5 natural ways to work out if you don’t like exercising

I don’t know about you, but I’m one of those who do not like to work out. Actually exercising or working out as an isolated activity is 100% NOT natural.

The logical explanation? Science has already proved why “exercising is not natural.” As Steve Ilardi puts it at TEDxEmory in 2014

“…we have been designed to be active in the service of adaptive goals.”

And as he explained prior to the big statement is that the Aboriginal groups, who look 30 even in their 60s, do not do sport as a regular self-conceived separate activity. They spend about 4+ hours of viguros activity when they hunt, they build and do other physical work in the household, walk and run to feed and shelter their community.

That’s why for many, just like for myself and maybe yourself, looking at a fixed equipment like an indoor bike is already repulsive, just like dancing for many.

What’s the logic? I’m not cycling anywhere, honestly. Some part of our brains scream out “OK, we’ll do this just because you need dopamine, but I don’t get it.” And that doesn’t mean I don’t admire sports men and women. On the contrary. Within this context, their ambition is really waw. But most people search pleasure and to satisfy real life needs, and that’s natural.

But then, in a world of where the store provides and it’s just a street walk away, are there ways to move and live, and not only work out? Yes!

Think about how we “hunt” buses or “work out” when we walk the dog or help someone build a garage. Just like our ancestors and tribe men or countryside people, we then work out naturally and at the same time we maintain vitality. Here are some ideas that worked for me personally.

#1 Try yoga

In other words if you haven’t tried it yet, you’ll be amazed. At first it may be about trying to move differently, softly, strangely, humorously. At first I was paying attention to how my body feels, trying to get conscious about my arms, toes, feet or thighs repertoire and my sensory self generally speaking. And you’ll see yourself what a simple movement we don’t usually make since the environment doesn’t require it, can do to your sensation system.

Pick a beginner’s class in a local studio. Hatha yoga could be a start. It’s well practiced and tolerated by pregnant ladies and the fellow in the bubble. Not in a workout mass production muscle factory, but a real studio that sells what the label says: YOGA.

Every little town will soon have one. In Sibiu there are several, but the one suited for a beginner not yet ready to get hypnotised by the ideology or philosophy behind it is KeepGiving Yoga, Andreea Miron’s studio.

Or pick a YouTube video you feel love at first sight for. That’s really up to whatever works for you…

I’ve started with an intuitive morning exercise that didn’t last more than 2 minutes, which is 100% OK. That is better than stamping my feet to the floor and drag myself to Fridgeland and then screech out my hinges and feel like a 90 year old when I was only 30. That’s a sitcom good scene, but not that pleasant for the brains in the long run. It doesn’t rain with dopamine and serotonin which gives us pure pleasure.

Then I started doing it at home on my own, when I was alone with my skeleton and skin and muscles and tendons. We had a yoga party together and no one ended upset. Later I started to attend yoga 7:30 am classes at a local a studio… I’m thinking of going back since I took a longer break because #2 came into my life.

No big ambition, but you’ll probably be amazed of the sensations you could get from simple effective yoga movements once you give it a try. Better than a great movie.

#2 Get a dog and walk together

I’m almost kidding. And yet… there is a lot to learn about you next to a dog.

I suggest adopting a dog from the street if you live in a street-dog country in Eastern Europe or Latin America. Or an animal shelter like Animal Life or else. Or get yourself one from a friend’s puppy-terie or a local store. But that’s not free unless it’s burglary.

Respect his/her urban free-ranging style and learn about that free wanderer in you. Keep him/her fit and it will be a great companion and a respectful creature who will not chew your shoes because he/she worked out their energy. You are the pack leader if you’re lucky to get informed on dog behavior, plus you get to work out yourself.

