How To Stay Active When You Hate Working Out
Working out is not really for the faint of heart. And this is not just about the actual activity and exertion that goes on at fitness centers. Sometimes, the whole idea of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can simply be overwhelming and the mere thought of forcing your body to get in shape can leave you feeling exhausted before you even begin, per Verywell Fit.
This aversion to exercise that many people face is actually one of the major factors that help fitness centers stay in business. The business model for some fitness companies is to have many people get annual gym subscriptions, knowing full well that a great number of them will hardly ever use this subscription regularly or may never even use it all (via UPROXX). Then the subscription keeps getting renewed annually even though the subscriber hardly ever uses it.
This model does not seem like one that will be stopping anytime soon, but the fact that you don't use your gym membership as much as you'd like does not mean you shouldn't try to stay active. And even if you have not bothered to sign up for a gym membership, you can be just as active. So, how does that work?
Staying active is really not as difficult as you may think
If your mind goes straight to powerlifting and other strenuous activities when you think of working out, that could be influencing your inactivity and you may need to quickly dispel that.
Something as simple as taking a walk (alone or with your dog) counts positively for you. Your heart and lungs get fitter just by walking (via BetterHealth Channel). If you choose to go hiking, even better! Hiking pushes your limits more, makes you stronger and helps you burn more calories than walking (via Pack Your Tent).
And if you would rather be indoors than outside, that does not have to count against you. Household chores are good ways to exert yourself (via Insider). Whether you are vacuum cleaning, rearranging your china or just hauling laundry from one end of the house to the other, you are doing yourself a world of good. This is far better than being sedentary and its benefits are twofold — you get your house and your health in order.
Swimming can be just as amazing if you want to stay active without working out. So is dancing. Dancing regularly can help you shed some weight while simultaneously boosting energy levels, per Everyday Health. Swimming is fantastic because of all the full-body results. Almost all the parts of your body benefit from a good swim session. As an added bonus, dipping in the pool can super refreshing!