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

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.

Combine with work. Birds and stones.

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.

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

find an activity that you legitimately enjoy. that's it
- still trying to get laid daily as a form of exercise..
- Well, shit.
  
  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
- well thats not going to happen.
  activity causes pain and exhaustion, both things i am very much not fond of.
- 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.
- This is the way.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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 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

i learned to love the feeling of muscles getting stretched

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

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 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.

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.

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)

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 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?

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 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.

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.

Two ways -
Really really long walks in the city and people watching, or
Biking like a madman, not measuring anything, only enjoying the wind.

I hate running, so I don't do it.
I love hiking and swimming and team sports, so I do them.

Hiking. I don't try to set speed records climbing mountains, but instead find an easy/moderate trail

I use a stationary bike in front of a TV. My brain is off anyway, so I might as well put my body to work.
Another alternative is to find a sport that you enjoy, or a social group that makes the activity enjoyable.

Good, driving music. I have a big list of liked songs on Spotify that I listen to while I'm exercising, but I'm slowly creating another playlist called 'Energy' that I add suitable songs to, with the intention of ultimately building a playlist full of such songs. It's kinda weird though, sometimes I feel like the music gets stale and repetitive, even with 800+ songs on shuffle, and that affects my motivation to exercise.

I dont tolerate cardio, its really not feeling good and it seems to take forever to get to a place where its supposed to feel good. If it ever does.
But lifting weights is fun. I enjoy that since body looks better and feels stronger. And there, results show clearly in just 2 months or faster.

Embrace the Suck.

Last time I enjoyed myself doing exercise, I probably played table tennis with a tennis ball and hands as paddles. The hard part is finding people who have time when you do, and who are on a similar skill+fitness level as you (picking silly games like the one I described helps).
So yeah, I'm not getting much exercise, either.

Rhythm Games (Samba De Amigo, Fitness Boxing Ft. Hatsune Miku) + needing to walk to bus stop to go to arcade
Ring Fit was also good, but I foolishly left that behind when I moved out x.x

Exercising is part of my precious me-time. I put on a good podcast or some nice music and have a good time. No stress, no hanging on the phone, no Netflix - this is my opportunity to dwelve into thoughts or just do nothing. It is super relaxing.

Me personally? Group dance aerobics are joyful fun classes. Group yoga classes are a very supportive and lovely environment. I do also get to work without a car, do yardwork, park far if I take a car, just try to be generally active.
It takes 6 weeks to build a habit. Just choose something you tolerate, commit to 6 weeks, and at that point you should feel better on a day you work out, than on a day you don't.

I've speculated that it takes time and discipline of exercising regularly for a long enough time, until you get the psychological reward from it. After which for some including me, makes it an addiction. I literally crave it. And if something happens to where I can't workout, like an injury or work or whatever, it really sucks and I can't wait to be able to get back into the routine. I'm talking of a mix of "boring" weights and cardio. I love it.
So my two cents is, muscle through the initial several months of boring suckage but make it count. Eventually, maybe you'll catch the addiction. But this might not work for everyone.

I've never enjoyed gyms or traditional workouts, but yoga clicks with me.

I have to walk the dog, so I get myself out. Once I've started walking doing a little longer than the bare minimum is not too bad. If the weather is nice it's actually quite enjoyable.

I enjoy the social aspect of running. Parkruns, Strava, meeting friends and getting coffee after etc.

Just fuck my body up until I’m exhausted to a limit I haven’t been before. I like that
- Many of us do not.
  
  Yeah, I find the best approach for me is to workout as long as it's still fun. As long as you're trying to do more than the day before, you'll make progress, if that's what you want.
  When I'm not feeling it, I just tell myself that if I start and I'm not feeling it, I can leave, but by then I'm invested and looking forward to it.

Cycling/Spinning
It's usually low impact on the knees & backs of perrenial beginners like me. If I'm stationary cycling, I can sneak in my favorite entertainment to make the time fly by.

Soccer

Find your inner voice and listen to it. Youtube is all crap. Don't listen to parental advice. Teachers are not always right. Listen to your inner voice.