Exercise - How do you do it??

faythe621
faythe621 Posts: 32 Member
edited November 25 in Health and Weight Loss
I will start by saying that I used to be morbidly obese, 320 pounds at 5'5". When I was heavy I was active, always going to the gym and I did kickboxing as well, but I had a hard time staying within my calorie goals so I never lost weight.

About 3 years ago I decided to have a gastric sleeve procedure done to help me lose weight. After the procedure and the weight started flying off, I got lazy about exercise. I regret this completely because now I'm totally off the wagon on staying active.

I have lost 110 pounds and have about 60 to lose to goal weight. Weight loss has slowed dramatically and last week on Casual Friday at work, I tried on a pair of jeans that had previously been loose and they were almost too tight to wear. WAKE UP CALL!!

So since then I've been working really hard on eliminating carbs from my diet and upping my protein intake. I've started logging every mouthful again. I stopped taking chips and crackers in my work lunch and started taking Greek yogurt and string cheese instead. Because I still have a great deal of restriction with my food intake, that's not the hard part.

I have a gym membership I haven't used in I don't know how long. Every month I pay and every month I don't go. I'm so out of shape I'm almost afraid to start going because I'm embarrassed by how easily I get out of breath now. I work a desk job from 8:30-5, and I'm not a morning person by nature so getting up early to go to the gym probably won't happen. By the time I get home in the evening I'm so tired I don't want to do anything else except eat dinner and watch TV.

How do you motivate yourself to exercise? I want to get back into an active lifestyle but I don't know where or how to start.
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Replies

  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
    Some random thoughts. Working out is a habit you need to form, that happens by force of will until it becomes habit (thanks Captain Obvious). I'm with you on mornings--I feel best working out right after work. If I wait too long (like til 6 I start to fade) it's a struggle. One trick you might consider is a "pre-workout" fruit drink (available online or at a fitness store). It's basically a caffeine/sugar boost that gets you off your rear and energetic at the gym. You could try that stuff as a crutch to build your habit pattern. Once it's a habit the guilt alone is enough to motivate you.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    faythe621 wrote: »
    I will start by saying that I used to be morbidly obese, 320 pounds at 5'5". When I was heavy I was active, always going to the gym and I did kickboxing as well, but I had a hard time staying within my calorie goals so I never lost weight.

    About 3 years ago I decided to have a gastric sleeve procedure done to help me lose weight. After the procedure and the weight started flying off, I got lazy about exercise. I regret this completely because now I'm totally off the wagon on staying active.

    I have lost 110 pounds and have about 60 to lose to goal weight. Weight loss has slowed dramatically and last week on Casual Friday at work, I tried on a pair of jeans that had previously been loose and they were almost too tight to wear. WAKE UP CALL!!

    So since then I've been working really hard on eliminating carbs from my diet and upping my protein intake. I've started logging every mouthful again. I stopped taking chips and crackers in my work lunch and started taking Greek yogurt and string cheese instead. Because I still have a great deal of restriction with my food intake, that's not the hard part.

    I have a gym membership I haven't used in I don't know how long. Every month I pay and every month I don't go. I'm so out of shape I'm almost afraid to start going because I'm embarrassed by how easily I get out of breath now. I work a desk job from 8:30-5, and I'm not a morning person by nature so getting up early to go to the gym probably won't happen. By the time I get home in the evening I'm so tired I don't want to do anything else except eat dinner and watch TV.

    How do you motivate yourself to exercise? I want to get back into an active lifestyle but I don't know where or how to start.

    I use the gym 2x per week to lift...that's the only gymin' I do. If I was reliant on a gym for my exercise, it would never get done. Most of my exercise is on my bike out on the road (save for in-climate weather and then I'm kind of stuck with my indoor bike trainer at home). I just purchased a rowing machine for the house as well...we get some really gnarly winds here in the Spring and they're already kicking up so I wanted something to supplement my indoor trainer as I get a little bored with it.

    I also walk my dog most mornings for 20-30 minutes depending on how much time I have and do other things during my day to just move a little more. I get off my *kitten* every hour and do a little walking tour of my office building which includes having to climb some steps, etc...this has actually led to some more interaction with my employees which has also been beneficial.

    I enjoy lifting, but I do not enjoy having to commute to and from the gym...it's too much of a time suck to do it more than a couple days per week as it's a 20 minute drive there and back (40 minutes round trip) from my house...so an hour lifting session actually costs me an hour and 40 minutes of actual time.
  • 1houndgal
    1houndgal Posts: 558 Member
    I have a YMCA membership. I swim at least 5 days a week. I worked up to this schedule.

