How Long Does It Take to Start Exercising, According to Reddit
Exercise isn’t always fun, and if you’re doing it for your health or to achieve your weight loss goal, it can seem like a terrible chore. “People who enjoy exercise, when and how did you start to enjoy it?” u / DaylightChampion asks on one of the many Reddit threads on this topic. Here are some answers.
If it often takes several months to start exercising
Among people who named a specific time period, the response was usually 2-4 months. Weightlossrant2017 indicates 80 days :
I train 100 days in a row – 15 minutes of brisk stair walking + walking and yoga. It took me about 80 days before I went from “I have to do this” to “ok, this is fun, I feel better after I get this.”
Many responses emphasize consistency during this early period. After a few months, you’ve proven to yourself that you can stick to this routine, and you’ve probably had plenty of time to see some results. asapwaffle writes :
I used to hate it, but now I really like it. The tipping point was about 4 months of consistent exercise. Don’t get me wrong … I’m not like oooh! 90 minutes of cardio is an EXPLOSION, but as soon as you start seeing the results of your hard work, you are hooked. Basically, you are setting your mind to something that is not enjoyable for reward (being fit, looking your best). If your mind associates an “unpleasant” action with a reward … the action gradually becomes pleasant because of the reward attached to it.
Helps when you do it every day
Many editors emphasize that they have a daily habit that gives you a lot of wins at first, even if those wins are just ticks on the calendar . A_Big_Rat writes :
When you start doing this every day, you start to feel proud of yourself. This pride in the morning made my rest of the day better. I became addicted to wellness and then it doubled as I started to see results.
You will know that you did it when you start to miss him.
LadySmuag writes that she did not notice a particular moment when she began to like the exercise, but after about two months she realized:
Last week, I missed three days at the gym due to a crazy work schedule, and I felt irritable and grumpy about it. My mood improved immediately when I returned to the gym.
You will enjoy exercise if you can exercise for longer.
Several editors noted that longer workouts are more enjoyable and that it takes time to get in shape to be able to do those longer workouts. cpmoellering started at a military base and writes :
When I got to the place where I could run for an hour without a break, I really started to enjoy it. I wasn’t quick, but just getting out and walking was a great way to clear my mind.
You will enjoy exercise when you are no longer in pain.
The first days of training can be difficult, especially if you are not used to moving your body and everything is hurting. But as you get stronger and firmer, your body gets better. OriginalCompetitive insightfully observes :
Much of what makes exercise enjoyable is the wonderful feeling that your body is strong enough to run, swim, bike, etc. It’s not pain – it’s knowing that what should be painful is on actually not so.
While many editors have also suggested finding the kind of exercise you like (team sports? Dance videos?), Many people who have successfully learned to love exercise didn’t always enjoy it at first. They often got hooked on the habit and then on the results, and didn’t necessarily like (or even like) exercise until then. And often it took months to go through this process.
As our parenting editor Megan Walbert has learned , you can make a lot of progress towards falling in love with exercise (in her case, running) in a month. It’s okay if you don’t like exercise on the first day; sometimes it takes time.