Mental block when exercising.

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  • sheepotato
    sheepotato Posts: 600 Member
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    I used to be able to work out at home, but now I need to the gym to be able to focus. I don't have any distractions there.

    Also music really helps, I can cardio twice as long before wanting to stop when I have my earphones.
  • dtcjem
    dtcjem Posts: 76 Member
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    Your not alone. I fight my mind every workout. It is usually until my body warms up and my mind realizes that what we are doing isn't bad. The very first part of my workouts, like the first 10 mins or so are the hardest for me
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    slow down on the elliptical to a more manageable pace.
  • sherambler
    sherambler Posts: 303 Member
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    Like you said, it's probably just you not wanting to workout and finding any possible excuse to get up and not have to go back. Before I workout, I try to eliminate any possible external reason for me to stop mid-workout: go to the bathroom, grab a towel, use my inhaler, put on my fan, etc. When it comes to wanting to stop during a workout, I try to look at all the variables in the same way--is my playlist stale, am I just bored by the activity I'm doing, do I need an extra puff off my inhaler? Sometimes it's one of those things and other times it's just that I want to watch TV or something. It sucks, but you just kind of have to convince yourself to keep going. And what will work for that totally depends on you and what you respond to. It's trial and error, so don't feel discouraged if something you try doesn't seem to work for you.

    I pre-log my workouts, which helps. Telling myself that I'll only be burning 150 calories instead of 300 makes me want to stay on. Or, I'll tell myself to give it 5 more minutes. After I complete the 5, I'll see that I only have 10 minutes left, and I'll say that I can go 2 more minutes. I negotiate this way until I'm done. I guess it maybe breaks down that chunk into smaller goals.

    Personally, I think whether you go to the gym or work out at home, you'll still be encountering the same problems (perseverance and commitment) just in different forms.
  • Silverdracos
    Silverdracos Posts: 110 Member
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    I have asthma and MS so I know what you mean! The best advice I got was from my Doctor who told me to stop holding myself to other people's standards. Just because other people call a workout "easy" doesn't mean my body will be ready for it or even able to handle it. I was just pushing myself way too hard and being given official permission to not kill myself on the way to getting healthy was a HUGE help. The goal she gave me was actually to work out for 20 minutes once a week to start lol. I'm now just days away from finishing the 8 week online "True Beginner" program. When I started it I thought it was going to be TOO easy, but really it was just what I needed to get a habit established without destroying my will to live. Start small, baby steps are still steps.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    You need to slow down. My friend has asthma that is aggravated by exercising. So something that will take me 10 minutes to do can take her 20-30 minutes. There is no shame in that. It's important that you listen to your body or you are going to burn yourself out or injure yourself.

    If you don't like the elliptical then don't do it. Find something else to do. There are plenty of exercises out there, find one that best suits you.
  • Sabs2009
    Sabs2009 Posts: 32 Member
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    My biggest problem is boredom. Even when I'm just sitting on the couch, I'm usually doing some work, surfing the net, watching TV, and chatting with friends. When I'm on a treadmill or elliptical, there's not much to do...I definitely need to listen to music to keep myself pumped but I still want to watch a movie or something so I can forget I'm exercising. And the gym TVs only ever have news or sports ugh. I need a good murder mystery ;)

    Classes are more fun...but they're also harder and I need to work my fitness level up a little more so I don't pass out haha.
  • CorlissaEats
    CorlissaEats Posts: 493 Member
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    I do the couch to 5k program for my treadmill. If I don't have something telling me when to start and stop I tend to quit walking or running after a few minutes. Structure is good. Pre-logging it and trying to get it in early in the day also helps me. I never feel like exercising but I feel like crap when I dont.
  • JeffseekingV
    JeffseekingV Posts: 3,165 Member
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    tiffnkailey wrote: »
    Has anyone had experience with a mental block while exercising? When I try to exercise unless I have someone next to me, cheering me on, I end up quitting way before I've even started. It's like I'm ten minutes in, and something comes up, I gotta go to the bathroom, or I feel antsy and want to go sit down. Sometimes it feels like there is a magnet on the couch, and a magnet on my butt, and the couch is calling my butt to it. I know it sounds silly, and I almost need to just suck it up and do it. But I was just curious if anyone else felt this way, and how did they work through it?
    I think it is probably from me being inactive for so long.

    Just get it done. You are no different than the ones that meet their goals. But the ones that do, drive though the block and get it done. Just getting to the gym is half the battle. Just follow though. Have a plan for that day and stick to it.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Sabs2009 wrote: »
    My biggest problem is boredom. Even when I'm just sitting on the couch, I'm usually doing some work, surfing the net, watching TV, and chatting with friends. When I'm on a treadmill or elliptical, there's not much to do...I definitely need to listen to music to keep myself pumped but I still want to watch a movie or something so I can forget I'm exercising. And the gym TVs only ever have news or sports ugh. I need a good murder mystery ;)

    Classes are more fun...but they're also harder and I need to work my fitness level up a little more so I don't pass out haha.
    net flix- only way I can get through 45 min on the stairmaster.
  • Sabs2009
    Sabs2009 Posts: 32 Member
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    JoRocka - that was my thought too, but the wifi at the gym is way too slow :( If I run on my treadmill at home, I definitely put on a movie or a good show!!
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    tiffnkailey wrote: »
    Has anyone had experience with a mental block while exercising?
    Yes.

    First time I had 315 pounds on my back. Again with 405 pounds on my back. It took me putting it back a couple times before I could clear my head and just go after it like it owed me money.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    if you have cardio equipment in your house and don't have a tv in front of it, you need to.
  • tiffnkailey
    tiffnkailey Posts: 150 Member
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    UPDATE!! It was def all in my head. I was able to do 30 minutes of Hip Hop Abs dvd today. There was a bunch of times that I wanted to quit during it, but it was just my mind wanting to quit. Because my body wasn't used to doing exercising. I enjoyed the workout, it was fun. My body did hurt a little mostly in my back, and hip. But it wasn't a big deal. Now I know I can workout. I plan on going to the gym on saturday. They have a kids workout, while the adults work out. So that should be interesting. Thanks for your advice. It helped a lot.

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