What's your method of enjoying (or at least tolerating) physical exercise?

I like to watch shows/videos while I workout. Made a rule that I can only watch certain things while I'm exercising. I look forward to watching those things and 'tricked' myself into being excited about the exercise, too! Also I feel much better after I've exercised, so I really look forward to that post-exercise feeling.

I like to walk, I pick nice places with good/interesting scenery. It's good mentally too, helps me unwind and work out problems and come up with new ideas.

Knowing I won't feel like shit for the rest of the day.

I try not to think about it as a punishment for what I ate, and more a celebration of what my body can do.
- Yep. When you get old you won't be as able, so enjoy it while you can. And the exercise will likely prolong how long you can be mobile.
- This is a great perspective, I’m going to embrace it.

Play is a good one for aerobics. Going for a run or bike? Try to find new routes or go places you haven't before. Maybe run an errand. Maybe try to study wildlife or plants around while running one to another.
For strength training IDK. just pop in some absurd music and know that later it will feel good either just post exercise or weeks later when the exercise itself feels nice. It's also going to be nice when you go to lift a thing or hike and recognize you're actually stronger. Always a rewarding feeling!
In either case, it's important to reflect positively on your progress. "Hell yeah i can do this thing now thanks to my effort!“ and not negatively e.g. "my goals are so far away I'm so weak".

I've always loved sports; so that part's easy, personally. But I've also learned to kind of savor the feeling of using my muscles and getting tired. Whatever I'm doing, or even on days where I didn't have time to "exercise", I make a point to check in on different parts of my body, maybe tense them or stretch; just trying to notice what feels good and then really savor that feeling. I find that building that mental practice helps motivate me to seek out exercise, or power through when I'm not really enjoying a particular activity.

I just do it until I physically cant

I like to bike, and my motivation is to see what is around the bend…. And so i needed to spend a week recovering after biking 50 miles, and hard bonking 35 miles from my car. But hey i absolutely had the motivation to do that to my self.
Now my next motivation is survival, because the Sun has totally gone down, and if i don’t make it back to my car, i might actually die. A very powerful motivator that one.

Experiencing the benefits of strength training day to day (being able to move heavy shit easily and not struggle with things that I used to) also seeing how I look in the mirror after I do it helps.

Fast speed hike incline on treadmill
Put in earbuds, drum&bass
Disassociate for 1-2 hrs while staring at the food channel

Dance
Dance
REVOLUTION!!
(That rhythm game with the arrows on the screen and ground that you stomp on)

I got a kid but not a car. Just walking to the kindergarten and back twice a day is movement. We spend a lot of time outdoors at playgrounds or parks and I have to do all the grocery shopping by bike or walking. I don't do other physical exercise admittedly, but this kid is a fitness machine. We be running, playing, I need to lift her, carry her, carry her stuff, clean up, wrestle - for real having a kid made me the most physically fit and active I've ever been.
When I was younger I liked to dance. Trying to lose weight I'd just put headphones on in my room and dance for hours. A friend of mine actually lost a crapton of weight this way, think obese to normal weight.
Also, making a kid (and training for it and reenacting it) is great exercise.

I'm trying to do stuff that's quick that I can do every day. I do pushups before my morning shower and some squats whilst I brush my teeth. Do it every day, I feel better for it and it only takes like 3 minutes. You can do extra sets around the house if you have a spare 30-60 seconds too.

Not sure if this answers the question; but, as soon as I learned about BDNF and how muscle building can increase the levels of it, I became a gym rat. I want my brain to keep working past 90 and be able to program well into my 90s (I wanna be yelling at everyone about my struggles with Rust).In all seriousness if you don't wanna have dementia a little too early in life. Lift. Weights. Don't ignore cardio though. But BUILD so you can reap the benefits of your lean mass into your elder years . Training also helps me improve my MTB performance, which I find really fun.
Sorry for the wall of text :D
- Got any sources to read up on BDNF and working out? I just checked some stuff online but it's mostly either ai-slop articles or science papers about the protein itself 😅

