Active teen/Active adult?

[Night Elf]

So I was thinking about why I hate to exercise. As a child, I played outside every minute I could. My friends and I were always outside playing. However, by the time I was a teen, I wasn't active. I wasn't into sports. In fact, I hated P.E. I got in trouble with my female P.E. teacher once when she talked to me about how I didn't try hard enough. I told her I was a lady and real ladies don't sweat. I don't think she cared for me for the rest of the year. All I did was hang out with my friends which meant we sat around talking. So now as an adult, I'm still not interested in being active. Loathe it in fact, although I realize that's a harsh word, but it's how I feel.

 

So anyway, were you active as a teen and continued to be active as an adult? Or did you find your groove after you became an adult?

[Bluegoat]

I know with girls it is especially common for them to drop out of physical activity in their teens.  I think a lot of boys do as well though.

 

One issue IMO is that at that point it becomes more serious to carry on with organized sports.  Those who aren't interested in that, or don't have much talent, drop out.  It can also start to cost a lot.

 

Casual pick up games aren't easy to find in a lot of places.

 

With girls, I think many body issues can become a barrier.  I gave up swimming lessons largely because I couldn't just sit out whenever I had my period and I couldn't use tampons.  These days, not much accommodation is offered for those kinds of needs, people are expected to just manage.

 

I haven't been that active as an adult.  When I was settled enough to be interested I had small kids, which has its own limitations.  Cost can still be a factor too. 

[regentrude]

I despised PE in school. I did a brief 2 year stint in competetive kayak racing at 12/13 and was so glad to be able to quit.

I did not participate in any organized sports as a teen.

 

I met my husband in college and started rock climbing with him and a group of friends. When we moved to the US, we started hiking extensively. I am a lot more active as an adult than I was as a teen. But I still dislike "exercise" on machines.

 

Since a pp mentioned cost: you can be very active for free.

Edited April 13, 2016 by regentrude

[Pam in CT]

I did sports as a teen and also ran 3-5 times a week.  There's a lot to be said for sports, especially I think for young women -- the camaraderie, the leadership/team dynamics, and the valuing-strength-and-competence-of-bodies (rather than just physical attractiveness).

 

As a young adult I messed up a knee to the extent that I can't run on it anymore -- I just can't take the pounding.  I've never found anything else that is as easy / affordable / time efficient / can-do-it-anywhere as running.  We have an elliptical at home (I can do that, because it supports my weight such that there's no pounding), and I use it, but it is so.dang.boring I could just weep.  I'd far rather get outside.  I do walk my dog, but that hardly does the job cardiovascularly, sigh.

[mom2scouts]

I was an extremely active teen and am a very inactive adult. There's a multitude of reasons in my case that range from injury to depression to medicine induced weigh gain, but it's much harder to get started being active again than it would have been to stay active.

[freesia]

I was active as a team--summer swim team, a couple of miles back and forth to school, aerobics classes in the evenings.

 

Overall, I have been moderately active as an adult. I have had periods where I've been less active, but I enjoy being active. When I live near an affordable pool, I swim a couple of times a week. Now I walk 3 miles several times a week and *try* to do a day of T-Tapp and at least one yoga session.

 

I think, in general, having exercise be part of *normal* sets a good pattern. It feels wrong to me to not move much--just as it would feel wrong not to eat vegetables.

 

My emphasis with my kids has been less sports teams(although we do do some of that) and more fitness that can always be a part of their life( swimming, running, tennis, skills in basketball, softball and volleyball (since those are played at reunions and church picnics) and Ta Kwon Do (since adults can access these classes easily). We also hike and one of my children climbs.

[Bluegoat]

I despised PE in school. I did a brief 2 year stint in competetive kayak racing at 12/13 and was so glad to be able to quit.

I did not participate in any organized sports as a teen.

 

I met my husband in college and started rock climbing with him and a group of friends. When we moved to the US, we started hiking extensively. I am a lot more active as an adult than I was as a teen. But I still dislike "exercise" on machines.

 

Since a pp mentioned cost: you can be very active for free.

 

I meant it is a reason kids will drop out of organized activities.  Once they get in to adult sized equipment, larger more active leagues and more practices, and travel, it can be very expensive. 

