Many of us enjoy exercise, probably more just tolerate it, but have you ever known someone to
it
with every fiber of their being? Today, we have a question from a
reader with precisely that issue. She hates exercise, and even feels
near to tears when she has to do it. Moreover, she doesn’t get the
that many of us – even the ones who would rather be doing something
else – enjoy after a workout. Well, she’s not alone. Regular exercise is
a major
for many of us, so let’s take a look at some general strategies those
that hate exercise can employ, as well as new ways to think about and
approach exercise. I don’t have any end all, be all answers, but I do
have some good ideas. First, the question:
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. There is no one to
take. There’s no one exercise that works for everyone, everywhere,
under any circumstance. That you’re “desperately wanting to exercise,”
however, is a good start. Here are my suggestions for getting started
and making it stick. Oh, and – most importantly – enjoying it!
Get a Workout Partner
More importantly than just finding someone who will workout with you,
make a series of pacts with your buddy. First, if one person doesn’t
show or backs out, the other person must also back out. Second, pledge
to keep training until the other person stops. that
if someone else’s workout depends on yours, you will be more likely to
exercise, so as not to disappoint or let down the other person. Drill
sergeants have been doing essentially this for millennia – making the
group suffer for the mistake of one in order to compel the one to shape
up.
Tinker with Your Neural Reward System
Normally, the release of dopamine makes us feel good about completing
a goal. That goal could be finishing a tough work assignment, a game of chess, or completing a hard workout. And the dopamine release, if it happens reliably enough, also .
Is there something you love and enjoy every time you experience or
obtain it? Maybe it’s an episode of your favorite TV show. Maybe it’s a
long hot bath. Whatever it is, indulge yourself with a healthy every single time you work out. If you’ve ever trained a to do anything, this will be familiar.
http://cool-health-guidelines.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-2-minute-exercise-that-will-change.html You might even feel a little silly, but don’t. We’re all , and we all respond to
in similar ways. It’s just that some of us have already learned to
associate exercise with neural.You probably haven’t, so you need
to do a bit of formal.
Eventually, you won’t need the reward anymore. Like a good dog no
longer needs a treat in order to sit, stay, or come, you’ll come to
associate exercise with its own inherent reward – especially after
seeing the results.
Make Your Short Workouts Shorter and More Intense
I say this a lot, and for good reason: acute bouts of ultra-intense training is more effective and, unsurprisingly. What does this mean, in real world terms? Increase the intensity and reduce the volume.
not more reps. Run (or bike, or crawl, or swim) as fast as you can for a
short period of time, not pretty fast for a long period of time.
Just Move and Play
You say you hate “exercise.” That’s fine; lots of people hate it. But
what about movement in general? Is there any physical activity you can
bear? Walking? Gardening? Hiking? Rock climbing? Playing catch? Frisbee?
I refuse to believe that any and all types of physical undertaking make
you miserable. If you can find the will to get up out of bed and walk
to the kitchen for breakfast in the morning without crying, you can walk
a little farther – say, around the block several times – as well. Don’t
worry about calories or reps or weight or the next guy. Just move and
play.
Relearn the Meaning of Exercise
While I’ve always been active, there was a time when I hated – truly
hated – what I considered to be the optimal form of exercise. Back when I
was an endurance athlete, running marathons and then competing in
triathlons, I began to hate my training.
http://cool-health-guidelines.blogspot.com/2014/09/exercises-body.htmlI was fit and active and
thought I was doing the best thing I could for my body, but I really
dreaded working out. Eventually, I realized that not only was my
training unpleasant and miserable, it was also extremely unhealthy. That
revelation forced me to relearn the meaning of exercise. I had to move,
I had to train somehow, but I couldn’t continue on my current
trajectory. I had to start all over and accept that maybe, just maybe it
would be okay to take it easy and lift some weights, move really fast
for short periods of time, and take actual rest days. Once I accepted
that exercise didn’t have to miserable to be effective, everything fell
into place.
Examine Your Past
Your disdain for exercise may be long-held and deep-seated. Perhaps
your gym classes as a kid were particularly brutal and unforgiving, and
you just learned to associate exercise with misery. I felt that way,
early on in my school career. But amidst all the wedgies and purple purples and teasing, I learned to love exercise by finding something I
loved to do (and something I was already doing on my own as a kid):
running. Ironically, I hate running distance nowadays, but my love for
movement in general has never waned. Look back to and face down a
precipitating event – if one indeed exists. Identifying it may be enough
to start the road to recovery.
Try Different Modalities
Some need more regimentation, direction, and structure to their
exercise. Some need more freedom, randomization, and boundlessness. Many
people do better at the gym and laze around at home; others never quite
get over their self-consciousness and instead prefer working out solitary, whether that’s in the garage or at a secluded spot in the
park. I’m a big fan of both slow-moving high intensity training, a la , as well as something as seemingly intuitive but sneakily per iodized and systematic as .
If you dislike training and want it to be over with as quickly as
possible while remaining effective, try Body by Science, explained by Dr. Doug McGuffey (its creator). If you hate training but want to love it, try a by a Worker Bee who attended one). I challenge you to try Montana and not want to move often and move well.
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