Not Sure If I'll Fit In

[CalebTheTiger]

Hey everyone, 

 

So, I'm not as insecure as my title suggests...I only mean that I don't consider myself a nerd. I do, however, consider myself a storyteller and from what I've seen many of you would self-identify as such also. So, if I don't belong just let me know and I'll scurry off to some other brothel of fitness junkiedom.

 

Here's the other thing: my previous statement would suggest that I am a fitness junkie. I'm not. At all...

 

In fact, I hate fitness. It's why I'm starting a new blog called wehatefitness.com - I don't think I'm alone. I'm thinking my people may even be here on this site.

Let me explain. I enjoy being fit. I like the feeling of being in shape and feeling healthy. I love playing sports and I don't mind eating healthy (as long as we're creative about it).

 

But, I can't stand working out! I hate the process of getting fit and staying fit. I've tried lots of things and I get burned out stretching before I ever start anything intense. My best attempts at working out are always 1-2 weeks long and then I'm just done - I'm unmotivated.

 

My wife is completely different. She enjoys the process of getting fit - but she is a Mom of three and struggles to find the time to do everything she wants as far as healthy living goes. So, for a totally separate reason she also "hates fitness".

 

As a storyteller, I've developed a couple of character types. I wonder if any of you fit one of these profiles. If so, please share below.

 

1. Caleb - This one is me. The guy or gal who can't stand the process of getting and staying fit. You get burned out easily. The people who love going to the gym annoy you. You have a hard time being motivated to find time to work out - you practically have to be forced into it. 

 

2. Steffanie - My wife. Someone who just struggles to fit a healthy lifestyle in to the already busy day. You might be a stay-at-home parent or a busy business person or just someone with lots of responsibilities throughout the day. You enjoy fitness, but the inconvenience sometimes makes it feel like an obligation and it's not fun.

 

3. Brandon - My brother in law. Slightly overweight, can't lose weight no matter how much healthy eating, dieting, or working out you do. Wish you could get in shape, but have a difficult time staying committed because you never see results.

 

I'm developing some others - so maybe you can help me with those. What are things you struggle with that make you hate the process of fitness? Wouldn't it be great if fitness felt more fun?

If you've figured out the secret, I'd love to know what makes fitness fun for you. How do you keep things fresh and exciting? How do you keep a "work-out" from feeling like plain old work?

Thanks guys! Happy to be here.

 

CalebTheTiger

[Elastigirl]

I think you will fit in very well here. There are some great story tellers here, and one of the ways we motivate ourselves is by storytelling. I like to make my challenges into a quest game. Right now in my challenge I'm Moana (from the Disney movie) and my goals are my quest. I have to do certain things each day in order to complete my quest,

[Hellda]

Hey!

 

For me the secret was to find that one thing that I loved so it didn't feel like work any more. I was lucky and found two things - roller derby and powerlifting. I'm explicit. I don't do cardio (unless there's skates on my feet). I don't do gym based classes because I don't like them. I don't run unless I'm being chased - you get the picture. But I *love* the feeling of a barbell in my hands, feeling the weight pull through my body, I love feeling stronger and stronger as I build the weights up. And roller derby is fun - there's something very liberating about hurtling round a track at great speeds. 

 

I'm a mum of 3 young girls. I'm also a full time student midwife and I work long hours. I make time for my gym visits and derby practice because it keeps me sane, it gives me some much needed me time - when I'm not a mum or wife or midwife, I'm just Hellda. 

[turboseize]

If you don't like working out or if you like to work out but can't find the time, one way to get in or stay in decent shape is to skip working out, but instead integrate more physical activity in your daily life. Take my mom, for example...
When we lived in the Ruhr area, she just did not have the time nor energy for daily exercise after a busy work day. She was glad when she could squeeze in a gymnastics class once a week. But one day, she figured out that while her daily commute did take extremely long in a car, the distance wasn't actually that long, but most of that time she was just stuck in traffic. And then she worked out she could shave off 1/3rd of the distance via narrow streets through residential areas and, most important, a bike path on the track of a decomissioned railway. (No steep grades, no corners, no intersecting traffic... the bike equivalent to the Autobahn.) They had a bathroom at work, so she could change clothes and get fresh again. So what if, instead of sitting 30-60 minutes (depending on traffic) in a car, she could just take the bike and be there in 50 minutes?
As she was a bit out of shape, she started by keeping the car at work and going back by public transport (which is horrible in the Ruhr and takes forever, at least when you cross city borders, which is the reason why she took the car in the first place). The next day, she took the bike and drove back with the car. Then, drove to work with the car, left the car at work and came back with the bike. Thus she managed to keep the training volume manageable... but after just a few weeks, her fitness had improved considerably, and she would take the bike every single time. Be it thunder, lightning, or rain... And she, who had no background in competitive sports and never competed in whole life, suddenly started to care about time and average speeds. And suddenly she would brag about being able to follow the guys in spandex on their obviously expensive racing bikes. Or she would tell that on her way home, she suddenly had the urge to make a slight detour to the river to get some more km in. And then some day, she would brag about being faster than some of the spandex guys... 
Voilà: here you have a working mom suddenly doing 10 (!) cardio sessions a week... (And saving a ton of money by not driving a car. Fuel is expensive in Europe.) 

 

[CalebTheTiger]

I love these answers! Thanks so much for the awesome responses.

 

I'm kind of the guy that counts jogging to the store for donuts and soda as exercise. haha

 

But, I do love the concept of incorporating fitness elements into things that already make you happy (or that you have to do anyway). 

Has anyone found any gadgets or training programs that really amp up that side of fitness for you?

[shaar]

Seconding Hellda - I hated fitness until I found something I really loved doing, that made me want to work out every day.  It's a long trial and error process but you have to find something you enjoy that you can happily add to your lifestyle.   I never in a jillion years thought I would love lifting barbells as my main fitness regime, but I LOVE it.  It took a lot of failed attempts at things like running, yoga, pilates, spin classes, etc. until I found it though.  Don't be afraid to fail and dislike things - the sooner you dislike something, the sooner you can realize "hey this isn't for me" and try something new!

 

Otherwise it's just going to be a chore filled with negative associations towards exercise.  I know so many people like this - that just don't want to step out of their comfort zones to try things they might really love, and instead slog away on the treadmill or elliptical every day.  No bueno, and certainly not sustainable!