[pjerem]

I’m not sure about all of this. I’ve been sedentary for 34 years, and I somehow still am.

But I discovered rollerblading at 34 and now I’m part of a rollerblading course in a skatepark at a fixed time in the week, just after my biggest day of work. And going to the skatepark is boring, I need to take a bus to nowhere land and then walk in nowhere land for 10 minutes.

I’ve always been happy to go to it. And even the days I didn’t felt it, I never regretted going for it anyway.

Because it’s FUN. I don’t feel like I’m exercising, I’m just having FUN.

To me that was a revelation that felt more important than what this article says. Exercising shouldn’t be boring.

Well I’m still sedentary because rollerblading is not the most practical sport to do everyday, especially on the countryside. But even then I’m loving it.

I also like biking. Not as an exercise but just to evade. I think I will insist on going for some calm rides.

[ytoawwhra92]

Yeah, the way we talk about exercising and fitness in general often pre-supposes that it's an unpleasant chore.

The "secret" to long-term fitness is finding activities you enjoy doing for their own sake that happen to involve moving your body and then incorporating them into your lifestyle such that you're doing them frequently and consistently.

[dtech]

This is like "find work you enjoy". If it works for you great, but for many it doesn't really and at some point you have to accept exercise is non-optional and just pick something you can tolerate if you don't find anything

[ytoawwhra92]

Finding work you enjoy also requires finding someone who will pay you for your work.

Finding movement you enjoy is far simpler because the only person you have to please is yourself.

[retsibsi]

This is definitely a good approach but I don't think it's the only one!

I absolutely agree that the idea that exercise has to be unpleasant is wrong and harmful. But there's a middle ground where the things you actively enjoy aren't sufficient to keep you fit, and so you develop a habit of doing regular exercise even when you don't feel like it and even if it's a bit boring and effortful.

Everyone's different but IME this works well provided you build up the effort level gradually, and never feel the need to push yourself to a really unpleasant degree. Eventually habit, the knowledge that it's good for you in the long run, and the fact that it usually makes you feel better in the short run make it pretty easy to stick with.

[djtango]

> Because it’s FUN. I don’t feel like I’m exercising, I’m just having FUN.

This is hands down the most important advice and what I tell everyone around me. Find something active that you ENJOY. Even better if the thing you enjoy requires your body to progressively improve to unlock more enjoyment from your new active hobby.

Beyond that it can be anything: dancing, martial arts, swimming, cycling, football, handstands, skateboarding

Exercise for exercise's sake is really awful and abstract for most people. Like why carry a bunch of weights if you never feel like you need that strength.

The best thing I find (where possible) is a bit of competition to necessitate progress but that's only one possible solution..

[bonesss]

A wise grinder once told me a powerful secret, the key to perfect running form: the sides of the mouth curling up in a giant smile.

Phoebe running, rejecting social norms, gettin’ dirty, futzing with trail plans… there’s no rules, have fun. Whatever that means exactly on your own terms.

[throwaway27448]

Unfortunately this sort of advice also leads to people not exercising. I don't enjoy lifting, and I don't see an easy way to make it fun, but I feel better and I'm healthier for it.

[bonesss]

… “Smile while you train”, ie make training fun, results in not training? That is nonsensical.

You can’t figure out how to make lifting fun? Bruv, google Eric Bugenhagen. Shirtless, 70s rock, singing out loud, a tye-die hairband, strong coffee and fun exercises. Lifting is awesome, it happens in a gym, and there are 9,000 colours of fun. Homegyms rule, hip thrusts in between air-guitar with the toddler, air kicks and slam balls… and it is as easy as a patch of alley and a kettlebell or tire, if you let it be.

The entire point of my post is the opposite of your takeaway. Learn what you find fun, what makes you smile hard when lifting and by definition you will be having fun lifting.

Lifting is easy mode for fun. Speakers, smoothies, cuties, technique variants, bar variants, ego-stuff, posture-stuff, program stuff, dips, pull ups, and bouncy crap too. Ultra running, where that quote is from, involves eating a slight bit more shit for more than an hour (in AC).

Plus, you do NOT have to “lift” to “pick up something heavy, move it around, and hold something above your head”. Feeling better and healthier, hypertrophy, and targeted resistance exercise are available from a near infinite variety of activities. Some are very enjoyable, the rest can be made so with effort, creativity, and will.

[watwut]

You do not have to lift to exercise. It is only one of many options.

[throwaway27448]

That's true, there is also bodyweight and machines and just hard labor.

And of course there's cardio but that's not terribly difficult to fit into any lifestyle—lots of fun options. That's just not going to hit all your needs by itself.

[damnesian]

Exactly. I've always loved racquet sports- how it makes me feel, the improvement of hand-eye coordination, the competition, sure, all of that- but most of all, because hitting a ball with a stick with a bouncy strings around in a court is a damn good time. So it's never felt like an effort to me.

[matwood]

> Because it’s FUN. I don’t feel like I’m exercising, I’m just having FUN.

First step is throwing away the idea it has to always be fun. You even said right before this:

> And even the days I didn’t felt it, I never regretted going for it anyway.

So it's not always fun and you always don't feel like it, but you connected it to other side of not regretting. That's discipline. The next step IMO, is to embrace when it sucks. Look at the upside that you're not only exercising your body, but also exercising your discipline when you don't feel like it - good for you!

A small example of embracing when it might suck is to not avoid rain. Instead of running, embrace the rain. Relax, smile, and be ok with getting wet. It's temporary. Same thing when you don't feel like doing something you know you need to do, like exercising.