Why People Hate Exercise (and how to make it better)

Ask anyone if they should exercise, and they’ll likely say yes. Physical Education and recess have been part of our lives since we started school. We’ve been taught the importance of exercise.

But at some point along the way, many start to hate exercise.

Ok, hate might sound a little strong, but it’s the sentiment many have in regards to exercise.

I don’t know how many people have told me they just can’t run. They know I’m a runner and that’s my preferred mode of exercise, but it doesn’t have to be theirs, or yours.

It’s understandable if you fall into a category of people who hate exercise. It’s time-consuming, and you sweat! ha! There are other factors that cause people to hate exercise.

A few reasons people hate exercise:

Exercise has been used as punishment, either by a parent, teacher, or coach, or even themselves.

How many times have you seen a coach or teacher make a student run laps or do push ups because they missed a play or misbehaved in class?
How many times have you exercised because you ate too much?

You’re trying to do a type of exercise that you simply don’t enjoy.

It’s okay to like exercise. In fact, you should enjoy exercise.

Every session has become a killer workout.

While exercise can improve our health and help us get stronger and faster, every workout session doesn’t have to be so challenging that you dread it.

Somebody made you feel like you have to log a certain amount of miles or spend a certain amount of time exercising for it to count.

Time and miles don’t matter. If you’re just getting started, anything is better than nothing. Take a 10 minute walk around the block. Run or walk a quarter mile.

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How can you not hate exercise and maybe even enjoy it and look forward to it?

Do something you enjoy.

If you like to walk, walk.
If you like to run, run.
If you like to bike, bike.
If you like dance, dance.
If you enjoy taking it slow, try slow flow yoga.

Hopefully you get the point: Do what you like to do. That’s what you’ll stick with.

Get rid of numbers expectations.

Don’t worry about how much time you spend exercising. You have 10 minutes, spend 10 minutes doing something. Have a little more time, then go for it.
Run or walk a mile, or 10. Just move. In fact, leave the watch at home and don’t worry about how far you go. Just listen to your body and enjoy being out.

Get a workout buddy.

Join a running or walking club.
Invite a friend to join you for a weekly walk.

Join a challenge.

Sometimes we just need a little motivation to get going. It’s fun to challenge ourselves a little. I often have 5-10 day challenges in my free Facebook group. Every year around Thanksgiving we do a Planksgiving Challenge.

Challenges provide support and accountability.

It could be easy to hate exercise but it can get better. Exercise is not only important for our physical health, it’s important for our mental health as well.

In my opinion, there’s nothing better than a daily dose of Jesus, fresh air, and movement.

Try out one of the tips above, and you’ll at least begin to hate exercise less 😉

Get moving!

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