This seems to be a recurring theme with people who struggle with their weight. They ask, why do I hate working out so much? Luckily, we can find plenty of answers of why that might be.
I will tell you right now that I used to absolutely hate working out. I always thought it was a chore that got me nowhere. The results weren’t coming and I figured that I was destined to be the scrawniest person I knew.
Luckily I was able to figure it out and I have never been happier with the way that I look.
In this article we are going to discuss the reasons why you hate working out so much, and what you can do to combat those feelings of frustration.
Before we get started, make sure that you have a workout plan. Our app All Workouts: Personal Trainer (iOS | Google Play) will help you choose the best plan for you.
You aren’t seeing results fast enough
This is a major problem that I see in our current society. We are just too caught up with the thought that we can change our body at a rapid pace.
This is the reason that I used to hate working out. I would go to the gym 5-7 days per week and I wouldn’t see anything happening in the mirror. As someone who was trying to build muscle, it was incredibly disheartening to see the scale at the end of the week. I would actually lose weight.
It turns out, I didn’t take into account the rule that working out alone is not going to cut it. You have to combine working out, eating right, and time in order to build the body that you are looking for.
You can start by setting realistic fitness goals for beginners. And once you have your goals in place, I think it is very important to take measurements of your body. This includes weight, stomach, arms, thighs, etc.. And make sure you take pictures too.
Even though you might not be seeing visible results in the mirror, your measurements might say otherwise.
Here is the thing. If you are trying to lose weight, you need to be in a caloric deficit. If you are trying to gain weight, you need to be in a caloric surplus. The only way to know which one you are in is to calculate your maintenance calories and go from there.
It is ok to have ridiculous expectations at first. But just know that building the perfect body that you are satisfied with is going to take time. Celebrate the small wins, set realistic expectations, and continue for an extended period of time.
You don’t want to conform
I almost didn’t put this section in this article. Why? Because it is probably the most controversial section. But in reality, it is also the most relevant.
With the internet covering the whole world, our sphere of influence has drastically increased. And you can find any group of people that will support your biases.
But for starters, let’s look no further than our family and friends. What are their opinions on working out? That is what is going to influence us the most, and can determine if we hate working out or not.
When I was in high school, I was extraordinarily skinny. I needed to put on muscle. But my dad expressed his opinion that working out was feminine. That was enough to keep me away from weights until I finally decided to do my own research.
I know countless families and friend groups that have similar sentiments. A friend from the gym once told me that all of his friends and family asked him why he wanted to be a “normie” when he first started to lose weight.
It was a struggle for him at first, battling the desire to be the best version of himself, while also battling for the approval of his family and friends. When he first started, he would ask himself this same question, why do I hate working out so much?
He was afraid to “conform” in the eyes of his peers.
The best part about all of this is that he lost a ton of fat and built a solid muscle base. He told me that half of his family and a few of his friends admitted they were inspired by his journey. They even started getting in shape themselves.
You feel like you are wasting your time
I want you to do something real quick. Open up your phone and scroll down to the “screen time” feature. How many hours per day do you spend on your phone?
Chances are, you are pretty shocked with the number. Last year, I got a notification that I was spending 4 hours per day on my phone. 2 hours of that was on Instagram. That notification alone was enough for me to delete instagram.
So why do I tell you all this? Because I know that you probably do have the time to go to the gym. It is mostly a question about the perception that you have about the time used to go to the gym.
If you are eating for your goals, and working out 3-5 days per week, then going to the gym is definitely not a waste of time.
And you might be thinking, well I am not eating right, isn’t going to the gym enough? Well, going to the gym is going to help you build muscle and ensure better cardiovascular health. But If you aren’t eating right, you will be stagnant in the way you look.
Yes, there are some caveats to this, but I think it is important to understand how important eating is in the equation of fitness.
Stop saying, why do I hate working out so much, and start saying what can I do to ensure maximum results for myself. This blog alone has all the information that you need to get in the best shape of your life. Feel free to browse around.
Your muscles get sore
This is one of my favorite excuses when I hear people tell me why they hate working out so much.
When you first start working out at the gym, you are certainly going to feel a ton of muscle soreness for the next few days to a week. But you will find that the muscle soreness goes away after a while.
I have been working out for years, and I will still get a little bit of muscle soreness after an intense workout. It is not nearly as bad as the muscle soreness that beginners experience.
The key here is to just push through the soreness to get to the other side. And I understand that you aren’t going to be able to lift as much weight, or push yourself as hard. There is evidence to suggest that working out while sore is actually beneficial to your overall recovery.
At different points in your journey, you may have the urge to give up because of the pain. Assuming that the pain is just muscle soreness, I highly recommend pushing through. You are going to learn a lot about yourself through this process.
If you can persevere through a strict workout and nutrition routine, you can leverage that in other parts of your life. You can even learn how to make your muscles recover faster after a workout.
Main Point: Why do I hate working out so much?
In this article, we only scratched the surface to our burning question, why do I hate working out so much. Every single person is unique, and they have their own physical and mental challenges in life.
If you are not seeing results coming fast enough, that could be a major reason for why you hate working out. Be sure to take time to set the right expectations. Results aren’t going to happen overnight.
But with the right plan, you will be well on your way sooner than you think. It is going to take nutrition, regular gym visits, and consistency over time.
Of course, there are plenty of other reasons that you might hate working out. This includes the conformity aspect. The community that you surround yourself with might not support your quest to get in the best shape of your life.
And sometimes there is no way of escaping those influences. You might think that if you follow through with your goals, you will be conforming to an idea that your circle of influence does not want for you.
But, if you are like my gym friend, you might be powerful enough to change the narrative and influence your friends and family to get in great shape.
The last thing that we touched on was muscle soreness. Just know that muscle soreness is temporary, and you will move out of that phase. Don’t be afraid to push yourself and be proud of your success.
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