    I feel the endorphins after I swim. My mood is better from my swimmers high. That motivates me.

    Also, MFP has me at a lower calorie goal now. So, if I don't swim I get so little calories to eat. Excercise kcals help me eat enough to feel satisfied and fuel my excercise activities.

    My biggest motivation for health these days is to get healthier. And it is happening. MFP is a huge help, steering me to better food choices.

  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    edited February 2018
    Actually, 1houndgal reminded me – – another motivation for me is extra calories!! I used to use a calorie goal based on TDEE, and I did not add back exercise calories. Now I use the MFP method, where I get fewer calories unless I exercise. This really does make a difference for me in motivation for working out!
  • pamfin
    pamfin Posts: 169 Member
    How about a walking group at work? I've started taking a quick trot around the block at lunchtime. I only get 30 minutes so I spend 20 walking and then eat lunch at my desk. When the weather is okay and the evenings are light enough, I walk a couple of times a week in the evenings with local friends too. It's sociable at the same time.
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
    I have three kids and work, plus all the usual household responsibilities, volunteer commitments ect...its easy to say I don't have time. I had to force it. To get going I committed myself to hitting the gym before work for one month. I told myself if it was not working in a month then I would stop. It was tough most days but it did get easier and 7 months later it's just part of my routine. And I feel good for finally making some time for me. I suggest you give yourself a mini goal. A month was kind of a long push, so maybe try 2 weeks. Whatever seems doable for you. Give it a try. Maybe you'll hate going early after two weeks. Maybe you won't! If you hate it, commit to another two weeks of going in the evening. See how that works.
    I also hired a trainer for 5 sessions (2 weeks). I knew i would not waste my money and not show up. Money is a great motivator haha!
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,267 Member
    When I was at my heaviest I just said to myself you MUST go to the gym after work and work out. Even if it meant taking a class or just walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes. After a few weeks I really started liking it. B/c I was single with no kids at the time I would go straight to the gym after work, nothing in between, and do my workouts. I also hired a personal trainer for the first few weeks to make sure I was on track with how to lose the weight and what to do to tone up, plus how to track my calories.
    I was able to lose about 30 lbs and get in the best shape of my life. You can do this!! You've just got to dedicate the time to going to the gym if that's what you want and if that's how you are going to lose the last bit of weight. Find something you like and do that, whether it's classes, walking, weight lifting, running, etc...just do it and stick to it.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    edited February 2018
    - parked my car and walk to work both ways 30min each (waited for this job for YEARS so I
    could do this haha)
    - walk another 30 on the first half of my lunch
    - lift 4x week
    - Sunday mornings I take a big coffee on my morning treadmill walk (it's still cold af in canada lol)
    - occasionally stand at my desk in the office (I'm not a fan but I do sometimes)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Baby steps. I started with "Walk at Home" workouts by Leslie Sansone. Lots of freebies on YouTube, DVDs at your local library.

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVl6ZdslZz2Zj-34bMJFPbg

    The great thing about these is you can go at you own pace. Just do 5 minutes in the beginning, or do a slower 10 minutes. Adjust to fit what you can do right now. Then build time & speed.

    I workout after work. These videos might be done at lunch if you can close an office door.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    Congratulations on losing that weight - that's awesome! I managed to turn myself into a "fitness" person slowly and by keeping my goals small enough that it felt silly NOT to meet them. I read that three ten minute brisk walks a day provides basically the same benefits as walking thirty minutes at a time (source), so I did that thing everyone always suggests and I suspect many people roll their eyes at - I started parking ten minutes away from my building every day. I'm not great at exercise for exercise's sake, but I love games and data, so I started a spreadsheet and tried to get twenty minutes in every day. Then thirty.

    After a few weeks of this a crazy thing happened - walking got too easy! So I figured, why not try jogging every other block? It turned out that just 10-15 minutes of running in the morning gave me an awesome energy and endorphin bump, and again, 10-15 minutes was so doable that I had a hard time talking myself out of it. After that I was basically a lost cause - along with running I started doing body weight workouts in my basement, then discovered FitnessBlender.com, and now I'm the proud owner of a set of adjustable dumbbells and am starting a progressive lifting program this week. And I do yoga or stretching more evenings than not. My spreadsheet is bonkers.