Sports or recreational activities, as opposed to going to gym for the sake of exercise. The physical exercise is a part of the activity rather than the sole focus.
- When gym is no fun, go out and run

Try different things until you find something that feels good even as an idea. Think about things you like doing and how you like them. For me, I dislike team sports and being surrounded by people in a gym setting. I like doing things on my own, preferably at home while not talking to anyone. I first start thinking about maybe enjoying a spooky story podcast while walking so I start thinking about the temperature and the things I like watching while I'm out, etc. Same for weight lifting, pilates and yoga (Those are my cyclical workouts. I get bored easily) I hype myself up in my head first and then use the "do it for five minutes" method.
I have NEVER said "Well I wish I didn't come to yoga. This class sucked" "That lifting routine was a total waste of time. Not doing it again"
Also, having cute/neat stuff for it helps, just beware of spending habits. Did I need to buy green yoga blocks? No Do they make me Happy everytime I look how they are the exact same shade as my pothos? Yes they do.
- I second this comment. Podcast suggestions? I loved:
  We're alive
  The walk
  The Magnus archives

Find sports that you actually enjoy - try out different things. In my case:
Cardio: running fucking sucks, swimming is boring as shit. Cycling, on the other hand, is pretty fun. Feels like flying when everything aligns.
Strength: lifting weights at the gym is doable, but boring. Climbing? Hell yeah, give me more routes where I have to tie myself into a knot while pulling up all my weight with my fingertips.
It can be an exact opposite of it for you. Or you'll find out that team sports are the bees knees because support from other people is what you've been missing.
- I used to hate running until one day something clicked in my brain. I just ran my second half marathon last week. One thing I learned was that of your dying from running, you’re probably going too fast and should just slow down.
  My PT told me that the best exercise is the one that you can do consistently
  
  the runner's high maybe? seems like it's bad for your knees though.
- Combining fun with short-term goals is what works for me. I started playing squash 10 years ago and I love it. I play 3 times a week and that takes care of most of my cardio. Now when I lift weights or do extra cardio, it is because I want to beat that guy from league, move up a division, etc. Open ended reasons like health or beauty were never enough motivation for me.
  
  I want to beat that guy from league
  Kinda same here. I want to argue with people. You know those people who promote their bs but you can't disprove it since the others call you skinny or not strong enough.

I put some vtubers when running.

Flow arts

Combine with work. Birds and stones.

find an activity that you legitimately enjoy. that's it
- Well, shit.
  
  Trial a load of sports. One will click.
  
  wasn't trying to be flippant or trivialize this but at the core it's what is needed
  I found that trying to distract or occupy my mind while trying to work wasn't enough, for example watching a show or listening to music while using my row erg as a primary workout. Still found myself counting down the time and minutes
  I climb shit. In the gym and outside. It feeds my inner child, it's fun, it's exciting, and it involves problem solving so stimulates the mind. Rowing and biking are now secondary exercises or activities to support my climbing fitness and ability. I find doing them with less intensity, less often, and as support (shorter duration) makes it easier for me to digest because I know it will better me for what I truly enjoy. Along the way you just may find yourself growing to accept, like or love something.
  Kinda gotta find workable angles that suit your mind and goals. eventually you'll have tricked yourself into becoming a healthy bastard who has some fun along the way
  
  I can emphasize.
  I only found out with past 40 why that is, because I am a medically very curious case. Happy to have found out it's not my fault but it still sucks the same.
- I hike/walk daily with my dog. ~8km per day, although some days are shorter, some are longer.
  
  is your dog Clifford?
- I've never enjoyed anything at all in my life.
  
  So we need to harness your disdain and hatred and work with that..
  what do you hate most?
  
  https://youtu.be/sMPSCb7frrc
  Get a sword and hit things.
- This is what I did. I joined a football league for fatties and it's helping keep me active whilst not being massively outclassed by people younger and/or fitter than me 🤣 there's no pressure to be 'good' at it, as the weightloss aspect of the game is more important.
  
