Exercise Guide for Exercise Haters

Debunking exercise myths

There are many reasons people hate exercise. If you were constantly finding any excuse possible to get out of high school gym class, chances are your hatred for physical activity didn’t abide with age. Or perhaps you used to enjoy working out, but a recent illness or weight gain has made you uncomfortable with your appearance while exercising, or unsure of your physical abilities or. And for some, the cost associated with popular health clubs or expensive home exercise equipment can be prohibitive.

The more you hate exercising, the more negative ideas you may have about getting into shape. Living in our culture of extremes, it’s easy to be turned off by exercise zealots or the media, inundating you with confusing “facts” and “rules” about physical fitness.. Learning to separate fact from fiction may make starting exercise actually fun.

The following are common exercise myths:

MYTH: You have to exercise for at least half an hour at a time, 7 days a week, to really make it work.

FALSE! Several 10 minute bursts each day can be as effective as working out for 30 minutes. Some simple ideas for 10-minute activities include climbing the stairs instead of using the elevator, parking a few blocks from your office and walking to work, and doing ten minutes of jumping jacks during your favorite television show at night.

MYTH: No pain, no gain - if working out doesn’t hurt, it isn’t working.

FALSE! While a true aerobic workout does need to push you hard enough to raise your heartbeat, many great forms of exercise, like walking, swimming, or gentle stretching don’t require any pain. And even more strenuous exercise doesn’t have to hurt –in fact, if it does, it may indicate an injury or muscle strain. Plus, pushing yourself too hard while attempting an already strenuous physical activity can fatigue muscles, starving them of oxygen and causing harmful lactic acid to be released into your body. In other words, you don’t need to harm your body in order to get results.

MYTH: I need special clothing to exercise – meaning extra time for changing clothes and showering.

FALSE! If you exercise in short spurts, you won’t perspire heavily enough to have to change clothing. Even for heavier workouts, you don’t need special “gear”. Working out need not be a fashion show – an old pair of sweats and t-shirt will do.

MYTH: Exercise tires you out. I’m already exhausted, working out will just make it worse.

FALSE! Actually, the opposite is often true. Exercise releases endorphins that relax and energize your body and mind. This is not to say that running a marathon won’t leave you exhausted, but in moderation, physical activity makes you more alert.

MYTH: In order to exercise, I need to join a gym.

FALSE! Gyms are not for everyone. They can be intimidating, inconvenient, and expensive. There is no need to jump on the health club bandwagon – there are many activities you can do in the privacy of your own home, in the outdoors, or basically anywhere other than a gym. Simply signing up for the gym won’t help you if you never actually go there!

MYTH: People with disabilities or special needs can’t exercise.

FALSE! Some disabled people or those who are seriously obese may feel like their special challenges make exercise impossible to perform, or that the benefits won’t accrue to them. This is not true - exercise is a democratic practice. Everyone benefits from doing as much physical exercise as they can. Put it this way - if your heart is beating, you can strengthen it with a cardio-vascular workout. While people with special needs do need to find activities that are appropriate for their specific disability, a good workout program can be designed for most anyone. For example, if you have trouble standing or balancing, you can use supports to keep you safely stabilized and work from there. Seated exercises are another option.

Finding ways to tolerate (or even enjoy) exercise

You are more likely to exercise if you find ways to tolerate - or even, hopefully, enjoy - exercise. Give some thought to your likes and dislikes. Consider the following to help you find ways of exercise that appeal to you.

Finding an activity you enjoy

There are numerous activities that qualify as exercise. The trick is to find something you enjoy that forces you to be active. For example:

• Take a dance class.
• Golf, horseback riding, or hiking can be fun for those who enjoy the outdoors.
• Get a cute dog (or not so cute dog) and walk it. You, the dog, and your carpets will benefit!
• Blast some favorite music and dance alone in your living room.
• Seasonal activities, like skiing and ice skating (if you live in a cold climate) and walking on the beach or hunting for shells (in warmer, coastal areas), are actually great exercise.

