I Hate Exercise

The last time I restarted my exercise routine was back in 2006. Prior to that, I had been doing on-and-off exercise, enrolling in aerobics classes while I was in college or using the elliptical trainer while I was at home during the summer break. My workout of choice was jump rope, because it was a cheap high-intensity exercise. It was grueling. It was boring. I swore that once I would reach my target weight, I would mercifully stop exercising and get back to plopping down in front of the TV.

That was five years and 30 pounds ago. Yet, I’m still working out, and I’m always on the lookout for new things to do. I still hate the thought of having to exercise, and if I never had to exercise to keep my weight stable, I’d be ecstatic. But now, my body always seems to crave for regular physical activity. The habit’s already been engrained in me—it’s already a reflex action for me to change out of my work clothes into my workout clothes, even if I audibly groan while doing so. You’d think that I’d relish the days when I have to excuse myself from a workout, but that isn’t the case.

I suffered a bout of allergic rhinitis a few weeks ago, making it difficult for me to breathe and endure a workout. I shut myself down for an entire week, possibly the longest break away from physical activity that I took in five years. While I did feel relieved and liberated that I didn’t need to exercise, my body felt…off. I felt bloated, even constipated. I didn’t like it. Once my symptoms cleared, I was only too happy to get back to shooting hoops. I felt much better when I was moving again.

So, why did I keep exercising through all these years, even if I hated it? At the start, it was for weight loss, obviously. I kept persisting on that jump rope until the pounds dropped, and they did. I was hellbent on accomplishing my weight loss goal, even if it was out of sheer vanity. But I liked jump rope. I liked that I can work out in front of a TV and an electric fan. I don’t like the outdoors, I don’t like perspiring, and I don’t like being bored (which is why I’m not into the running craze). That was it—I found a workout that was convenient for me, and so I was able to keep it up for the next few years.

And then I started doing other things, once I had reached my plateau with jump rope—kickboxing, badminton, running (only during cooler weather), Jillian Michaels videos, up to my present activities of basketball and Barre3.

Even I surprise myself that I’ve been able to sustain such discipline through all these years. I will always admit that I hate exercise, but I know it’s something that I’ll have to do for the rest of my life, or at least, while I have the capacity to do so. And you know what? I’m perfectly fine with it.