  Holy crap, How does one find something like that
- And ideally also something that doesn't require too much preparation. If it takes a long time to prepare for or get back after you are usually less likely to do it.
- still trying to get laid daily as a form of exercise..
- well thats not going to happen.
  activity causes pain and exhaustion, both things i am very much not fond of.
  
  Have you tried biking? I like it because it's so easy to zone out with (and easier on the knees than running).
  You can buy a cheap standing bike and watch shows or read books; and, if you go outside to bike, you get the benefit of the sun and trees. If they have rentable electric bikes, those can make the exertion part easier (and, if it feels like cheating, it's still more exercise than you'd've otherwise been getting; plus studies have shown that some people, with electric bikes, ride for longer periods than those who don't because they're having so much fun).
- This is the way.

Personally, I like a treadmill.
For years I planned to get one, and all the runners in my family would talk about how awful they are, how no one ever uses it once they have it, and getting outside is so much better.
I finally got the treadmill a couple months ago, and I use it several times per week. Some weeks I use it every day. It's convenient, I can control the temperature in the room, I can watch something on my phone while I run, and I like being able to set a consistent pace.

Work out watch star trek. By the season 4 you'll be made of steel
- Hold up. Which series? You starting with the original or with Next Generation?
  
  That depends, how massive do you want to be?

None. I enjoy exercise itself. No music, no tech, no nothing. Just a program and a timer. When I'm running, I get runner's high. When I'm doing calisthenics, I look forward to doing advanced moves.

It became an addiction. It helps to relax. Not a gym rat. But almost. Need to go everyday. Far away to have those extra big muscles. But the "legs day" are..... horrible.... It hurts a lot...
- No one needs to go every day. Recovery is important. 3 or 4 days a week is quite adequate.
  
  I know.. I push myself a lot not to go but it is hard as I think. I have put that moment as an enjoyable one. But no worries. I will have more work in the upcoming weeks so I will not go that so often....
  
  There's no "need" but after going to the gym every day for a couple months... Yeah you need to go every day. I start feeling restless if I don't go do something at the gym. Mon-tue and thur-fri weightlifting (different muscle group every day) and the rest cardio/stretching/light weights.

Exercise bike + watching something on a cheap 2016 tablet

I used to hate exercise. Then, I pushed myself to do it regularly and the benefits surpassed the negative side of it by a lot. For instance, almost all my chronic pain issues are gone, so I'm saving a couple hundreds yearly on healthcare. I also feel better physically (I can move better, I have better endurance) if I'm exercising regularly compared to when I'm not. Because, let's face it, I don't like it, so every now and then I stop for reasons and getting into it back again is very difficult. But it's always worth it.
- The chronic pain relief by itself was enough to keep me motivated. Asthma, joint pains (hypermobility sucks!), etc are now down to manageable levels – if not completely gone.
  And yeah, I don't enjoy it and sometimes look for excuses to slack off. And right on cue, my knee pain starts flaring up after a couple weeks. Followed by the rest of the body.
- I was going to say exactly this. When I have to take a break from exercising and need to get back to it it's not easy, but I remind myself of all the benefits that come with exercising and how much better it made me feel and that gives me the motivation to get started again. The easiest way for me to force myself to exercise on a day I really don't feel motivated to do it (or I've been out of it for a while) is by putting on my sport outfit and readying whatever I need for my exercises, telling myself I can still change my mind and not do it whenever I want. But by the time I got changed and everything is ready I think "I might as well just do it".
  And it just really takes that one time to fully remind myself of how good it feels afterwards and it gives me the motivation to keep going. Sometimes I'll end up enjoying it so much I can't wait for my next exercise session and no, it's not the actual exercising myself I enjoy, but how I feel afterwards.

