Exercise for People Who Wish They Loved Exercise But They Really Don't

I have never liked exercise; not really anyway.

When I was little I used to be enthusiastic about school PE lessons or sports day or going to the park, but that was just about it. As I've grown up, school PE lessons simply became a chore and unenjoyable and the only sport I did was when my younger brother dragged me to the park to play football with him.



Since then I have realised how important exercise and keeping fit is for you physical and mental well-being. Making sure that you are able to do the things you want to with you life and not simply removing opportunities because of this simple idea, is so important for you to be able to live your life in the best way.

I have begun to exercise more by walking, occasionally jogging and doing exercises and stretches each morning, which also help to wake me up and start my day on a positive note. I have seen a change in myself since I started to think more about my physical health and have found that my body and mind both are seeing a positive impact as a result.

Below I've figured out some questions which you should ask yourself about exercise, the way you want to keep fit and why you haven't managed to do it yet.

Why don't you like exercise?

I think that before you do anything else it is really crucial to look closely are why you don't like exercise. This could be for so many reasons and once you take a clear objective look at this you'll be able to assess you opinion of exercise much more easily.

It could be because you aren't good at it, you feel self conscious, you're not sure what to do, you have asthma... any number of reasons. When you have laid these out you can pick through and see which reasons are actually stopping you and which are insecurities or worries that you need to address or even what sports you can't do for a certain medical reason.

Are you not good at it, are you just doing the wrong kind of sport, or are you just not bothered enough?

I have always thought that I was rubbish at sports but I have been thinking that maybe I am rubbish at some sports but everyone has to be rubbish at something or you wouldn't get people who were only world champions in one kind of sport. They are only really good at one because they only concentrate on one which they like and already are quite good at.

I think that maybe we jump to conclusions too quickly on our attitudes to sport and the reasons behind them and that maybe if we looked closely we'd figure out that we are great at one type of sport and we can exercise that way rather than trying to force ourselves to do something we don't enjoy.

What are you goals of exercise and keeping fit?

This is an interesting one because people goals around exercise and fitness can vary dramatically. Personally I don't want to lose weight or become an athlete or the best at a particular sport, I just want to keep my fitness up so that I can stay physically and mentally healthy and capable of doing things as I grow older.

Some people may want to lose weight, become an expert at a certain discipline, make friends by joining a club, build up their stamina, gain a certain body image; whatever your reasoning keep that in mind while you exercise so that you can focus on your goal and not lose track. However you could find that you become obsessed with reaching your goal and this can be really unhealthy.

Re-evaluating what your goals are and the amount of exercise you are doing every so often will keep you on track and ensure that you don't become obsessed with reaching your goals. It can be a good idea to make goals with your friends or to tell them your goals so that they can keep you accountable.

Are there any simple ways you could start to reach your goals?

If you think about it enough, there are probably really easy things you could start to do to reach your goals. They could be as simple as walking or biking to work or school, or as complicated as getting a gym membership right now and starting this second. What I do know, is that there is no point saying, "well I'll start soon" "I'll start when I'm ready" because you could start now, and you'll really feel like you've achieved something.

So if you keep telling yourself you can't: start simple. If it's one walk a day, a jog, some press ups, playing a sport with friends, you'll always feel better because you've done that one simple thing.

Why haven't you started yet?

This really relates to the question before because I always find that we are sooo good at making excuses when it comes to just about everything.

"I'm busy"
"I can't"
"I need to buy x, y and z"

We need to stop making excuses. They don't help anyone, especially us when we want to achieve our goals. The only way to get there is to start.

You're allowed to start small, that doesn't matter but you have to start or you never will and you'll feel a really sense of success and achievement when you do. Then you can just begin to build some form of exercise into your routine daily, no matter what it is.

What do you think about people who wish that they exercised and loved exercise but they don't?

Or even are you one of those people, because I am?