I want to be fit & trim - but HATE exercising!

[tep]

At age 56 I lost 35 pounds - eat less and exercise. I hate exercising, but I had gone to Kona that year and my air consumption was terrible. I had two (barely) 20 minute dives. I was honest with myself that I was not happy with being tired all the time, either.

I harnessed my "inner OCD" and wrote a program for myself. I literally wrote rules for myself.

1. Every calorie went into My Fitness Pal - I just logged in for the 2015th time. If I ate more than I should, I didn't beat myself up, I just promised myself I would do better the next day, and took a few more steps, another walk around the block
2. (almost) No beer (we had been visiting 3-5 micro-breweries per month) - or at most 1/week, as a reward, if I hit my calorie goals every day for a week.
3. Got a FitBit and walked 10,000 steps a day - from work I walked to lunch (0.75 mi each way) - I'm down to 2-5K/day which is part of the latest problem
4. joined the gym with my wife and got a personal trainer - because we were paying for it, we went, once a week, 30 minutes, until COVID
5. parked at the farthest end of any parking lot whenever possible.
6. was patient with myself and didn't treat missing a goal as a failure, just a reminder to do better the next day.
7. After I was in better shape, I started diving 2 shore dives/week, at least once per month. Until COVID. That looooooong surface swim at La Jolla Shores burns lots of kcals.

Losing weight also Really Helped with buoyancy control - I took 4 lbs off my rig and i could easily hold depth and trim.

Our last trip to Kona 3 years ago - I had a 60+ min Pelagic Magic dive, and came back to the boat with >750 psi on an AL80. (Max depth is 45 but still.) Zen, calm and not yoyo-ing. I routinely came back to the boat with the divemaster as the last or next to last diver on every dive for 5 days.

I've kept the weight off for 5 years, although with COVID, I gained about 8 of the 35 back for a while starting last November, but I'm working my way back down.

Make a plan, be patient with yourself, and there's no failure, just a chance to do better the next day.

Good Luck!

 

[Kimela]

Best I ever got was a few times in my life when, after running pretty much daily for several months and hating every minute of it, I gradually began to hate it a little less.

Thank you for the laugh!!

I'm trying to get back into shape now, and unfortunately I don't have any advice, just sympathy.

We're sharing it ... that makes it compassion, right?

Maybe I should go swing some kettle bells. My husband left to go hunting and I've already cleaned the house and began eating things that are bad for me. Perhaps I can reverse the tide by swinging something heavy?

 

[Kimela]

Our last trip to Kona 3 years ago - I had a 60+ min Pelagic Magic dive, and came back to the boat with >750 psi on an AL80. (Max depth is 45 but still.) Zen, calm and not yoyo-ing. I routinely came back to the boat with the divemaster as the last or next to last diver on every dive for 5 days.

Isn't it funny how great that feels - to be able to stay in the water longer and really use your air?

Congrats - and I know myfinesspal really helps. After having lost 35, losing 8 will happen faster. You know what you need to do.

Was the Pelagic Magic awesome? I want to do that, but Roger isn't as interested ...

 

[scubadada]

I think one of the most important factors is making being able to exercise easy and quick. If you're able to run, that is always easy. I had early onset osteoarthritis and had my hips replaced at a relatively early age. We have always had exercise equipment in our home. First a Nordic Track and a stair climber, now an elliptical trainer. We have had a multi-position weight machine since the earlier equipment. We have a lap pool for the season. When you can conveniently exercise every day, it is much, much easier.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

Ohh yea and zero alcohol for 60 days.

Just kill me and be done with it

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

Exercise is a mental war, we have to fight our demons and carry on with it.

Everybody has time for work out, i don't care how busy you are. Its all a matter of how important it is to you and what you are willing to sacrifice in order to do it.

Sometimes its a challenge, when i wake up for a run at 5am and its cold and raining and windy i feel like dying for leaving my warm bed, especially when i see the Mrs deep in her beauty sleep.
I also despise running, its my least favorite form of exercise but its great cardio.

But the feeling you get after an exercise is amazing, i think both physical and mental, its very rewarding. after you do it several times you get hooked to it.

And exercise soothes my conscious about all the beer i drink

 

[Salamandra]

I've been losing weight with diet alone (low carb low calorie). But... I know I do better emotionally and mentally when I exercise. Yet it's so hard for me to get myself to do it! I had a streak earlier this spring where I was waking up early and walking over 5 miles before starting work. I felt so much better all day. But I didn't keep it up.

 

[DivingChipmunk]

I would recommend picking up another hobby which involves being active and where lower body weight has an advantage, then join a local club for that hobby. For me, it's cycling and I love riding with friends I meet at a couple of local clubs, and travelling the world on cycling trips.
The only issue is that then you will have another hobby competing with diving for your vacation time

 

[tep]

Isn't it funny how great that feels - to be able to stay in the water longer and really use your air?

Congrats - and I know myfinesspal really helps. After having lost 35, losing 8 will happen faster. You know what you need to do.

Was the Pelagic Magic awesome? I want to do that, but Roger isn't as interested ...

Pelagic Magic was great. It convinced me that I needed to get a GoPro and housing for my next trip. Eight(?) divers, four on each side, on individual downlines. You have your own line that slides up and down the downline. Max depth is 50ish? Lots of lights bring up all kinds of little translucent critters.

 

[coach_izzy]

We are comparable size/age..
As for me, weight has been an issue in my adult years. Down now 50+ thanks to Weight Watchers.
As for "working out" I love running, walking, but if that's not for you, you won't keep at it. Try to find something you enjoy. Basketball? rollerblading? kickboxing?
There used to be a guy here on SB (@coach_izzy ) that loved kettlebells. He wrote a book, Kettlebells for a fit diver. Pretty good workout, limited equipment, quick results.
I beach dive regularly, yet that age thing.. dang.. it sneaks up on you.. Got to take more time to recharge..

Dang, Jenny! It's good to be remembered. So happy you've been making so much progress, and give kudos to yourself. After all, YOU did the work, YOU followed through.

As to the sentiment of the original post--hating exercise but wanting the results--I cannot blame the OP. Unfortunately, exercise has been turned into an unpleasant chore with a punitive flavor, and the the worst thing that the fitness industry could've done is to equate exercise to weight loss.

One of the reasons you don't see me on SB as often is because I've been quite busy with my education and my practice. Though I always knew that there's so much more to exercise than just burning calories, everything I've been learning has been confirming it is so.

Exercise should be a pleasurable means to learn, acquire, and refine skills--that's why kettlebells are so much fun. Contrast that to the boring and mindless experience that most people are used to at regular fitness facilities, where they just move from one station to the next, attention barely engaged, counting reps, and putting a weight down not because they were challenged, but because they reached a number.

My advice to the OP is to find something that challenges you skill-wise, as in learning. Practice it for a few months until you reach a basic level of mastery, then pick a new skill to learn and forget about the original one. After a few months, once you've reached a level of mastery, forget about it and return to your previous skill. You'd be surprised at how much proficiency you'll acquire--that's what makes exercise pleasurable.

Wishing you all a joyous day.