I chart my improvements over time and equate them to role playing game experience points
Do 20 crunches? that's +20 xp towards constitution
Really makes it a lot easier to reframe boring tasks
- I'm really not a charting guy or a numbers guy at all. I hardly write anything down if i don't have to. A few years ago i kept reading how much people enjoy running or jogging, so i gave it a shot. I absolutely hated it, but i kept doing it to see if it clicks at some point. Suddenly i saw big leaps in improvement. I still kinda hated running, but the "leveling up" part kept me going. I bought a smartwatch, and suddenly i had numbers and graphs to back the feeling up. I got obsessed.

By doing physical activity that's intrinsically rewarding.
If you enjoy bike riding, go ride your bike, and don't even bother thinking about it as exercise. Enjoy, and get into it.
The fitness part is just a side effect.

Honestly I find it quite enjoyable on it's own. The more I do it, the more I just enjoy the running itself. But I tend to have some music playing and dream away a bit
- music makes just about any chore more enjoyable
  
  Yeah but nowadays it doesn't feel like chore anymore. While there are definitely plenty of moments where I have to drag myself outside to go for a run, I also find myself looking forward to it quite often. When I skip it (due to illness or something) I seem to get an urge to go running again. The brain is a silly meat computer sometimes

I started lifting for self improvement and quickly got hooked on progression and getting stronger. It didn't take long to become a habit and now it's the thing I most look forward to after a long day of work. With no more than three hours per week you can completely transform yourself..
- Lift heavy things! If you keep lifting them then you can lift even heavier things!
  No joke, this is my favorite aspect too. It gets to a point where you start to enjoy the soreness.
  
  It's IRL character advancement. That's the trick if you're into RPGs. Sometimes you gotta grind for that XP.
  
  Yes and then tracking, in great detail, exactly how heavy the things were and how much heavier they were than last time. Just incredible stuff

Hiking. I don't try to climb mountains,just get out and move. The fact I have to watch my footing and have a chance of seeing (or at least hearing) wildlife helps distract from the fact exercising sucks.
I use mental tricks as well. I had to bribe myself to get started. "Look there's a trail near that takeout place you like, if you hike you can get takeout!" If I run out of breath due to uphill terrain, I'm not stopping because I can't keep going, it's clearly to look at this neat bird/bug/plant. If I have an off day and need to turn back early, I remind myself that I've already won by getting off the couch.

A few variants I like:
Weight lifting
I like the progression. It's cool to see the numbers go up
Cycling
It literally just makes me feel like a kid again, just flying around at quite high speeds. I've recently discovered that this is also a lot of fun to do with friends
Walking
This is the one that helped me the furthest in weight loss back when I was overweight. You can do basically unlimited amounts of it, and with a podcast or audiobook in your headphones, it doesn't really get boring either.

I got a recumbent exercise bike, a pawn shop tv, steam deck, and a steam controller. I play whatever is loaded on my deck while I bike, usually for about 30-45 minutes at a time.
Right now I am playing Fall Guys while I exercise, as it keeps me entertained on survival for ~10 minutes per game.

For me keeping it quick helps alot. No need to be in the gym for 1.5-2 hours, especially if you can wrap up your workout in 50 minutes. I'm just there to get my reps in, no more no less.
To that end either find a split that doesn't target as many muscle groups in 1 session. Like Push Pull Legs. Or super set as much as possible.
For finding motivation to actually do it, I tend to workout after already being productive. So clean up your room/kitchen, or code for a bit. And when that productivity train is going, keep it going. Or go immediately when coming home from work, don't first "relax". Keep the momentum high and tackle things of your todo list; like working out.

Bike rides are the only thing that made cardio fun for me. The varied environments and the thrill of exploring massage my brain and I end up not noticing how much it sucks to bike straight up the side of a mountain. Also the alternating grind of ascending and thrilling adrenaline rush of descending keeps things fresh.

Find something you actually enjoy.
Historic European Martial Arts. Swing a sword and mace.
https://youtu.be/sMPSCb7frrc
Or you can dance, or juggle, or tumble...
Stephen Fry lost 100 pounds by listening to audiobooks while he walked.
There are game consoles that connect to a treadmill; you have to keep your legs pumping or the game stops.
- I do kickboxing myself. I can’t stand most other exercises, but when punches are coming at you, it’s hard to be lazy and give up.

