
I finally got the treadmill a couple months ago, and I use it several times per week. Some weeks I use it every day. It's convenient, I can control the temperature in the room, I can watch something on my phone while I run, and I like being able to set a consistent pace.
For me keeping it quick helps alot. No need to be in the gym for 1.5-2 hours, especially if you can wrap up your workout in 50 minutes. I'm just there to get my reps in, no more no less.
To that end either find a split that doesn't target as many muscle groups in 1 session. Like Push Pull Legs. Or super set as much as possible.
For finding motivation to actually do it, I tend to workout after already being productive. So clean up your room/kitchen, or code for a bit. And when that productivity train is going, keep it going. Or go immediately when coming home from work, don't first "relax". Keep the momentum high and tackle things of your todo list; like working out.
I used to hate exercise. Then, I pushed myself to do it regularly and the benefits surpassed the negative side of it by a lot. For instance, almost all my chronic pain issues are gone, so I'm saving a couple hundreds yearly on healthcare. I also feel better physically (I can move better, I have better endurance) if I'm exercising regularly compared to when I'm not. Because, let's face it, I don't like it, so every now and then I stop for reasons and getting into it back again is very difficult. But it's always worth it.
A few variants I like:
- Weight lifting
I like the progression. It's cool to see the numbers go up
- Cycling
It literally just makes me feel like a kid again, just flying around at quite high speeds. I've recently discovered that this is also a lot of fun to do with friends
- Walking
This is the one that helped me the furthest in weight loss back when I was overweight. You can do basically unlimited amounts of it, and with a podcast or audiobook in your headphones, it doesn't really get boring either.
I got a recumbent exercise bike, a pawn shop tv, steam deck, and a steam controller. I play whatever is loaded on my deck while I bike, usually for about 30-45 minutes at a time.
Right now I am playing Fall Guys while I exercise, as it keeps me entertained on survival for ~10 minutes per game.
By doing physical activity that's intrinsically rewarding.
If you enjoy bike riding, go ride your bike, and don't even bother thinking about it as exercise. Enjoy, and get into it.
The fitness part is just a side effect.
Bike rides are the only thing that made cardio fun for me. The varied environments and the thrill of exploring massage my brain and I end up not noticing how much it sucks to bike straight up the side of a mountain. Also the alternating grind of ascending and thrilling adrenaline rush of descending keeps things fresh.
Hiking. I don't try to climb mountains,just get out and move. The fact I have to watch my footing and have a chance of seeing (or at least hearing) wildlife helps distract from the fact exercising sucks.
I use mental tricks as well. I had to bribe myself to get started. "Look there's a trail near that takeout place you like, if you hike you can get takeout!" If I run out of breath due to uphill terrain, I'm not stopping because I can't keep going, it's clearly to look at this neat bird/bug/plant. If I have an off day and need to turn back early, I remind myself that I've already won by getting off the couch.
I've recently taken up swimming. I'm much more inspired to do it if it's an indoor facility, so the city rec center pass is inexpensive and then I'm inspired to go. Even if all I do is fart around on a pool noodle for an hour, I'm still moving, and the water makes the impact on my bad knee go away.
Exercise outside (preferably in a natural setting) and with a group. Outdoor bootcamp is the holy grail for me. Reasons:
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Outside air is easier to breathe than stale gym air
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There's always something interesting to look at while you slowly die
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Clumps of grass don't mind if I swear under my breath
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PEER PRESSURE. IT WORKS.
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At the end of the training session,
traumabonding with the rest of the group (edit: I misused the term trauma bonding)
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Pick up an outdoor hobby like disc golf, tennis, pickleball, golf, something that you can enjoy with other people. You can usually find an amateur league of various sports/games and that'll keep you going when they ask if you're coming or you're signed up to play on a team for the season.
You may even enjoy the company of those people and do other sports/activities together.
Turning it into a game can also help.
Remember, it's more about slowly creating a sustainable habit of moving your body that's important. You don't need to run a 10K tomorrow to be successful.
Maybe you can make a map of the parks around your city and put a fun sticker on each park after you visit for 30 minutes, regardless the activity. Idk, just kinda throwing stuff out there.
If you're looking for a "life hack" to make any exercise instantly enjoyable, then that's really not going to happen.
But you sound like you're motivated to start exercising so that's great. You can add this in layers to make this genuinely enjoyable:
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find something you like (for me: weight lifting and squash are fun. Running and swimming are hell)
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Decide on a fixed time (for me: 10pm every day is designated for exercise)
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Make it as simple as possible and remove as many barriers as possible (for me: I don't sit to watch TV or play video games close to exercise time, otherwise I know I'm not going to get up again. I put on exercise clothes when I get home from work so I'm already ready when the time comes).
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Add something else that's really enjoyable (For me: I have a TV series that I only watch when I'm in the gym. So if I want to find out what happens next, I'll have to go to the gym tomorrow.)
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Make this routine (once you're habituated to doing this regularly, then it stops taking will power to force yourself and is just embedded in your routine)
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Forgive yourself for missing sessions (any time you miss a session, it doesn't matter, you'll start making progress again any time you start exercising again)
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Make it social (some people love this and you can do exercise with someone. I personally hate that and I love the meditative solitude of exercise time)
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I take my canoe out on a lake that's 8 minutes from my house. Relaxing, and the exercise is a side effect.
I'm also delusional enough to think I can box so I hit the punching bag for 40 minutes some days. It's a joke but makes me feel badass.
A doctors note telling me I don't have to. :)
When you have a heart attack, they enroll you in a program called "Cardiac Rehab", it's like physical therapy for your heart.