Are you solitary or social?

Will other people be a help or a hindrance? If you don’t want anyone to see you sweat, putting a treadmill in your bedroom (if you can afford it) or buying an inexpensive exercise video might be a good idea. On the other hand, for some, a workout partner is a great motivator. If you won’t get out of bed to keep a swimming date with yourself, but you would never cancel on a friend, find a swim buddy.

For those who enjoy company but hate competition, a running club, water aerobics, or dance class may be the perfect thing. These are exercises you perform yourself, within a group environment. Other exercise-haters may find that a little healthy competition keeps the workout fun and exciting. If this is your case, seek out tennis partners, join an adult soccer league, regular pickup basketball game or a volleyball team.

Do what you love while you do what you hate

If you simply hate exercise no matter what form it comes in, there may be no disguising your hatred. Rather than pretending to like something you don’t, acknowledge that you may never enjoy working out in and of itself. Instead, try pairing what you hate (exercise) with what you love to do. For example:

• If there are certain television shows you consider “guilty pleasures”, make a deal with yourself that you’ll record these programs and only watch them if you are exercising simultaneously – running in place or on a treadmill, using a stationary bike, or lifting weights while sitting in a supportive chair.
• Make weekly plans with a friend to attend an aerobics class and then go see a movie or grab coffee.
• Combine gossiping and exercising –find a chatty walking partner.
• People watch while you walk in public places
• If you’re a shopaholic, carry your purse or bags on your back while running errands so as to free your arms to walk faster. You could also try mall-walking – even trying on clothes can be a workout. Just make sure your wallet doesn’t lose as much weight as you do!

By figuring out your favorite activities and pairing them with exercise, you’ll start associating something negative with something positive. At the very least, it will make a necessary evil more bearable!

Getting Started: Breaking the Barrier

The hardest part of starting a new fitness regime is actually starting it. Even if you’ve decided to give exercising a shot, you still need to take that initial step towards getting active. For many of us, this is easier said than done.

Take it slow

The best thing you can do to ease yourself into a fitness plan is to take a moderate approach. Asking too much of your body too soon leads to frustration and injuries. Start by doing only what you feel comfortable doing, go at your own pace, and keep your expectations realistic. For example, training for a marathon when you’ve never run before may be a bit daunting, but you could give yourself the goal of participating in an upcoming 5k walk for charity.

Get some cool gear

For many types of exercise, you don’t need any special clothing or gear, but wearing comfortable, loose clothing and a good pair of sneakers will make exercise easier. In addition, finding clothes that make you feel good and look good can help get you in the mood to workout. There’s no need to buy expensive equipment or outfits, but if having a snazzy new exercise wardrobe will motivate you, go for it!

Make it a team effort

Enlisting a partner can help jumpstart your workout routine. Find a friend who is similarly anti-exercise, and decide to try a new activity together. Hopefully, when one of you is feeling lackluster about exercising, the other can boost you up, and vice versa. There’s also safety in numbers – if you’re worried about looking silly or uncoordinated, having a partner as unathletic as you can be comforting!

Keeping it going: creating a strategy for success

The miracle of exercise is called “the training effect,” a scientific principle that says if you ask your body to do a little bit more work, your body will respond. And if you continue to ask more of your body over an extended period of time, you’ll vastly increase your ability to perform physical activities. Walking around the block becomes walking half a mile, and then a mile, and eventually jogging two miles.

The best outcome is to find a few activities that will keep you healthy and strong, and stay with them for as long as they are enjoyable. If they lose their interest it’s time to shake up your routine. Add other activities or alter the way you pursue the ones that have worked so far. Here are ways to maximize your chances for staying with it.