I do it for my dogs. They drag me out and make me walk.

I lost 30lbs and doubled my muscle mass by doing a gentle calisthenics routine to failure every night while watching the whole series for King of the Hill. I found it kept me busy enough to not notice how much I hated exercise but it wasn't distracting enough to need to stop and watch.
- What did this routine look like?
  
  20 pushups, 20 crunches, 20 squats, 20 good morning's, 30-60 second plank, 30 second deep breathing stretch. Repeat this routine until you can't keep proper form then stop for the day. Takes maybe 15min to do 4 reps

Audiobooks.
Music is fine, but I actually find I will make more time to exercise if I'm listening to a good book.
- In a similar fashion I enjoy listening to podcasts while running. I find music to in a way get filtered out by my brain after a while whereas podcasts keep me engaged. Inversely I can't really focus on podcasts in the gym where I am switching up exercises.
  Over time I've also optimized my listening experience by getting a pair of bone conducting headphones and a watch that can store and playback podcasts, so I don't have to carry around my phone on runs.
- This needs to be at the top. I've never been able to stick to a gym until I started hearing audiobooks/podcasts.

I've recently taken up swimming. I'm much more inspired to do it if it's an indoor facility, so the city rec center pass is inexpensive and then I'm inspired to go. Even if all I do is fart around on a pool noodle for an hour, I'm still moving, and the water makes the impact on my bad knee go away.

Pick up an outdoor hobby like disc golf, tennis, pickleball, golf, something that you can enjoy with other people. You can usually find an amateur league of various sports/games and that'll keep you going when they ask if you're coming or you're signed up to play on a team for the season.
You may even enjoy the company of those people and do other sports/activities together.
Turning it into a game can also help.
Remember, it's more about slowly creating a sustainable habit of moving your body that's important. You don't need to run a 10K tomorrow to be successful.
Maybe you can make a map of the parks around your city and put a fun sticker on each park after you visit for 30 minutes, regardless the activity. Idk, just kinda throwing stuff out there.

If you're looking for a "life hack" to make any exercise instantly enjoyable, then that's really not going to happen.
But you sound like you're motivated to start exercising so that's great. You can add this in layers to make this genuinely enjoyable:
find something you like (for me: weight lifting and squash are fun. Running and swimming are hell)
Decide on a fixed time (for me: 10pm every day is designated for exercise)
Make it as simple as possible and remove as many barriers as possible (for me: I don't sit to watch TV or play video games close to exercise time, otherwise I know I'm not going to get up again. I put on exercise clothes when I get home from work so I'm already ready when the time comes).
Add something else that's really enjoyable (For me: I have a TV series that I only watch when I'm in the gym. So if I want to find out what happens next, I'll have to go to the gym tomorrow.)
Make this routine (once you're habituated to doing this regularly, then it stops taking will power to force yourself and is just embedded in your routine)
Forgive yourself for missing sessions (any time you miss a session, it doesn't matter, you'll start making progress again any time you start exercising again)
Make it social (some people love this and you can do exercise with someone. I personally hate that and I love the meditative solitude of exercise time)

For me at least: getting out into nature. Cycling can easy get you out and into the countryside. And is easy on the joints etc. I prefer road bikes as I can see more.
Otherwise, I often drive to walks or runs with good views etc. I cycle to a nice forest park run.
The other trick that works with me is statistics. Going for Strava or park run segments/records can really motivate me. I also now use the wanderer.earth extension to get 'points' for exploring new places I have never been.
Going to the gym sucks. Swimming is nice in moderation.

I noticed that I feel better emotionally and physically when I exercise regularly and feel like shit when I don't, so it's kind of a self-preservation thing.