 

Many don't really replace those activities, and in some places it can be difficult to find group sports at a reasonable price, or schedule.  I think it's often harder for teens than adults to try and incorporate free activities - they may need transport, or just not know what is available, or be shy.

 

I think for many, physical activity having a social element is important, it is a major motivation.  Doing things alone is not as fun for them, or easier to let slide.

[Pawz4me]

I despised PE in school. I did a brief 2 year stint in competetive kayak racing at 12/13 and was so glad to be able to quit.

I did not participate in any organized sports as a teen.

 

I met my husband in college and started rock climbing with him and a group of friends. When we moved to the US, we started hiking extensively. I am a lot more active as an adult than I was as a teen. But I still dislike "exercise" on machines.

 

Since a pp mentioned cost: you can be very active for free.

 

Pretty much this.

 

Despite being fairly athletic, as a teen I despised school PE with a fiery hot passion and found any type of organized team sports only marginally better.  But I love solitary activities or those done with just a friend, spouse, child that really get me moving -- walking, hiking, biking, heavy yard/house work, etc.

[J-rap]

I was a very active teen;  I ran track/hurdled through college.  I loved running and biking and swimming.  Once I started having kids, it was too hard, and now, I just really, REALLY have to work up the motivation to do it.  Part of it is the weather.  The weather here is either one extreme or the other usually.  When we've been on vacations, etc., in places like San Diego, I'm so much more motivated to get out and do things every day!  Biking, fast walking, etc.

 

Also, I really hate exercising alone.  I just find it boring.  And, I really don't like the whole exercising aspect of it.  Unless I have a goal (such as it being a race) or a friend or it's fun, I just don't seem to be disciplined enough.

 

I do love cross-country skiing, and we used to do this as a family every weekend, but now that our kids are gone, I have no one to go with.  If I actually lived on a trail with a dog that could run with me as I skied, I'd do it.  :)

 

One of my daughters absolutely hated any kind of exercise all through high school.  We worked hard to find some active activities our kids would enjoy.  Most of our kids latched on to various fitness activities by middle school age, but this one not only hated it but just found it so hard.

 

Until she worked at a National Park one summer during her college years.  She got into hiking, and then extreme hiking, and then mountain climbing, and then kayaking, and now she is unstoppable!  So part of it is just finding the right thing I guess. 

[Murphy101]

I get annoyed that "active" is always defined by being on a sports team or having a gym membership. By that definition I was never active and never will be.

 

Never mind that I walked miles and did quite a bit of heavy physical labor jobs all throughout my youth and young adulthood.

 

I wasn't very active for a few years and then was able to get my health in order, lose a lot of weight and be active again.

 

Now I've gained some weight and other mid-life health issues have conspired to make maintaining that activity level harder. Pregnancy pukes are not enough to make up for sleeping 12 - 14 hours a day at this point in my life. Lol

 

There are so many kinds of "active" that are healthy and so very many ways life conspires to make it hard to maintain health as we age. To compare me in my midforties to me in my teens as a correlation is a bit of a stretch to say the least IMO.

 

Dh was in nearly everything until age 15. Then he pretty much dropped it all. Because it's normal for teens to become more discerning about what they really want to do at that age. He had an ankle injury that ended competitive soccer for him. And he realized most of his activities were parent directed childcare and all he really cared about was the social aspect. And as he has aged his outdoor allergies just keep getting worse and worse and the Rx for them seems to either work less and less or he develops side effects that make them not worth it. His idea of torture is a day outside. I tease him that he sneezes if he looks out the window. He is still fairly active now. We are both more likely to take stairs than elevators and so forth.

 

I hated PE as a kid of any age. I actually flunked it twice. It was nothing more than a way to punish kids for not being in a sport. I had asthma, was about 40lbs under weight, had the coordination of a blind giraffe, had absolutely zero interest in sports or understanding of school/team pride concept. I needed PE like I needed a third leg to trip over. So I spent most of it refusing to participate or skipping class to read a book somewhere.

[SKL]

I wasn't into organized sports, and hated gym.  But I enjoyed challenging my body physically, and I still do.

 

Now that I'm a grown-up, I don't have a problem participating in classes.  I've done martial arts and yoga classes, which I enjoy.  I also enjoy walking / hiking.  It's been a while since I attempted much else.