Strategies for Exercise Success
Set goals	Set some achievable goals that have to do with participation and effort, not necessarily how much weight you can lift, miles you can bike or pounds you’ve lost. If you stumble in your efforts, regroup and immediately begin again. Decide how you’ll celebrate when you arrive at your goals.
Be consistent	Make your workouts habitual and you will eventually get to the point where you feel worse if you don’t exercise. That dull, sluggish feeling fitness buffs get when they don’t work out is a strong incentive to get up and go.
Record your progress	While at first your goals shouldn’t be results-oriented, over time, you may be happily surprised at how much improvement you can make. If you thrive on achievements, keep a record of your endurance, flexibility, or strength.
Rise, shine, and sweat	Studies have shown that people are more likely to stick with an exercising if they workout in the morning. Plus, getting it over with first thing in the morning means you won’t need to dread exercising for the rest of the day.
Keep it interesting	Adding music to almost any form of exercise usually brings inspiration. You may also want to try different activities and mix it up every now and then when you start getting bored with your current exercise routine. Or try switching locations: exercise in interesting places such as parks, near water or other natural beauty as much as possible.
Consider convenience and cost	If you love to ski but you live in Texas and can only afford two ski weekends a year, skiing is not a viable fitness option. To succeed, choose activities that are within your budget and are geographically available. Your local YMCA, regional fitness publications (usually free at sporting goods stores) community bulletin boards, schools, park districts, senior centers and the Internet are all great sources of accessible and inexpensive activities.

Making exercise fun and healthy

If you’ve never exercised before, or it’s been a significant amount of time since you’ve attempted any strenuous physical activity, there are some general health precautions you can take to ensure a healthy introduction to working out.

If you feel pain or discomfort the first time you work out, stop what you are doing and gently stretch.  If you feel better, slowly and gently resume your workout. As mentioned before, this is the fallacy of the “no pain, no gain” myth – exercise does not need to be painful! If you are sweating, even lightly, your heart rate has increased. In the beginning, there’s no need to put pressure on yourself to exercise for a specific amount of time – and remember, short spurts of activity are just fine. Try exercising for only for 5 minutes once or twice a day and gradually build up.

Do I need different types of exercise?

Different types of exercise benefit your health in different ways. Aerobic activities like running, biking and swimming strengthen your heart and increase your endurance. Strength training like weight lifting or resistance training builds muscle and bone mass, improves balance and prevents falls. It’s one of the best counters to frailty in old age. Flexibility exercises like stretching and yoga prevent injury, enhance range of motion, reduce stiffness and limit aches and pains.

However, for an exercise-hater, it may be putting the horse before the cart to worry about covering all the fitness bases. At first, just focus on getting some kind of exercise, whatever it may be.  Once you begin to exercise, you may find it quite addictive, and want to attempt a more well-rounded routine. But for now, celebrate the small victories – you took an admirable step in starting to overcome your hatred of all things exercise-related!

In the end, if you give yourself enough chances, the benefits of exercise will be felt. . You will not only be healthier, but smarter and happier - exercise reduces stress, focuses your mind and raises your spirits. Pay attention to the results that you feel more than the results you see, and you’ll find the motivation to continue exercising - even if you never learn to love it!

Related links: Exercise guide for exercise haters

Helpguide article

Senior Fitness & Sports Exercise guide for seniors

Links for people who hate exercise subheading

Exercise programs for coach potatoes – New fitness advancements that cater to lazy folks. (ABC News)

Conquer your fitness fears – Explains the reasons why people hate exercise, and how to learn to “love” working out. (WebMD)

Exercise for the gym hater – For people who just hate gyms, but not exercise itself, there are many great options that don’t involve a health club. (The Denver Post)

Cardio-haters guide to burning calories – Describes how daily activities can help you burn calories, and offers suggestions for alternative exercise ideas. (Bella Online.com – commercial site)

Suzanne Barston, Leslie Lindeman, and Jeanne Segal contributed to this article. Last modified on November 30, 2007.