    And seriously, this all started with just walking for ten minutes at a time. You don't have to like the gym, or running, or strength training (although it's a lot of fun and good for you and more women should definitely do it), and you really don't have to start big at all. Just pick a small goal, push yourself for a few minutes a day, and see where it takes you. Good luck!
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    I started just by walking out doors. I didn't really go near a gym until I had lost about 50lbs. Then, I would really only use machines/treadmill. I did find I liked an exercise class, so I started going to Les Mills Bodypump class 1x per week. It's the YMCA, so there's lots of shapes and sizes and ages and such, so I never looked or felt awkward.
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    I eat my lunch at my desk, and have a loop that takes me just under 30 minutes to walk on my break time. I also have the t25 program I bust out sometimes, I do free videos on youtube, and every spring I do couch to 5k. I do plan to join a gym again as soon as it's feasible with our work schedules and our baby so that I can begin lifting
  • emcclure013
    emcclure013 Posts: 231 Member
    I'm a walker. I started by going about half a mile a day and slowly worked the distance up. Now I walk 2-3 miles a day, and sometimes more on the weekends. I'm down about 60lbs and that's basically the only purposeful exercise I've done. I bring tennis shoes to work and walk a mile on my lunch break (I've gotten a lot faster as I've gone on, so it only takes me about 17 minutes), then walk the dog at night. I've found that my endurance has gotten a lot better, and I find that other exercises that would've been impossible before are much easier now. It's all about getting into the habit of doing it, then pushing for it! I used to dread having to go out for a walk after supper, but now I really look forward to my time outside!
  • fionawilliamson
    fionawilliamson Posts: 110 Member
    I live too far from a gym so my workouts are always at home. I have an elliptical and treadmill but walking burns more calories that either of those - I know right. I also have a collection of DVDs but I am thinking of joining beach body on demand to get a variety of workouts. I am the type of person that can't miss a day or I will just stop all together. I fit it in when I can, before work, at lunch, end of the day. Whatever I can do.
  • loe_loe23
    loe_loe23 Posts: 74 Member
    I have a hard time finding motivation to workout as well. Some days I kick *kitten* and get in a crazy good workout and other days (when my depression acts up) I don't feel like working out at all! That's usually when my diet suffers as well. I try to at least do SOMETHING every time I don't make it to the gym. Like, I use youtube workout videos so that way I'm at least moving and doing something and it feels like I'm "watching tv" too. Maybe try that to start off.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I can't edit my post, but I also wanted to add that I didn't step foot into a gym for a few months when I started and I didn't start with all kinds of crazy workouts and whatnot. I stated by walking my dog...at first if was just a few days per week for 30 minutes...then 5 days per week...until eventually I was walking most days for about an hour.

    Once I was there I started a C25k program...did that and signed up for a few 5Ks to keep me interested as it wasn't my favorite thing to do. Along the way and doing numerous different things I eventually found and fell in love with cycling.

    Basically, just get going...ease into things...try different things.
  • mrsloganlife
    mrsloganlife Posts: 158 Member
    Like others say--it is a habit builder. I started going to the gym before work because that was the best time. As much as I hate mornings and my 5:25 am alarm even more, I kept with it. Were there days I wanted to hit snooze and roll over? Yep. But then I thought about how I would feel later in the day knowing I skipped the workout, and that motivated me to jump out of bed--because I knew the feeling of guilt and just 'blah' from not working out would be way worse than the few minutes of pain as I got out of bed and blindly walked into the bathroom to change.

    It has now been 4 months and has just become a part of my routine. It also helped that I set an alarm to go off at 5:25 am every weekday, so I am not even touching my phone (and give myself the opportunity to turn it off).

    Also as one of the very fit gym regulars told me one day "Everyone starts somewhere," and by walking into the gym you are starting somewhere. You will look back a couple of months from now when you were getting out of breath fast and go "man look at how far I have come!" I had one of those moments today myself :)
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited February 2018
    I hated exercise so much when I started, I could barely do 20 minutes and dreaded the next day I had to exercise for another 20 minutes. I hated going outside in my neighborhood to walk, I felt embarrassed. I did this three times a week for months. I finally kept getting better, and it became a challenge to get better at it. The challenge kept me engaged and I was having fun and enjoying it. I do all my working out (lifting and running) at home very early in the a.m., I like having quiet and space all to myself.

    I also use exercise to eat more and this is a pretty important part of all of it as well. The trick though is to find something you love and enjoy or at least love the benefits enough you get from it to keep doing it!

    I exercise 6 days/week if I skip a day my day entire day off. Some of it is because I create a morning routine to get ready to exercise, but all of it has become a habit and a good one to have. If you will get your gear on, that's half the battle, you will most likely stick with you exercise plan.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,085 Member
    I'm not a morning person. I HATE getting up in the morning.

    I still get up in the morning to go to the gym before work - because - if I plan to go after work I'm really likely to skip it from being too tired/worn out/beat/whatever.

    Since I'm not a morning person, however, I had to take it in steps. I started by setting my alarm 15 minutes earlier than normal (so not a big jump) and did some push-ups, sit-ups, and a couple other little home exercises with that extra time. Then, after a couple weeks, moved my alarm back another 15 minutes, and did a little longer home workout. Then I did another 15 minutes, and now I had 45 minutes - enough time to get to the gym and do a 20-30 minute workout. Then another 15. After that it was a little easier to move it in 30 minute increments.

    I now get up at 4:30am to be walking in the gym by 5 (I take a little more time getting going in the am now than I did at first - at first I set everything up the night before since getting up was so hard).

    I have one day a week when I can sleep in an hour longer, and on weekends I definitely sleep in longer. Now I tend to wake up around 4:30, but have no problem going back to sleep on weekends LOL.
  • faythe621
    faythe621 Posts: 32 Member
    lightenup2016 wrote: »
    You don't have to work out in a gym to get exercise. Is there any way you can take a good walk during your lunch hour at work? Or do some sort of walking in place or other exercise in front of your TV shows in the evening? I found that as I've gotten older and my life has gotten busier, it's just not practical to get to the gym. I have a running treadmill, I walking treadmill, and a portable stationary bike I can use at home, plus dumbbells and a barbell. And there are plenty of work out videos available on YouTube or DVD. Or you can just do your own bodyweight exercises in your living room or bedroom. I've found this to be much more amenable to working out rather than having to motivate myself to get ready (and take the extra time) to go to the gym. Good luck!

    ETA: Look up Leslie Sansone walking workouts--these are mostly workouts were you walk in place, with knee lifts and other movements along with it. I got to where I could do this pretty much on my own while I was watching TV. There are different levels, so it's really a great place to start, right in your own home! I found several on YouTube.

    I used to do Leslie's walk at home videos - I'm sure I still have them somewhere. I don't have any home gym equipment unfortunately, but I could definitely do videos that use bodyweight exercises. Just a matter of doing it! Thank you!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I do not have a gym membership. I have three different cardio stations in my living room, another in my bedroom, and a bicycle, as well as a basketball hoop and a heavy rope. I can get a good cardio workout while watching tv, whether I want to pay attention to the show or not. I can get a very good cardio workout when the weather is nice. I do simple maintenance on my cars and log that as exercise. I do yardwork and log that as exercise. I also have a nearby linear city park with a long paved trail that I can walk, ride, or run.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    I literally put one foot in front of the other. I am currently doing a minimum of 8500 steps a day, a little stretching, occasional yoga and squats and counter level push ups 3 times a week.

    I am working at making the 8500 steps faster before I up the minimum.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I found something I enjoy doing (Leslie Sansone walking videos). I built up the habit of doing 4 miles every other day (3-4 times a week).

    When you find something you really enjoy doing, you'll make time to do it.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I watch most of my TV shows on the treadmill. I walk my dog. I go for an extra walk (sometimes with a friend) when it's nice out. Hoping to go hiking again soon.

    When I started working out again, I did some Beachbody programs. Started with Slim in 6, which was not bad, except I couldn't get through the warm up for like a week, and I was so sore I couldn't walk for 2 days after I tried (I was THAT out of shape). Then I started walking, longer and longer walks, so now typically when I go for a walk it's for an hour (3.5 miles - I walk faster outside than on the treadmill). I did a bunch of Beachbody programs but got bored of the same workouts all the time, so I just walk now (with some push ups 3x a week).

    I did the walking videos as well then figured out I could just run in front of my TV shows, lol. Really, the treadmill I got was a great investment.

    Timing-wise, I don't mind working out in the evening if I didn't get it done in the morning. Again, I'm just going to watch TV anyway, might as well burn some calories while I do it... I NEED those extra calories or I'm miserable and wouldn't be able to stick to it.
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