[SKL]

As for my daughters, I have one who is athletic, and one who goes to activities because I sign her up.  :P  I have always insisted that they do something physical every day.  I hope it makes a lifelong difference, but who knows?

 

One of my kids (9yo) is already feeling conscious about body stuff.  She always wanted to cover her legs, so I taught her to shave.  Luckily for her, she is naturally slim, so I think her love for athletics will remain stronger than any body shyness she may develop.

 

My other 9yo tends to gain weight easily, and she has a big appetite at times.  She needs to keep active.  So far she hasn't shown signs of being self-conscious about her body.  If that becomes an issue, I could see us increasing our involvement in TKD or similar, whose uniform doesn't accentuate stuff that makes girls shy.  (We do TKD together as a family.)

[Joules]

Hated it then and now.  When the neighbors played ball, I was in the basement or shade reading a book.  I did the bare minimum at recess or PE and then visited friends or read a book.  Got involved with a boyfriend in college and did hiking, backpacking, canoeing, etc.  Hated every minute of it.  Would rather read a book.

 

There are a few types of exercise I am OK with:  walking or exercise while listening to a book on tape, walking in a city where there are interesting things to see and places to go, and walking with an interesting person to talk to.  I go nuts if I'm not mentally stimulated.

[SparklyUnicorn]

 I walked a lot as a teen.  I lived far from the schools I attended and had to walk.  I walked to my jobs that were far.  The jobs themselves tended to be jobs requiring physical labor.  So yes in a way I was active as a teen.  But I was not athletic and I too hated gym.  It's no fun to play sports if you completely suck at them.  Sometimes in high school we could choose from more than one activity.  I gravitated towards stuff like aerobics or walking around the track if it was offered.  Being under 5 ft tall stuff like basketball was lousy for me.

 

 

[JustEm]

I was not an active teen at all. Sports weren't interesting to me, running was boring, and I just had no desire to be active. At age 20, my friend convinced me to start kung fu with her. I agreed because I knew she needed some support and I was physically capable of helping. I became quite passionate about it. I also had an interest in learning to spar, which they never offered when it was convenient for me. 9 years later and it is the only form of exercise I enjoy. Ask me to go running and I'll laugh but ask me to run from one punching bag to another in between punching and kicking and I'm all in.

 

So maybe you just need to find a form of exercise you like, not for the exercise aspect but for the enjoyment aspect.

[regentrude]

So I was thinking about why I hate to exercise.... So now as an adult, I'm still not interested in being active. Loathe it in fact, although I realize that's a harsh word, but it's how I feel.

 

Is there really no physical activity that brings you joy?

Walking in nature, boating, gardening, swimming, dancing....?

 

[JenneinCA]

In high school I played softball and then I continued to play in college. (Division 3!). I played mostly right bench and got next to no game time. I enjoyed practices and I enjoyed being on a team, but I can't say I was ever very good. I might have been better but getting glasses for the first time at 16 really messes with your ability to hit a ball.

 

Then after I graduated that there was no place for a not very skilled player to play. The only teams that exist at the rec level are coed and playing with the guys is beyond awful when you weren't that great to begin with.

 

So I stopped. For my birthday the year I turned forty I started looking into other things to do. There is a rock climbing gym close and I tried that, but my upper body strength is not up to the task. But in an effort to build up that upper body strength I found weight lifting. And that I do enjoy.

 

There is no one complaining that you struck out or missed the ball. The weights are infinitely adaptable to whatever your skills are capable. And improvement is possible. I am still working on the goal of being able to do a pull up. But now I can dead lift my body weight. And I know what cleans and snatches are. And I can do them too. It has been almost five years since I walked into that rock climbing gym and while I have moved to a different place since then but I am grateful they were there when I needed them.

[lllll]

nm

Edited April 20, 2016 by _ ?^..

[lailasmum]

I always hated sport so school PE was something I just endured and I have no desire to do sport as an adult. I did a lot of walking, gardening and playing outside as a kid and that's continued but it has varied with where I've lived, I was also a majorette. I did dance at school for a couple of years, I was bad at it but it was a lot more fun than anything else they offered but it's not something I'd continue as an adult for fear of looking like an idiot. 

