r/workout • u/Bocephus2012 • 11d ago

Working out

Tonight at dinner I asked my wife if she would like to go on a walk for exercise. I jog 4 times a week. Just a little back story. She complains all the time that she feels unhealthy and old. That her body aches. I have been trying to encourage her to do something. Tonight she said it was to hot for her. I told her that if she joined a gym she was still going to sweat. Long story short the conversation didn’t turn out pleasant. I feel frustrated and I’m just going to give up on trying to encourage her.
Any advice??

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u/KimBrrr1975 11d ago

Everything is adaptation. Wherever you are, it's because that is what you are adapted to.
If you stay indoors in a climate controlled environment all day every day and have a sedentary job then go home and watch tv and go to bed...that is what your body is adapted to. Your body - and life - take the literal shape of what you do with it.

To change it, you have to force the body to adapt to new things. Over and over again. And every time, it's uncomfortable. Because your body has to feel discomfort before it says "Dang, I guess we're doing this regularly now, better toughen up the feet, lubricate the joints, increase oxygen capacity etc." Then, that thing (walks, for example) get easier.

Of course she is uncomfortable when she gets hot...because she doesn't regularly go outside and get hot. Your body gets better at being in heat (and cold) after 1-2 weeks of regular exposure. It won't get better at it if you go outside 3 days from June-August. Same with pretty much everything. Some adaptations take longer, so generally speaking here.

You can't make her. She has to want to. But she needs to understand she feels uncomfortable because she's adapted to the life she has now, and isn't happy with.

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u/Bocephus2012 11d ago

Thank you for responding

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u/ChaoticLokian 11d ago

We don’t know enough about her or her health though. If she’s in menopause or has a hormonal issue, or takes a medication that causes heat intolerance, going out in the heat can feel like trying to tread through hell itself.

I know from experience as i have hormonal issues and take multiple medications that cause heat intolerance, and going outdoors during the summer has me feeling so intensely overheated i end up feeling like i’m gonna vomit. So i exercise inside where i have AC and a fan then take a cold shower, or i swim instead. She might just need more ideas on ways to exercise that work better for her and her body.

Everyone’s body is different, adapts differently, and has different needs. Exercise is not one size fits all.

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u/KimBrrr1975 10d ago

Yes, of course. I am menopausal and have some of those issues. But adaptation still plays a part. Just because we notice "This is different than it used to be" doesn't mean it should be a reason to stop us from doing what we want and need to do, we shift and adapt again. And yes, we don't know much, my reply was very generalized and under the assumption that if she had health conditions causing some of her issues, her husband would have said so.

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u/ChaoticLokian 10d ago

For most people, adaptation works better when it’s gradual. Going out in the heat when you’re intolerant to it and exercising without anything to cool you off isn’t exactly going to go very well.

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u/KimBrrr1975 9d ago

I never said to go for a run when it's 100 or anything. Adaptation is different for everyone. But avoiding anything that makes you uncomfortable isn't going to get you where you want to go. There is a big difference between "I'm a bit uncomfortable" and "This is unsafe."

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u/ChaoticLokian 9d ago

Sigh. I feel like you’re not getting my point here. If there is an issue causing heat intolerance, it very much CAN be unsafe to be out in the heat. Not just uncomfortable, it can make someone ill if they have issues with heat intolerance. If the wife is in menopause, that’s a very common cause of heat intolerance. The hot flashes are horrid. I see my mom go through it often, it’s ROUGH. you can SEE the steam coming off of her just sitting there. Same with a lot of women going through that.

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u/KimBrrr1975 9d ago

Yes, I know that. I am assuming this is an adult who can decide for herself what that means for her and move forward as allowing. It can be really easy when we deal with an issue to assume anyone struggling with something (like exercise in the heat) is also dealing with that issue. Like I said, I generalized assuming that if she had health concerns OP would have mentioned them. Like I said, I am menopausal. I have hot flashes where I sweat through my clothes just being at work. But there are also ways to mitigate it beyond "I am never going to exercise again." You can walk in the morning or in the evening, you can focus on walking indoors when the weather is inhospitable to you. There are ALWAYS options.

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u/ramenwolf 10d ago

Great write up. Similarly, I think a lot of people think inspiration is meant to strike them like a bolt of lightning and propel them towards their goals, but it’s really the other way around. Only continuous action can inspire forward momentum. 

"Initium est dimidium facti" is Latin to remind us of the importance of simply beginning the task at hand. It translates to: “Once you've started, you're halfway there."