Finally doing it!!

[MLowe]

I have been reading on NF off and on for years. I even signed up for the forums a few years ago and then ghosted. But last week when the academy was 50% off I finally committed to starting the academy and went all in! I'm excited and I have already made it to level 3. 

 

Struggling with the gimmee loot challenge right now. But I'm also struggling with exercise. I am doing fine with cardio but every time I try to do the body weight work out all I can think is "I do not want to do this".  But I know ideally I should combine resistance training and cardio to get the best results. Any idea how to make getting the motivation for the body weight workouts easier? I don't hate all body weight exercises. I do "stairs and squats" every Wednesday at work. And I used to do ok with resistance training when I last lost 60 lbs about 5 years ago. But now i just can't seem to work up to enjoying it at all.

 

Oh also my forum name is different than my academy name...idk if that matters. 

[aramis]

I don't know much about Academy, but I know one thing. If you don't want to do bodyweight exercises - just DON'T. Don't force yourself - workout should be fun, something you can't wait to do, not a punishment. You are fine with cardio? Stick with it. 

What is your goal? 

If losing weight, you will be fine with only cardio, as weightloss is 80-90% nutrition. If building muscle, then resistance is more important. But if bodywieight isn't an option, you can always head to free weight section at a gym and play with dumbbells, barbells and kettles.

[Harriet]

Welcome! I have to admit, I never really enjoyed bodyweight exercises. I started doing barbell lifts instead and I love them. A year and a half later, I find bodyweight exercises less punishing than I used to, but I still don't like them and I never figured out why. The only way I get through bodyweight exercises now is by reminding myself they're improving my cardio/work capacity so I can lift more in the long term, and also that they're levelling up my resolve (a character virtue I would love to have more of). 

 

Anyway, I feel as a beginner the most important investment in your long term fitness is to find the kind of exercise you like doing, and that means trying lots of things because they don't all feel the same.

[MLowe]

I guess I have been looking at exercises I don't like as kind of like eating your veggies as a kid. Not your favorite but it's good for you lol. I walk at work everyday and I use our stationary bike at home and I have a treadmill I need to dust off to start my C25K program. I also do "stairs and squats" once a week at work. Sometimes I add in arm exercises with 5lb weights while I am on the bike. I just HATE planks and push ups...and lunges are super hard lol.  I guess I just need to do what I like right now and branch out when I have fully built the habit. 

[Deckard Gainz]

One thing I do when I'm approaching an exercise I don't like (or can't do because I don't own the equipment, or whatever other reason), is I look for different exercises that are mechanically similar. Lunges work your hamstrings and your glutes. If you don't like lunges or can't do them effectively, you could replace them with deadlifts, or leg curls and hip thrusts, or any number of similar activities. www.exrx.net is a great resource for finding similar exercises based on muscle groups. Hopefully that's helpful.