I’ve had a sticker in my drawer for long saying “Adopt a dog” and found it weird to paste it on my laptop cover without living up to what it said. But it kept coming to my mind, and when Babushka came along in my Facebook feed I just said yes to the adoption call and only next thought about it... But as someone who is only restless in the brains, I caressed myself thinking that she is a senior dog, and she is as active as I am. Which is somehow true. :)

You’ll start having nice long walks, and you’ll love the dog walking next to you. A silent friend who doesn’t contradict you. Just like the Aboriginal hunter I started exploring the urban forest despite rain, mist, sunny afternoons, etc. Time triples, because you can explore nature or architecture, be with a friend who’s always in a good mood, walking without the heart attack promise you get in the workout factory as I call it, and at the same time maybe listen to music, to a YouTube video, or an audio book.

If on your 30 minute or 1 hour walk feel like looking around like never before and letting smells into your nostrils and get more careful to sounds that’s the beginning of your dog life career.

#3 Be a social marathon virgin

You got me wrong! Nevermind your biology standard status, run for a cause even if you’ve never thought about or haven’t been practicing. Enroll in a 5 km or 4 km cross.

From my experience if you believe in the cause you are jogging for, your body will tell you how to breath, how to move. Don’t get freaked out, that’s related to waiting for fame, and this is not your case. Your duty is someone else and not your trophee. Remember, if you can walk you can run too. So, just run Forest, run!

To put things in a more realistic perspective and make it easy for you, I’ve only practiced once before running the 4 km without having to stop. What helped me feel good and cover the distance was the sporty outfit that made me feel like a deer and hence run like a deer, at least an elegant animal in my mind… Oh, and the music! I didn’t go for DJ sounds, but picked Creedence and Toots and the Maytals, because that was the regular music dose of that time for me. Pick something that makes you feel authentic!

The ideal breathing technique is a myth worth busting for me! People were telling me all sort of tricks about it. But what worked for me as a harmonica fan, was to open the mouth and let the air go through in and out, all the way I needed it. I imagined my throat was a blowing instrument and I didn’t think much about it except to trust it. The body knows better.

The interesting part of this story is that I found pleasure in running for the first time in my adult life, and knocked down my frozen stupid belief that I didn’t like workout. I just needed a real reason to do it.

#4 Enjoy being late or cleaning the windows

In translation, next time you run late for a meeting and you get to catch a bus, think about the benefits of running after it. You are not running late, you are jogging.

The moment you are in the street, you are not being put to wall by anyone. So, don’t live the future in the present. You’ll deal with that honestly and responsibly later, in the meeting room. By the way, why can’t we just speak out the truth and asume it, that we didn’t appreciate time well, or that we fell asleep. Those are human stuff. If the others do not get it, at least we can be open about it and live authentically, and that’s a quality you should afford. It happens!

As for cleaning the windows… replace the feminist refusal with the benefit. It keeps your arm and belly muscles active. I realized this when mom was paying compliments about my fit arms.

I had just returned from a 2 month “working vacation” from Western Europe when I was in university. I would wipe windows daily, which I thought then it was God making jokes at me.

Besides the muscles, I had soon developed a good relationship with God (or whatever you may call the source of life), based on our mutual sense of humor.

#5 Be cool, get a bike

Not much to say about this. It’s sexy and helps you get to the destination faster, plus it’s economical too. Picture it like that, if it works for you: hunting for a place. Just ride! At first it will be weird, and that’s OK. We’ve all been there. In time, the bike will be your second pair of legs.

If you can’t ride yet, pick a less busy place to train. Remember, just like in swimming, to get rid of the fear is the only lesson. Well, yes, then you have to feel the sensation of balance… Many laugh or frown when I say “cemetery,” but that’s a great place to learn how to ride. Smooth long alleys if it’s in a town, and there are very few people alive to bother you or laugh at you. The rest is silence.

Wrap up

No doubt about it! We haven’t been designed for a sedentary life, yet this is a side effect of the society most of us live in. Many of us just don’t feel at ease planning out jogging or going to the gym for health’s sake, when old age and illness seems a far away land. Instead of making a high class resolution of physical training when we are not sport-enthusiasts, trying up some new ways to live or just being aware of our daily potential to work out while being useful to us and others, is a more natural way to exercise. So, I found myself working out while taking pleasure from other jars: walking my dog, yoga, rushing to get to my job, cleaning the windows, biking, running the cross. That feels natural, because there is pleasure or some similar purpose to it.