Had the first heart attack, started the program, doing the workouts, felt pretty good. Actually, while using the machine, it felt like I could do it all day.
Then they'd have me stop, cool down, drink some water, my blood pressure would crater and I'd pass out. :(
Doc said "Yeah, I don't think Cardiac Rehab is productive for you..."
Had the 2nd heart attack. "Well, that was 5 years ago, lets try it again!"
Sure... Same deal.
Search apartments.com or whatever for places 1-2 hour bike rides from work. Move there.
…not joking, I’m fortunate enough in that that’s what I’ve been doing. Biking/walking to work is the only way I get any exercise (even though I can work from home). In winter months/if it’s too cold or snowy I’ll use the stationary bikes our work building put in to entice people back from COVID.
I have to have a purpose to exercise (other than health I guess?) otherwise I won’t do it.
I noticed that I feel better emotionally and physically when I exercise regularly and feel like shit when I don't, so it's kind of a self-preservation thing.
A couple ideas:
One of the best things you can do to be active is walk/run/use cardio machines for long stretches of time. So,
- Get some wireless headphones and catch up on some podcasts, albums, or audiobooks you've wanted to check out.
- If you have a convenient way to set it up, you can try to get an excercise bike or treadmill in front of a TV screen, and watch or even game while you're active
- Find some trails nearby. It's more fun moving around if your focus is on sightseeing and exploration, instead of exercising
But also, gamification can be fun. Stuff like,
- Last time I did 3 sets of 12 reps of 100 lb, can I do more this time? Get an app and keep track, aim to increase either reps or weight when you can
- Last time I went a half mile in 20 minutes, can I do it faster this time?
- Yesterday I walked for 5 minutes, can I handle 6 today?
- Can I piece together a workout from some exercises that I don't hate? One that gives me push/pull/legs? One that covers certain muscle groups? That planning can be kinda fun
- Likewise with diet, get a calorie counter app and try to eat with intention. Think of it like a strategy game for min/maxing numbers. Can I get a slight surplus? Deficit? Can I get xyz grams of protein a day, or stay below xyz grams of sugar?
I like exercise that is also something else and isn't purely exercise for its own sake. Things like hiking, where I get to see scenery and animals, or biking, which serves as a mode of transportation. Currently, I do renaissance fencing, which is fun and social in its own right, and I get to master a skill.
i learned to love the feeling of muscles getting stretched
Playing DDR.
Because then the public won't see my red, flailing body as I stumble around to sit after a single song.
That and mowing my lawn. ...except with my lawn, I've had people pull over and ask if I'm okay. Which is embarrassing every time it happens. I'm out of shape and I have a condition!! But I'm not going to explain that to strangers lol
I use comfortable earbuds, turn on a podcast, and go outside. I walk as far as I can and loop back around and barely notice because the pod was taking up my mental space preventing me from feeling the pains.
I discovered I like hitting things a while back so I go boxing regularly. These days I read some Trump news and then go take it out on a heavy bag for an hour.
I hate running, so I don't do it.
I love hiking and swimming and team sports, so I do them.
Embrace the Suck.
I use a stationary bike in front of a TV. My brain is off anyway, so I might as well put my body to work.
Another alternative is to find a sport that you enjoy, or a social group that makes the activity enjoyable.
Good, driving music. I have a big list of liked songs on Spotify that I listen to while I'm exercising, but I'm slowly creating another playlist called 'Energy' that I add suitable songs to, with the intention of ultimately building a playlist full of such songs. It's kinda weird though, sometimes I feel like the music gets stale and repetitive, even with 800+ songs on shuffle, and that affects my motivation to exercise.
Rhythm Games (Samba De Amigo, Fitness Boxing Ft. Hatsune Miku) + needing to walk to bus stop to go to arcade
Ring Fit was also good, but I foolishly left that behind when I moved out x.x
Me personally? Group dance aerobics are joyful fun classes. Group yoga classes are a very supportive and lovely environment. I do also get to work without a car, do yardwork, park far if I take a car, just try to be generally active.
It takes 6 weeks to build a habit. Just choose something you tolerate, commit to 6 weeks, and at that point you should feel better on a day you work out, than on a day you don't.
I've speculated that it takes time and discipline of exercising regularly for a long enough time, until you get the psychological reward from it. After which for some including me, makes it an addiction. I literally crave it. And if something happens to where I can't workout, like an injury or work or whatever, it really sucks and I can't wait to be able to get back into the routine. I'm talking of a mix of "boring" weights and cardio. I love it.
So my two cents is, muscle through the initial several months of boring suckage but make it count. Eventually, maybe you'll catch the addiction. But this might not work for everyone.
I've never enjoyed gyms or traditional workouts, but yoga clicks with me.
Two ways -
- Really really long walks in the city and people watching, or
- Biking like a madman, not measuring anything, only enjoying the wind.
Last time I enjoyed myself doing exercise, I probably played table tennis with a tennis ball and hands as paddles. The hard part is finding people who have time when you do, and who are on a similar skill+fitness level as you (picking silly games like the one I described helps).
So yeah, I'm not getting much exercise, either.
I enjoy the social aspect of running. Parkruns, Strava, meeting friends and getting coffee after etc.
Cycling/Spinning
It's usually low impact on the knees & backs of perrenial beginners like me. If I'm stationary cycling, I can sneak in my favorite entertainment to make the time fly by.
Find your inner voice and listen to it. Youtube is all crap. Don't listen to parental advice. Teachers are not always right. Listen to your inner voice.
I have to walk the dog, so I get myself out. Once I've started walking doing a little longer than the bare minimum is not too bad. If the weather is nice it's actually quite enjoyable.
