The Best Workouts for Weight Loss When You Hate Exercising

I always joke that I really only go to the gym to use the sauna, and my workout happens just because I’m already there anyway. I’m only partially joking.

The truth is, I don’t really like working out, at least in the traditional sense of the term. I’d much rather go for a hike or walk than spend time in the weight room at the gym.

The bigger truth is, “working out” doesn’t have to mean lifting weights or running on the treadmill. Working out can simply mean moving more in a way that feels good to you.

Movement of any kind supports your weight loss goals, whether it’s seeing the number on the scale go down, boosting your metabolism, having more energy, or boosting your mood.

Exercise is important to your health for so many reasons, but putting narrow parameters around what is considered a workout only excludes all of the other amazing ways to move your body.

If you are someone who sees themselves as an exercise hater, it might be time to redefine what you consider exercise and see the benefits of moving your body more!

Why Traditional Workouts Aren’t for Everyone

There are tons of reasons why you might not like working out.

Some people feel intimidated or uncomfortable in a gym setting. Some people find traditional workouts to be boring. Others may have had negative experiences with exercise in the past.

All of these reasons are valid enough, but there may also be restrictions beyond your control when it comes to working out.

Maybe your life is busy between work, family, and friends, and you struggle to find the time to get in a 30-60 minute workout.

Maybe you have all the time in the world but your mental health or physical limitations prevents you from participating in exercise culture.

If any or all of these descriptions feel familiar to you, you can still find a way of moving that does make you feel inspired, empowered, and strong. You might just need to figure out what works uniquely for you.

You actually don’t need to participate in traditional forms of exercise to see real benefits.

Yes, you heard that right. You can put down the barbells, get off the treadmill, and pack away your resistance bands and still maintain a healthy weight.

What Defines a “Workout”?

So, if a workout doesn’t have to be all of those things we talked about, then what does define a workout?

Put simply, exercise is any physical activity that gets your heart rate up, gets your blood flowing, or strengthens your muscles.

Let’s shift the focus from intensity to consistency. Even if you aren’t getting an intense workout every time, staying consistent and increasing your movement everyday will still yield results.

Another mindset shift we want you to make is reframing exercise as a form of self care, not punishment or a necessary evil. When you start prioritizing forms of exercise that you actually enjoy, it stops feeling like a punishment.

In order to cultivate consistency, it’s important to find ways of moving that bring you joy just as much as they improve your health.

After all, you’re more likely to keep doing something you actually like than something you’re only doing because you feel like you should.

What does this look like in practice?

The Best Low-Pressure, High-Impact Workouts

Workouts should be fun! The key to finding what works for you is by trying a lot of different things, so don’t be afraid to mix it up.

Once you find what you love, you can build a consistent routine. But, when you are exploring, make sure you give things a fair chance. It might take a couple of tries to get a sense of whether or not something is for you.

Even though your exercise should be consistent, everyone has good and bad days and while some days you might feel strong, others your energy is just lagging, and that’s okay too.

So, here are some ideas for things you can try at home!

1. Walking (Especially Outside)

Walking is one of the most accessible, easy, customizable forms of exercise you can get.

If you’re not already a walker, start slow with 5-10 minute walks outside in your neighborhood. If the weather is truly terrible, you could do this on a treadmill but the added benefits of spending time outside are so worth it, rain or shine!

You can game-ify your walk by challenging yourself to tackle hills, changing your pace for certain time intervals, or even adding in bursts of jogging or running.

Other ways to make your walk more enjoyable are to pair it with a podcast, audiobook, or playlist you love, bringing a friend along with you, or even taking phone calls or meetings.

2. Dancing at Home

Not only does dancing strengthen your body and get your blood flowing, it is an amazing mood booster that is both fun and energizing.

The best part is that you don’t even have to leave your house to do it.

During the pandemic, when gyms were closed, I started using dance workouts as a way to keep moving. Because I didn’t want to scare my neighbors or passerby, I would close up all the curtains and dance away in the privacy of my own home.

You don’t have to feel silly or embarrassed if your moves don’t resemble Beyonce’s choreography. The important thing is that you are having fun!