 

I think simple solitary things like walking/hiking are easier to continue through life but sports rely on too much else like having the facilities and money to do it and often being good enough at it so someone wants to play with you. 

[Bluegoat]

I always hated sport so school PE was something I just endured and I have no desire to do sport as an adult. I did a lot of walking, gardening and playing outside as a kid and that's continued but it has varied with where I've lived, I was also a majorette. I did dance at school for a couple of years, I was bad at it but it was a lot more fun than anything else they offered but it's not something I'd continue as an adult for fear of looking like an idiot. 

 

I think simple solitary things like walking/hiking are easier to continue through life but sports rely on too much else like having the facilities and money to do it and often being good enough at it so someone wants to play with you. 

 

We have groups here that do folk dancing together.  It seems difficult to look idiotic, or at least everyone does together.

 

They aren't necessarily well advertised, they seem to just meet weekly at community centers, or accasionally pubs.

[Mom22ns]

I hated PE in high school too, but played a few sports and swam obsessively. Like a pp I messed up a knee (running cross country) and had to stop all the sports except swimming. When I got to college, swimming was too inconvenient and I stopped that too. It took me until my mid 30s to find an activity I liked again. I did that for several years, then had to give it up for other reasons. Then a few years ago I took up biking and that has kept me active (in good weather) for 3 or 4 years now. I also walk the dogs 3-4 times/day. That isn't exactly cardio, but it isn't sitting either. We walk 1-2 miles each time, so I typically end up with 5-8 miles of walking/day.

[Ottakee]

I HATED exercise as a kid/teen.  I had open heart surgery as a 3 year old and that was my excuse/reason for skipping most gym classes K-8 and all of them in highschool.  Likely shouldn't have been, but it worked for me back then.

 

I would go outside at recess and swing or read a book under a tree.  As a kid, we might play house, or read a book.  As a teen I worked and babysat and ready my book.  Notice a pattern here???

 

Fast forward to about 10 years ago.  We bought my girls a pony which led to me buying a horse for myself and doing all of the related chores.  Then a friend and I started walking and although I was going to die at first, we still do 2-4 miles at a time several times a week.  Then last year I added in kayaking.

 

While I am about 75 pounds heavier now than I was as a teen, I likely am healthier and certainly am more active.  My motivation though now is that I love nature and I love socializing while I exercise......horseback riding, kayaking, and walking all go very well with socializing with friends.  It is also much more motivating to walk when I know i will have a friend pushing me to walk a bit faster and someone I can chat with the entire time.

[Nan in Mass]

I was generally active growing up, although I hated gym and sports, and am equally active as an adult. I have to move or I get depressed. I do entertaining things. I don,t just excersize. I think that is the trick to staying active. I don,t have enough self discipline just to do repetitive excersizes at a gym, just for the excersize. I want to do something with someone, or do something fun. If I were rich, I,d have a horse. I,m not, so I dance, do yoga, hike, walk, and play pingpong, badminton, and croquet with family members, walk with an audiobook for stress relief, swim when it is hot, garden, go for a paddle, row, or sail, and walk the dog. I,m rotten at them all, but they still amuse me. : )

 

Nan

 

ETA The thing that slowed me down as a teen was my new, larger body. It just couldn,t do the things my little girl body could do so effortlessly. I,m still mad at it for changing.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Nan in Mass

[Arcadia]

None of us like organised/planned for sports. We like recreational sports like bowling on a whim, golfing when in the mood, hiking because the weather is nice, dancing because we feel like it.

 

We are not sit on our butt people but not interested in PE either.

[wintermom]

So now as an adult, I'm still not interested in being active. Loathe it in fact, although I realize that's a harsh word, but it's how I feel.

 

 

I really believe that our bodies are made to move. Our body releases endorphins into our blood when we move that makes us feel good, and they help reduce stress. Besides this immediate benefit, there are so many scientifically proven health benefits of being physically active. 

 

Perhaps movement causes you pain in some way, or physical discomfort. I'd deal with the issue of discomfort so that you can find a way to move that you can enjoy all the wonderful benefits being physically active provide. Your physical and mental health and long-term welfare is worth it.

