The right activity

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I am overweight. I am very sedentary and my only exercise is walking to university, which is only about 15mins away, at most. I tried yoga and I hated it because, to put it frankly, it felt like joining a cult. In fact, I hate this weird fitness Puritanism I see from time to time and I don't want to be associated with it because it is way too obsessive and intimidating. I can't afford to go back to kickboxing and I hate competitive sports. I also hate having to socialize with random people and I don't like group stuff. I don't get sports and I think they're overrated.

I also used to have an eating disorder and every time I have tried to lose weight, it triggers those bad feelings. I want to enjoy myself, not punish my body.

I want to do something that is fun and rewarding. I shouldn't feel mentally worse after doing it (which I so often do).


Okay, so with that in mind, can anyone help me think of fun exercise ideas?

Things I have considered: swimming and brisk walking. Solitary stuff is best.

Buy a jump rope and use it while watching television or just when you get the chance?

I bought a few kettlebells that I keep in my home office. I just pick them up at random times throughout the day and swing them. It's a great workout and the repetitive motion is relaxing. You can get a lot of benefit from that one exercise but there are other movements you can do if you want to expand your repertoire.

I think a nice balance between strength training and aerobic exercise is best. I think I would find the repetition soothing. But no skip rope - I always trip!

Maybe you could volunteer to help disabled and elderly people do physical tasks that they can't do themselves.
Another activity that gets a lot of eggsercise is moving like moving from one home to another.
I mention these tasks because they have more practical purpose than other eggsercise, and often, the problem with no eggsercising is motivation, which is easier to get if someone is counting on you to do something for them.

I don't know if you meant to imply that the purpose of the exercise is to lose weight, but, if you did: in my personal experience, even moderate regular exercise has very little effect on weight loss.

I agree with btbnny's general idea about committing yourself to something that will force you to exercise, thereby moderating any motivation problems you may have now or in the future. Not having a vehicle has been good for me; I bike or walk everywhere I need to go. I make several trips to the grocery store instead of one or two huge shopping excursions per month; sometimes, I only buy enough food for one or two days. Those are just some examples.

Hi MindBlind,

are you willing to disclose what your current diet consists of? In my personal experience (please mind, I am not a doctor nor a certified nutrition expert, all I know about food and health I taught myself), a healthy diet almost automatically leads to weight loss. And by healthy I don't mean eating less or eating all the stuff you don't like. It's just that it is counterproductive to eat junk food and exercise, but I don't know what you're eating, so that's why I'm asking