The Exercise Haters Guide To Exercise

Think you can’t exercise and lose weight?

Many people have bad experiences with exercise and are completely turned off the whole idea for life. Or they believe that exercise isn’t ‘right’ for them. The truth is that exercise is nearly always a good idea! You just have to know where to look.

Not a team player.

I am going to say this first of all; there is nothing wrong with not liking team sports. You are not alone and you are not strange and you probably hated PE at school.

People who love teams sports are totally motivated by the whole package, the training, the group aspect, the competitive nature, the team chants. If you are shuddering at the thought, then chances are you need something that has more of an individual approach.

If you love being outside, try hiking or just walking to get things started. Cycling is another great one to try and you can always take the kids along for a bit of company.

If that doesn’t interest you, what about swimming, golf, horse riding, or fencing?  There are so many options out there.

If the outdoors isn’t your thing, try indoor rock climbing. Don’t like heights? How about yoga or Pilates? They are very much focused on the individual journey and you are encouraged not to even think about what other people in the class are doing “¦bliss.

Long term non-exerciser

Perhaps you fall into the ‘not a team player’ category or you could have an injury or maybe you just don’t know where to begin; you should try and start somewhere.

If you are injured make sure you are managing it correctly. Go see your GP, get it checked out and see if you need physio. Once you have a plan of attack, do the rehab and plan your exercise around it.

Just being inactive because you hate exercise is more of a tricky one. Your workout is going to need to be mental before it can be physical. Physical activity is good for you. It’s ok to say you don’t like some things but you need to find something.

If you really hate the idea of ‘exercise’ what about dancing? Ballroom, disco, ballet, the world’s your dance floor. Or you could try a beginners Zumba class at your local gym.

If you are doing nothing, walking is a great place to start. Start small and build up, find someone that you trust to be your walking buddy. They’ll keep you motivated and accountable. Once you get your fitness level up, you can walk further or maybe join a walking group.

Perhaps something like Tai Chi or yoga might appeal. Just do your research and join a beginner’s class. Yoga is low impact but there are many different types and some are more challenging than others. Check out your local sport centre for other options. Don’t just close your mind to the idea of exercise.

You’re having a baby.

Once upon a time it was thought that expectant mothers needed to rest and be wrapped in cotton wool. Now we know that there are better birth outcomes associated with exercising during pregnancy. Exercise can also relieve aches and pains, lower stress levels and assist in maintaining a healthy pregnancy weight.

You should consult your GP before beginning an exercise program while pregnant, but providing you have the sign off from your doctor, you are good to go.  Walking is a great exercise because it’s low impact and water-based exercise is blissful especially in your third trimester when you at your heaviest.

There are a number of great pregnancy exercise classes around, just make sure your instructor is qualified. Yoga is also suitable but only if it’s a class that is designed for pregnant women. If you were practising before you got pregnant and you feel comfortable continuing then it should be found to do so but listen to your body and make adjustments where you need to.

Generally speaking, now is not the time to be starting anything new unless it’s specifically designed for pregnant mothers.

Exercise doesn’t need to be about everything you hate. These are just a few ideas, what gets you moving?