 

 

I've always been physically active, as a child, teen, young adult and now aging adult. But there have been times in my life when I wasn't able to be active, such as weeks of summer vacation when we were driving across the continent. During those times I was in pain because of inactivity. As soon as I could exercise regularly, I was fine. It can be a vicious cycle, though, if you've been inactive, feel pain, and there seems to be little motivation to get active. 

 

I'd really encourage you to find an activity that is social, fun and progressive, so that you can gradually build up skill, duration and intensity. Yoga is good for this, especially with a warm and friendly instructor. Then branch out to find other activities that look interesting. 

 

A few of the sports I did in my youth I still do, but there are so many more things I've tried since then, and there are still a ton I'd like to do. As an adult I've tried martial arts, rock climbing, canoeing, yoga, marathon running, skiing across a glacier, tennis leagues, pickle ball, and many more. And there are still a few decades to try more! ;)

Edited April 13, 2016 by wintermom

[SparklyUnicorn]

Is there really no physical activity that brings you joy?

Walking in nature, boating, gardening, swimming, dancing....?

 

For me?

NO

 

LOL

 

It's terrible, but there isn't a physical activity that brings me joy.  Although it dawned on me recently that I didn't mind some of the physical jobs I had (for example being a cook in an assisted living place that was a lot of fairly rigorous labor).  I liked that because the time passed quickly, I didn't mind what I was doing, and it was built in exercise.

 

I guess I don't mind exercise if I don't think I'm really exercising. 

 

So I suppose maybe I need to get one of these jobs.  I just don't really know when I'd do that. 

Edited April 13, 2016 by SparklyUnicorn

[Zinnia]

I was not an active teen.

As an adult, I've always said that I loathed being active.  But.  My dh got super interested in hiking a couple of years ago.  Hours and hours a week.  So I joined in just to keep the family together.  ANd I sort of liked it.

 

Last year, we joined the Y for the pool.  And I started thinking it was stupid that I never went when we were paying for it.  So I started going.  We don't have cable at home, and I never have childcare for a moment alone.  I'd walk on the treadmill, watch cable, and enjoy the time of no questions from my kids.  It was enough motivation for me to keep going.  About 9 months ago, I noticed a dance class, and it looked fun, so the next week I went.

 

Now I go to zumba 2-3 times a week, and I work out on the elliptical with my beloved cable a couple of times a week.  We often hike as a family on the weekends.  I went from a lifelong couch potato to not so much, and I'm not sure how it happened.  But I like the way I feel right now, so I keep pressing on. 

[Night Elf]

Is there really no physical activity that brings you joy?

Walking in nature, boating, gardening, swimming, dancing....?

 

Absolutely not. For one thing, I hate being outdoors. I've just never liked it. Someone on this thread mentioned TKD and I remembered that I did that and even earned a black belt. I had totally forgotten about it. I did enjoy it but we did it as a family so it was easy to get into it. But I hated sparring. I preferred doing forms which was just moving my body. So yeah, that was one form of exercise I did but there is no way I would be interested in pursuing that again. I have dvd's that aren't horrible and I have a treadmill. The treadmill is the best choice because I can watch a Brit-com while walking. I go in waves. I'll get on an exercise kick for about a month where I walk 4 or 5 days a week and then I just stop and go a few months of doing nothing. Now my mom is trying to talk me into doing a 15 min. walk in the morning and again in the afternoon/evening to equal 30 minutes a day. That just doesn't make sense to me but I'm thinking about it.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Absolutely not. For one thing, I hate being outdoors. I've just never liked it.

 

I hate being outdoors too.  Which probably sounds very sad.  But between bad allergies and the very real threat of Lyme's disease it's not very inviting.

[Zinnia]

I don't like to sweat.  Like, I really, really hate it.  So that makes being outside miserable 6 months of the year unless I'm in the pool.

 

Figuring out that I could exercise indoors with AC was awesome for me.

[Nan in Mass]

I hate being outdoors too. Which probably sounds very sad. But between bad allergies and the very real threat of Lyme's disease it's not very inviting.

The threat of Lymes has put a serious dint in our pleasure in being outdoors. Sigh.

 

Nan

[SparklyUnicorn]

The threat of Lymes has put a serious dint in our pleasure in being outdoors. Sigh.

