Lost the motivation to workout

sbostonRN

Thanks for all the tips! I have thought about biking to work but I don't think running to work will work. It's about 5 miles away, so biking would be good but I don't have showers there. I'd love it if I could take a train or bus there and run home but that's not an option either.

I have tried weight training but I really just love running because it's just me and the road. It's therapeutic and something I only need to rely on myself to do. I'm also not coordinated enough to do group fitness other than spinning. I do like some of the strength training classes at my gym, so maybe I'll look at incorporating that once a week.

sbostonRN

I do have a gym membership at the YMCA which includes a ton of options. I don't do well in the weight room with no direction, so I like the weights classes. These also make me work harder because there's someone "watching" me. I think having it scheduled in makes it more of a commitment because I don't want to be late, whereas running can be procrastinated until it's "too late".

kasaz

I love hiking, like you love running. But there is so much information about the need for strength training, so I'm really trying to incorporate that. It's working pretty well right now, especially cause it is too hot in Arizona to do much hiking except at 5 a.m. for a short one. I have several books about strength training and I'd have to say the newest, Strong Curves, is really good. Lots of good pictures that show how the exercises should be done. If it happens to be available at the library it might be worth looking at or look it up on Amazon. I hear you about the running being therapeutic, but with all the information on strength training it has moved up a notch in my book.

sbostonRN

kasaz wrote: »

I love hiking, like you love running. But there is so much information about the need for strength training, so I'm really trying to incorporate that. It's working pretty well right now, especially cause it is too hot in Arizona to do much hiking except at 5 a.m. for a short one. I have several books about strength training and I'd have to say the newest, Strong Curves, is really good. Lots of good pictures that show how the exercises should be done. If it happens to be available at the library it might be worth looking at or look it up on Amazon. I hear you about the running being therapeutic, but with all the information on strength training it has moved up a notch in my book.

I completely agree with you! Essentially, I bike and do strength training to make myself a stronger runner but not for the sake of the activity itself. I do it so I will have strong hips and glutes to prevent injury. I had a great run today so maybe it's just a matter of planning it out for when it's not as hot out, and doing strength training at home when I can't fit in a run.

sbostonRN

One idea I just had is to walk to work from where I park my car, which is about 1.75 miles each way. That will take about a half hour and is an easy way to fit in a little extra activity before and after work. I usually take the shuttle bus from the off-site parking lot to work, but walking would be a good substitute.

pattigorman

Been working w/nutritionist and reading , "Intuitive Eating" book. One of the principles: Think about how your body works for you while you exercise. Don't think of it as 'exercise' rather use the word, "movement & moving".
Music therapists say, "Listen to the music of the environment around you as you move. Allow this to carry you through your movement."

BarbaraR5563

sbostonRN wrote: »

Hello! I am new to MFP but not new to weight loss. I lost close to 80 lbs with Weight Watchers Online from January 2013 to October 2014 and have been maintaining since then. I am on the upper end of the BMI range but am happy and have been maintaining within a 5 lb range. I do pretty good with balancing my calorie intake with occasional splurges at baseball games, parties and dinners out with family and friends. Activity hasn't been a problem for me up until now. I am a runner and have been consistently running 15-20 miles a week since I started losing weight. This has gotten me through three half marathons, a couple 10K's and many 5K's.

Right now I'm not training for anything because we have a huge trip planned in the fall and I don't want training to interfere with that vacation. But not having that goal has caused me to lose all motivation to exercise. Being at my goal weight, I don't have a reflection in the mirror that I dislike.

Another challenge I've recently been faced with is a transition to day shift. I am a nurse, and am on my feet for many ours. I used to work 3-11 and would simply run before work when I had a ton of energy. Now, it's a struggle to wake up at 4:30am to run before work and it's a struggle to run after work when I'm tired from working all day. I do both 8-hour and 12-hour shifts, and don't even bother thinking about exercise after a 12-hour shift.

Any advice on how to get myself motivated again? The summer tends to be the most difficult time for me. I kept my mileage at 15-20 miles/week even though our terrible Boston winter, so I really should be relishing in the summer sun right now, but I don't have any desire to do anything but sit on my butt. I don't want to regain all the weight I worked so hard to lose, and the fitness I worked so hard to gain!

I have hit a few bumps in the road and "quit" exercising and put about 40 lbs but I was very sick. I have been faithful with doing at least 5 miles of walking or even marching or jogging in place to get a workout in each day. Trust me you'll not regret it to keep the weight off and feel all over good! These people have some great thoughts too! You can do it!

bwogilvie

sbostonRN wrote: »

Thanks for all the tips! I have thought about biking to work but I don't think running to work will work. It's about 5 miles away, so biking would be good but I don't have showers there.

Five miles is close enough that you could cycle there slowly, so you don't break a sweat, and then cycle home faster (and not necessarily via the most direct route) for aerobic exercise. I live 3 mostly flat miles from work, and on a slow day it takes me 17 minutes, so you should be able to do a 5-mile commute in at most half an hour.

LivingtheLeanDream

Francl27 wrote: »

Well I'd find time to keep running just so you don't undo some of your progress, but after being on your feet for 8 to 12 hours a day, as long as you're not eating as if you were still training for a half marathon, you're probably getting plenty of activity, honestly.

How about just cutting your calories by 200-250 a day and just find a couple hours to run on week ends?

^^ this ...and just keep an eye on the scale then adjust cals if necessary. ...Maybe you could stick to running on your days off? It would be a shame to let your fitness go after doing so well.

lithezebra

The only thing I'm able to do with broken leg is the stationary bike, and am bored to death of it right now. Worse, I can't be as active as usual off of the bike, no going out for leisurely hikes with my camera. Thankfully, my gym has WiFi. So I take my tablet to the gym and use it as the time that I check Facebook, watch Amy Schumer and music videos, and read books on Kindle. I'm not especially motivated to do it, but it's bearable, and I don't want to get fat.