How to get motivated

shannonpcampbell

What are some ideas to get you motivated to either get up early in the morning and exercise or at the end of the day after a long day at work.

lynngut2

I bought a Fitbit to track my movement. I challenge myself every day to move more than I did yesterday. Some days I challenge my son with a specific number of steps. Winner gets a reward, like the loser cleans up after dinner or gets to control the TV for the evening. Mostly it keeps me accountable to keep moving. There are all types, some you wear on your wrist or on a chain/string around the neck. Worth it. Good luck with your goals.

chey282

I also use a tracker. Because of water aerobics, I needed a waterproof one, but there is a huge variety of step trackers, with a huge variance of prices and what they track. There are the ones that just do steps, some do sleep, calorie burn, the Fitbit is a nice starter, or any out there that will give you what you are looking for. None of them are perfect, I doubt any of them are 100% accurate 100% of the time, but it's a starting point. The technology is mind blowing, what they can do these days! And from there I set goals of how much to walk each day or for a calorie burn to achieve.

kiwibernie

Fitbit motivates me

msaannis

I'm also a Fitbit user. Accountability is the name of the game for me. It helps to have friends on here that can help keep you motivated. Sometimes just having someone like my post when I hit my target or exercised that day gives me a little boost too.
Susan

ninerbuff

Motivation is internal. A truly motivated person doesn't let deterrences or obstacles stop them from achieving a reachable goal. So if one isn't motivated enough, then it might not be as much of a priority in their life.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

chey282

ninerbuff wrote: »

Motivation is internal. A truly motivated person doesn't let deterrences or obstacles stop them from achieving a reachable goal. So if one isn't motivated enough, then it might not be as much of a priority in their life.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I have to agree with ninerbuff here. The trackers are nice and friends to help you push through are too, but unless you really really want it, nothing is going to work. When I get down, motivation is low, I look at old pics, watch extreme weight loss shows, my 600 lb life, and read the success atories/watch success videos. When I first started working out, hubby kept griping I was working out too much, we went on vacation and had to fight him and dear daughter to workout every day. I was petrified that if I missed one day it would be too easy to miss another and then another. Now, it's become such a habit, hubby says I get bitchy when I don't work out. I've been on a plateau for several onto following knee surgery and hubby has actually been super supportive. And now dear daughter has started using my fitness pal and working out!! School starts soon and I hope to get back into my old routine and start losing again. You have take yourself a priority and feel like you are worth it. It was a HUGE shift for us, but family and friends are starting to understand. My 10 yr old son is helping me get all my calories and remember to eat, hubby got me a Lil more advanced tracker so I know what my calorie burn is for the day. Now, I just gotta get back in the old routine and see what happens! Make yourself the priority. You can't take care of anyone else if you don't take care of yourself

WellingTX

shannonpcampbell wrote: »

What are some ideas to get you motivated to either get up early in the morning and exercise or at the end of the day after a long day at work.

Recognize that not everyone is the same. Look at everyone's input, find what works for you and don't listen to the naysayers or those that believe theirs is the only way.

If there was one true way, that would be the thing everyone did. There's a reason there are thousands of trainers, counselors, podcasts, books etc.

Things that made a difference to me:

- Focus on long haul. Making the changes for my lifetime versus a single point in time.
- Give yourself permission to start small. Tracking food, setting achievable goals, etc.
- Be kind to yourself if you stumble and start again.

For activity, one of the best pieces of advice I ever received was that if you don't feel like a full workout or a long walk, do something. Get up and go around the block or do a set of pushups in front of the TV. I tell myself that if I want to stop after doing something for 5 minutes, I can but it's amazing how many times that 5 minute walk turns into a 30 or 45 minute one.

getitamb

Learn to appreciate the process. Also schedule time for eating healthy and working out. People are going to look at you like you're crazy at first but once they see how serious you are, they'll get used to it. Keep pushing yourself both nutritionally and physically as well. Motivation really is all about you. No one else can do it

skinnyinnotime

Look at it as something that needs to be done just like brushing your teeth, washing your clothes, buying groceries etc

ninerbuff

Most people start of with extrinsic approach to do it, but the goal is to eventually make it an intrinsic reason to do it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition