The Most Fun and Efficient Workout for People Who Hate Exercise

Don’t feel bad about not working out.

Let’s face it, not everybody loves exercise. Actually, for some, it’s pure torture. And people are not into torture, because most are not masochists.

No matter how strong countless fitness influencers try to push you in the direction of sweating your ass off at the gym, you have to be aware of one simple psychological truth: if it’s something you hate, you won’t do it long term.

You might go to the gym a few times, maybe lose a couple of pounds, and then quit because the amount of effort you put in is way bigger than the amount of effort put in by somebody who enjoys working out.

Effort, either physical, mental, or both, is a huge part of what keeps us stuck in various situations that we’d like to change. It’s not that we don’t want to do it, don’t know what to do, or can’t find the time. The problem is that IT’S HARD!

And in the case of exercising, it’s hard physically, it’s hard emotionally and the results take time to show up.

It’s no wonder so many people quit before seeing significant improvement.

When you start out strong, there’s a high chance you will get overwhelmed and quit. If you start out by going to the gym 5 times a week, the trainer puts you on the Smith machine with a 20 pounds barbell on your back and yells at you to ‘squat till you puke’ and ‘are you dead yet, maggot’, you will most likely hate him, the gym, working out and life in general.

Seriously now, why would anyone keep doing something that makes them start to hate life when they can do something that makes them love life?

Working out is not for everybody. But movement is.

And all you need to do is find the right movement for you, something that gives you joy, makes you smile while doing it, makes you feel amazing for hours after, and is bliss for the body and soul. Trainers roaring abusive put-downs at you are not part of the deal!

And what could that be?

Walking and walking workouts!

The most simple, efficient, and low impact exercise you can do. It has great results, it makes you feel amazing, it can be done solo, with your partner, a friend, or in a group. What’s even better, it’s one of those activities that doesn’t spike up your appetite, like a lot of intense workouts do.

I remember this one summer when I was doing charity work with a friend, trying to find homes for stray cats. It involved a lot of walking and putting flyers into mailboxes in the scorching summer heat, with a bottle of water that we sweated off 10 minutes later. By the time we both got home we were so tired that the last thing we wanted to do was eat, so we just had some fruit and a long nap.

In about a month you could just see the pounds melting away. By the end of summer, we were both model-level slender, tanned to perfection, and had a very positive outlook on life.

Unfortunately, depending on where you live, walking is not always the best option. Maybe you live in a very hot or very cold climate. Or it’s raining all the time. It’s not that you can’t go walking in the rain, but your main objective is to enjoy it so you can keep doing it at least until you see results.

Other reasons might be that you live in an area that is unsafe for long walks, either somewhere in the wilderness and you need to watch out for bears or you suspect your neighbors might be cannibals.

You never know. Better safe than sorry. Walking for health will be quite useless if you get eaten.

There is good news though. Walking doesn’t necessarily need to be performed outside. And no, I am not going to suggest the dreaded treadmills, although if you have one, don’t just use it as a clothes rack. Or if you want to go to the gym and use one, definitely do it, it’s most efficient, especially when used on an incline.

What I’d like to suggest is something I just discovered recently, it can be done in the comfort of your own home, it’s fun, it’s upbeat and it has wonderful results. And that is the walking workout.

YouTube is packed with various forms of walking workouts. They address everybody, from the beginner to the most advanced, they are different in time length, intensity level, and sweat-draining ability.

They range from the very basic nothing-but-walking videos to the more complex ones that include jumping, dancing, upbeat music, and a ton of fun.

Coming from somebody who hates all forms of exercise with a vengeance, this is the first type of working out that I tried and absolutely loved. I loved it during, I loved it after and I did it again the next day! And then the next!

So you can trust me when I say, you will not be disappointed. Both as entertainment level and as the ability to kick your ass without you even realizing it. It was awesome!

And because it was so awesome, I conjured up some pros and cons for you. Actually, only one con:

• it’s not as efficient as other more intense forms of exercise, like running, HIIT, and lifting weights.

So it will take you longer to shed the pounds and if you want to build serious muscle, you will need to make friends with those dumbbells eventually.

But it has plenty of pros.

Pros:

• it can be done in the comfort of your own home, so you don’t have to waste time going to the gym
• it can be done in nature if you’re in need of some grounding or just want to breathe in some fresh air
• it’s free, so you don’t need to pay for gym memberships and feel self-conscious while being ogled by strangers
• it doesn’t spike hunger levels, on the contrary, it calms down cravings

• it’s low-impact and easy on the joints
• if can be done at higher intensities so that you break into a sweat and raise your heart rate (but only if you want to)

• it’s fun, especially if you choose to follow along with a YouTuber with an upbeat spirit walking on the rhythms of J Lo and Rhianna.

So if you’ve been desperately looking to move your body but everything you try is so tedious, tiresome, and unexciting that you quit after 1 session, do try the indoor walking workouts or their more ancient variant, walking outside.

If you’ve never enjoyed any form of exercise, ever, this is the one that will change your perception and bring you closer to your body.

Treat your body well so it can treat you better!