 

Nan

 

Not "liking" because I like it, but I hear you.  Over half the homeschoolers I know have or had Lymes.  Some caught it very early and it wasn't so bad.  Some suffered for years with symptoms.  One family I know of, every single person in the family got Lymes.  So they are just one big ball of misery. 

 

Really sucky. 

 

Couple of summers ago we went camping in CT.  I doused myself in bug spray.  Same with the kids.  Nobody got Lymes thankfully, but it was on my mind for awhile.  One of my kids had an allergic reaction to a mosquito bite and we ended up in a walk in clinic.  His body swelled up and he had crazy hives all over the place.  It was scary.  It caused him problems for about a week and he missed the final choir show. 

 

So that stuff puts a damper on going outdoors. 

[Guest]

I found my groove as an adult. I was not sporting as a kid or teen.

 

I also know people who went in the other direction. My nephew, who was in many sports before adulthood, decided as an adult that he and his wife have decided they like good food and drink and not so much sweating and running. So they don't.

[wintermom]

Absolutely not. For one thing, I hate being outdoors. I've just never liked it. Someone on this thread mentioned TKD and I remembered that I did that and even earned a black belt. I had totally forgotten about it. I did enjoy it but we did it as a family so it was easy to get into it. But I hated sparring. I preferred doing forms which was just moving my body. So yeah, that was one form of exercise I did but there is no way I would be interested in pursuing that again. I have dvd's that aren't horrible and I have a treadmill. The treadmill is the best choice because I can watch a Brit-com while walking. I go in waves. I'll get on an exercise kick for about a month where I walk 4 or 5 days a week and then I just stop and go a few months of doing nothing. Now my mom is trying to talk me into doing a 15 min. walk in the morning and again in the afternoon/evening to equal 30 minutes a day. That just doesn't make sense to me but I'm thinking about it.

 

Maybe you can do some kick boxing classes, where there is all the fun of kicking and punching, but no sparring.

 

15 minutes walking twice a day is a wonderful idea. It's included in our Canada Fitness Guide as one way to get in 30 minutes of activity daily.

 

 

Edited April 14, 2016 by wintermom

[KungFuPanda]

I've been active my whole life and I'm still very active at 43. I teach 8 dance classes a week and take one. I'm a huge slacker about the gym. I'd be less sore if I'd get into a yoga class and I'm sure I'd benefit from a bit of weight training, but I'm at my limit and it's booooring. I have to get exercise incidentally doing something I enjoy. The goal can't be exercise for me to stick with it. I buy the DVDs and never do them unless it's something for a classism teaching. It's like I can't exercise without witnesses. I'll hike or bike with a friend to get somewhere or catch up, but never because it's good for me. I've recently begun dabbling in gardening and that's decent exercise in the fresh air.

 

So OP, if you only liked the forms in your martial arts class, but not the sparring, you may be looking for a dance class.

[Pam in CT]

I spent ages 4-12 living outdoors. Honestly. Only came in to watch TV.

 

But I have always hated sports/exercise. Except for walking and yoga. I don't have any kind of consistent schedule, But I do miss the jacaranda tree I used to climb every day!

I was a tree climber too.  We had a massive silver pine behind our house and I would go up to the very top, where the limbs were thin and would sway and bend with my weight.  Oh how I loved that tree.   I found out years later my mother would watch from the kitchen window, too scared to call out at me because she was afraid she'd startle me and I'd fall.  Which I never did.  Good times.

[Penguin]

I hated sports and PE as a teen. I still think sports are boring.

 

As an adult, I love love love my fitness classes: yoga, Zumba and kickboxing. I also do a lot of fitness walking. I consider myself fairly active.

[Nan in Mass]

I was a tree climber too. We had a massive silver pine behind our house and I would go up to the very top, where the limbs were thin and would sway and bend with my weight. Oh how I loved that tree. I found out years later my mother would watch from the kitchen window, too scared to call out at me because she was afraid she'd startle me and I'd fall. Which I never did. Good times.

