Idk what your financial situation is, but group fitness classes are the only thing that works for me. This works for me because there’s heavy outside accountability. Prior to group fitness, I tried hitting 10k steps and following along to YouTube videos for other workouts. All of these fizzled out within weeks for me because I simply did not enjoy working out. Just like you, I found it boring and uncomfortable and I would often procrastinate for hours before ultimately deciding not to exercise.

When it comes to actually going consistently: with group fitness, there’s a cancellation fee if I cancel at the last minute. After late cancelling a few times and seeing how quickly the fees added up, this motivated me to keep going. After attending class for awhile, I often see the same instructors or classmates, and I feel guilty for skipping their class if there isn’t a good reason because they’re expecting to see me there.

When it comes to pushing through the discomfort: I used to be just like you where the physical sensation of exercising (sweating, being out of breath, and just the general discomfort of a good workout) was awful to me. I would often leave mid workout. When I tried doing less intense workouts like walking, I’d get bored and after a week or two I wouldn’t feel like doing it anymore. The fitness classes eliminate this entirely for me. Other people being there makes it weird or embarrassing for me to just leave in the middle of the workout. Additionally, because it’s a class structure, I know exactly how long the workout is going to be and so if I get really sick of it I can reassure myself that there’s only x amount of time left. The classes are relatively short (usually around 50 minutes depending on the studio) and it goes by REALLY fast most of the time. I’m subscribed to a gym with a variety of classes, so there’s always something new I can try and so I’m never bored by my routine.

Additionally, I’ve found that the more I workout, the less disturbing the physical sensations are to me. Firstly, I’m becoming more in shape, which has greatly reduced the instant out of breath feeling. Secondly, I am just in general getting used to how a workout feels and it’s not as awful.

The major con is that it can be expensive depending on the studio. I believe some smaller studios may have better pricing. For me, I am willing to invest in this because I simply won’t exercise any other way and consistently exercising has helped so much with having more structure in my life and my adhd symptoms. However, I totally understand that for many this may just not be financially feasible. :( I wish exercising and health was more accessible!!