A doctors note telling me I don't have to. :)
When you have a heart attack, they enroll you in a program called "Cardiac Rehab", it's like physical therapy for your heart.
Had the first heart attack, started the program, doing the workouts, felt pretty good. Actually, while using the machine, it felt like I could do it all day.
Then they'd have me stop, cool down, drink some water, my blood pressure would crater and I'd pass out. :(
Doc said "Yeah, I don't think Cardiac Rehab is productive for you..."
Had the 2nd heart attack. "Well, that was 5 years ago, lets try it again!"
Sure... Same deal.

Exercise outside (preferably in a natural setting) and with a group. Outdoor bootcamp is the holy grail for me. Reasons:
Outside air is easier to breathe than stale gym air
There's always something interesting to look at while you slowly die
Clumps of grass don't mind if I swear under my breath
PEER PRESSURE. IT WORKS.
At the end of the training session, ~~trauma~~ bonding with the rest of the group (edit: I misused the term trauma bonding)
- That's not what trauma bonding is
  
  You're right, thank you for pointing it out. I'll change it.

I take my canoe out on a lake that's 8 minutes from my house. Relaxing, and the exercise is a side effect.
I'm also delusional enough to think I can box so I hit the punching bag for 40 minutes some days. It's a joke but makes me feel badass.

I like exercise that is also something else and isn't purely exercise for its own sake. Things like hiking, where I get to see scenery and animals, or biking, which serves as a mode of transportation. Currently, I do renaissance fencing, which is fun and social in its own right, and I get to master a skill.
- The amount of sword artists in this comment thread is higher than I expected.

A couple ideas:
One of the best things you can do to be active is walk/run/use cardio machines for long stretches of time. So,
Get some wireless headphones and catch up on some podcasts, albums, or audiobooks you've wanted to check out.
If you have a convenient way to set it up, you can try to get an excercise bike or treadmill in front of a TV screen, and watch or even game while you're active
Find some trails nearby. It's more fun moving around if your focus is on sightseeing and exploration, instead of exercising
But also, gamification can be fun. Stuff like,
Last time I did 3 sets of 12 reps of 100 lb, can I do more this time? Get an app and keep track, aim to increase either reps or weight when you can
Last time I went a half mile in 20 minutes, can I do it faster this time?
Yesterday I walked for 5 minutes, can I handle 6 today?
Can I piece together a workout from some exercises that I don't hate? One that gives me push/pull/legs? One that covers certain muscle groups? That planning can be kinda fun
Likewise with diet, get a calorie counter app and try to eat with intention. Think of it like a strategy game for min/maxing numbers. Can I get a slight surplus? Deficit? Can I get xyz grams of protein a day, or stay below xyz grams of sugar?

I discovered I like hitting things a while back so I go boxing regularly. These days I read some Trump news and then go take it out on a heavy bag for an hour.

Search apartments.com or whatever for places 1-2 hour bike rides from work. Move there.
…not joking, I’m fortunate enough in that that’s what I’ve been doing. Biking/walking to work is the only way I get any exercise (even though I can work from home). In winter months/if it’s too cold or snowy I’ll use the stationary bikes our work building put in to entice people back from COVID.
I have to have a purpose to exercise (other than health I guess?) otherwise I won’t do it.

i learned to love the feeling of muscles getting stretched

Playing DDR.
Because then the public won't see my red, flailing body as I stumble around to sit after a single song.
That and mowing my lawn. ...except with my lawn, I've had people pull over and ask if I'm okay. Which is embarrassing every time it happens. I'm out of shape and I have a condition!! But I'm not going to explain that to strangers lol
- I've been trying to get back into DDR! Great call, that didn't even occur to me when I made this thread lol. I found an arcade near me with a machine, but I've lost so much stamina I die after one set so it's been hard to improve. Mat just arrived though, so hopefully playing at home helps!
- Playing what with Double Data Rate?
  
  Dance Dance Revolution?
  I forgot that people barely remember what DDR used to stand for these days.

I use comfortable earbuds, turn on a podcast, and go outside. I walk as far as I can and loop back around and barely notice because the pod was taking up my mental space preventing me from feeling the pains.