Me, too, except that my mother taught me to climb way, way up into the white pines in a friend,s back yard. My friend never did. I suspect her mother, who was there the first time my mother coached me up one, told forbid her daughter to go high. I,d climbed trees before, but never so high. Yes, good times. My middle son was a climber. There was a small tree at the bus stop where we waited for his brother,s kindergarten bus and I remember dancing around under it on a number of occasions, begging him to come down and run home with me because I had to go to the bathroom. He could go up where I couldn,t, being a light little toddler lol. Good times indeed. I keep wanting to get good at slack line. I,ve tried it once and could only do it leaning heavily on my husband. I,ve wanted to be good at that ever since my mother read to me about the elves crossing the river to get to Lothlorien.

 

Nan

[Katy]

I've been thinking about this since I read the thread yesterday.  I think there's more likely to be a correlation between having active parents when you're a teen & you being an active adult.  If parents are constantly working out, playing golf or tennis or training for some sort of race or triathlon, you're more likely to think being active is just what you do. A way of life rather than some medicine you force yourself to swallow.

 

I was very active as a teen and am much less active now.  I pretty much only exercise because I feel I must burn energy out of my ADHD kids or I'm preparing for something (a class reunion, a race, etc).  My dad stopped weightlifting when I was a teen (he had a heart attack and was told to stop things like that and focus on being lightly active - walking, horse back riding). And my mom never had much time to exercise.  When I was younger she exercised all the time, but when I was a teen she started not only working 60 hours a week, she started going to grad school and hardly ever exercised.  Interesting.

 

This is good motivation to start spending more time outside as a family doing active things.  Hiking.  Tennis.  Maybe some sailing lessons.

 

 

[regentrude]

I've been thinking about this since I read the thread yesterday.  I think there's more likely to be a correlation between having active parents when you're a teen & you being an active adult.  If parents are constantly working out, playing golf or tennis or training for some sort of race or triathlon, you're more likely to think being active is just what you do. A way of life rather than some medicine you force yourself to swallow.

 

I have not found this to be the case.

My parents did not model any physical activity when I was growing up. I have a younger brother who is mentally disabled, so we never did anything physical as a family. We live on a steep hill with 76 steps to the house - I was 12 years old when I learned to ride a bike and 15 when I got my first bicycle.

 

DH's mom went on the occasional hike with the boys, but I don't recall her being involved in any sports, and his dad is extremely sedentary.

 

And the activities my DS has chosen for himself have absolutely nothing to do with the kind of activity we have done as a family.

Edited April 14, 2016 by regentrude

[Murphy101]

I have not found this to be the case.

My parents did not model any physical activity when I was growing up. I have a younger brother who is mentally disabled, so we never did anything physical as a family. We live on a steep hill with 76 steps to the house - I was 12 years old when I learned to ride a bike and 15 when I got my first bicycle.

 

DH's mom went on the occasional hike with the boys, but I don't recall her being involved in any sports, and his dad is extremely sedentary.

 

And the activities my DS has chosen for himself have absolutely nothing to do with the kind of activity we have done as a family.

I agree.

 

I pretty much lived outside as a young child. I have two kids who hate doing much of anything outside. They just do. They've been given the same environment and opportunities as all the others. I have one grown son who goes to his gym for 2 hours every day. Maybe someone gave me the wrong baby at the hospital.😉 I never owned a bike as a child. All my kids do. And two of them really enjoy riding for hours. I do not own a bike and have little desire to change that. Several like to rock climb.

 

I get tired of the trite, "blame parents" line. Sure it can make a difference but at the end of the day, my children still have their own minds and free will too.

[BooksandBoys]

I was active as a kid, but not at all as a teen or college student. I found my groove in grad school and love to exercise and just be active now. Exercise/activity, for me, is very much something that I can forget I love to do, then the hurdle of getting back into the habit is really challenging to overcome. I find myself believing that I hate exercise if I've been sedentary for a few weeks due to an illness, travels, or a crisis. Then, three weeks after getting back to it, I can't believe I forgot I loved it (I'm trying to notice this a lot now so I don't forget next time!).

 

Of note: for me, three days a week of exercise doesn't inspire the love. It's five days a week that turns me into a person who can't wait to exercise again! Also, I'm not into intense exercise anymore. I run, but I run very slowly (14 minute mike), or I bike comfortably. I like to exercise long and easy rather than hard.

[lllll]

nm

Edited April 20, 2016 by _ ?^..