If you aren’t ready to freestyle just yet, we love using YouTube for a more structured dance workout.

One of our favorite creators is MadFit, who has dance workouts that use music from your favorite pop star, your favorite decade, and even your favorite TikTok songs. Her videos give you a great workout in as little as ten minutes.

3. Stretching or Gentle Yoga

Yoga is a workout that combines exercise and breath work to build strength, flexibility, body awareness, and your mental health.

Even though you might not get your heart rate up in a slow, gentle yoga class, the static holds will help you start to build muscle and get stronger.

The attention to breathing also helps to calm your nervous system, meaning you’ll end your workout feeling relaxed and at ease. Stress can have a big impact on your health, causing you to overeat or store fat more easily, so lowering your stress will help you in more ways than one.

Even better, you can start doing yoga without ever leaving your house. There are many amazing yoga teachers online, but we especially love Yoga with Adrienne, who has a ton of videos in her catalogue that are shorter and geared towards beginners.

Like all forms of exercise, its always recommended to start slow with videos meant for beginners. These types of videos help you to learn proper form and technique that prevent you from becoming injured.

4. Short Burst Workouts (a.k.a. “Exercise Snacks”)

If you are one of those people who are just too short on time to get a full workout in, short burst workouts, or exercise snacks, are a great way to sprinkle movement in throughout your day.

Even these little exercise snacks are beneficial because although small, they have a big cumulative impact over the course of the day.

Some ideas you can try are by doing squats or pushups during commercials while watching t.v., doing wall sits while brushing your teeth, or doing walking lunges throughout your home.

Put your phone on speaker and do arm circles, march in place, or walk around during phone calls. You can also do wall pushups or calf raises while waiting for your morning coffee or for the microwave to finish heating.

You might also increase your daily movement by taking the stairs or even using the bathroom on a different floor of your office (and taking the stairs to get there!).

You can achieve results by just doing 2-5 minutes of work at a time and even pair movements with activities you are already doing to fit seamlessly into your routine.

5. Active Hobbies

Want to burn calories without even noticing? Being active is it’s own form of exercise and the best way to do it is to play more!

What do we mean by play? Remember when you were a kid and you would spend your time playing pretend, playing with your pets, and exploring your environment both outside and and inside?

It’s time to bring that energy back and find some things you like to do that get you up and moving around.

There are so many examples of this like more traditional movement like gardening, walking the dog, biking, swimming, dancing, playing with your kids, or picking up a recreational sport like tennis, pickleball, or golf.

There are other active hobbies you might not even realize get you up and moving around. Some examples of these are cooking or baking, sewing, woodworking, cleaning, decluttering, beach combing, rock climbing, or birdwatching.

The best part is that you aren’t just exercising for the sake of it, but investing in a hobby that brings you joy, peace, or excitement, getting you out of your routine, and building your confidence.

How to Build a Movement Routine That Sticks

Like we mentioned before, it’s consistency, not intensity, that makes all the difference when it comes to working out. This means that it’s important that you build a routine that you can and want to stick with long-term.

That’s why we encourage you to try a lot of different things to see what motivates you to get active. Everyone is different and what inspires one person might not work for you.

Whether you are still exploring or you’ve found something you like, remember to set small, realistic goals that you can achieve. There is nothing less motivating than setting a huge goal that will take months or years to get to.

Setting smaller, achievable goals will give you a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to keep going.

When you do achieve a goal, make sure you are rewarding yourself for staying consistent. You can track your progress with habit trackers, stickers, or in your journal, and reward yourself with a small treat.

Most importantly, listen to your body and choose things that make you feel good! No one is forcing you to struggle through an activity you hate, but you will feel better for trying it, even if you decide never to go to zumba again.

Let’s Get Moving!

You don’t have to love exercise, you just need to find ways of moving that actually make you feel good! Even small efforts can have a big impact, as long as you are moving more and staying consistent.

The goal should never be to force yourself to do something you hate, but to find things that make you fall in love with caring for yourself and your body.

So, now it’s your turn. Think of one thing you can try this week that will get your body moving. Next week, try another thing, and another, until you find the routine that works for you.