HELP!!!! Have lost my excercise MOJO :(

DomVitagliano

I need some serious motivation ASAP!!!! I have lost all motivation to exercise at the moment, and the moment has lasted a few weeks. I used to exercise at least 3-4 times a week, but since I've been working longer hours I just feel tired and really can't move so I'm averaging a once a week workout, which as you can imagine is upsetting me. I am quite active in my job and am on my feet all day...

Please let me know if you have any experience with this and what pulled you out???

tyuce72

I think I can understand what you are feeling. The worst enemy of all is to lose your motivation. I had the same problem for many years, but now I feel better about that. I can tell you what I did to have full motivation; I looked at the mirror and talked to myself... I was even using bad words ) I was also wearing a t-shirt that I love the most which I was not able to wear because of my size. The t-shirt was tight and not comfortable at all. My stomach was round and looking ugly... then I asked my self; is this what you like? is this the best you can do? what is your problem? you wanna die because of heart attack and leave the loved ones alone? are you stupid or what? well, it worked for me I said to myself, no matter what I have to go to gym, even for half an hour cardio... this was 4 months ago, and except 3-4 times (because I was on vacation), I never missed it. even though I was dead tired, I continued excercising. well my friend, I have lost almost 60 pounds (26.5 kilos) and very happy with my body. I can wear my favorite t-shirt again if I can do it, you can do it, trust me 3 times exercise per week is good enough. If you try to go more and push yourself, you might get tired of it. discipline yourself and go to the gym. do not buy any exercise machine to your home, that is the worst you can do to yourself. simply move your butt and go to the fitness center, do your work out and come back home... good luck!

DomVitagliano

Right! Im giving that one a try tomorrow morning Thanks for the advice, I feel horrible

alyngard

I'm going through the exact same thing at the moment. I've not been feeling well for the past 2 weeks, but I'm sure I could still exercise if I really wanted to. I feel like I'm using it as an excuse to be lazy and I'm getting really frustrated with myself. I don't have advice personally, but I recently asked a friend about it since he's lost a lot of weight and he basically said it happened to him at one point, and then he just woke up one day with more motivation and is now working out harder than ever. I'm eating as well as I always do, so thankfully that isn't an issue. My idea for myself was to maybe change up the exercise and do something new and fun. I feel you though. I'm currently trying to psych myself up to exercise later.

Good luck, I know you can get back into it!

00snook

I need some serious motivation ASAP!!!! I have lost all motivation to exercise at the moment, and the moment has lasted a few weeks. I used to exercise at least 3-4 times a week, but since I've been working longer hours I just feel tired and really can't move so I'm averaging a once a week workout, which as you can imagine is upsetting me. I am quite active in my job and am on my feet all day...

Please let me know if you have any experience with this and what pulled you out???

You may well have been over training. This is fairly common. Your body is making you feel tired and lethargic to stop you from pushing it too hard.

What I have found works for me when I go through periods of lacking motivation, is to reduce the amount of time I spend exercising by about 20% (for example if you were running 5 miles, change it to 4). This has the psychological effect of convincing yourself you are doing less and therefore should be able to recover quicker. The mind is a powerful thing, and very quickly you will feel good about keeping exercising, and then want to push harder again.

Remember that recovery is as important as exercise, and also if you lack motivation in the evenings its best to push yourself to exercise earlier in the day. I hate having to exercise at night (enjoy the sofa and TV too much) so push myself to exercise in the morning.

Change things up a bit and you will soon find your motivation again. Try exercising in a different way (gym rather than swimming, weights rather than cardio etc etc) and this may also help.

Exercising when you are enjoying it is easy. Exercising when you aren't is hell. The difference between succeeding in your goals and missing them is pushing yourself through the hard times so you reap the benefits during the good times.

ssm_1972

I was also suffering from same problem i.e. absence of moral support / frequent motivation lately. I started to visit MFP on regular basis in last few weeks and gone through all the success stories mentioned over threads and motivated myself as if so many peoples can, why not me ? Peoples here on MFP are great supporter, moreover I got a quite a few MFP friends here, always supporting & motivating me.

alyngard

I disagree with the previous poster btw, I don't think it matters at all where or how you exercise. What's important is that you do it. If you are more comfortable at home and that's easier with your lifestyle, then by all means do it there! I only work out at home (for several reasons) and I'm down almost 70lbs in less than 5 months, clearly where I've worked out has not hindered me in the least.

What's important is that you move and that you enjoy it as much as you can!

VBnotbitter

I hear ya. My job has seriously got in the way this last couple of weeks, and now the pressure is finally off its hard to find the motivation to restart.

I'm just trying to remember how good I felt excerising

Seesawboomerang

If I feel low: depressed or lacking morale, I remind myself that exercise boosts my mood.

I feel bad - I don't want to feel bad - exercise fixes it quick.

I know motivation is hard to find, but just 20-30 mins not only makes you feel mentally and physically better, it also boosts your self-esteem.

Squeeks70

I hear ya. My job has seriously got in the way this last couple of weeks, and now the pressure is finally off its hard to find the motivation to restart.

I'm just trying to remember how good I felt excerising

Going through the same thing right now and it has been a month. Needing to find some motivation and I think I need to change up my exercise from jogging to adding in more weights.

Ninkyou

Maybe it has something to do with frame of mind too? Are you viewing exercising as "a chore"? As in, you dread every minute leading up to exercising? Might want to switch it up a bit. Find something you think is fun and have at it.

Not saying this is your case, but this happened to me with 30DS sometimes. I like it okay, but I'd put it off, telling myself "right after I'm done the dishes" and then "after I put the kid down for her nap" etc. I'd just keep dragging it. It became a chore. So I looked for other things I could do, and found 2 things I really love. 1) walking a 3.5 mile scenic path and 2) AquaZumba.

Good luck

LisaOnAMission007

That's my biggest problem, is keeping my MOJO up LOL. Right now, since I'm really just starting into watching what I eat, and working out again, and I have a lot more to lose...

I try to remember, and keep it actively in my mind, about when I first had to lose weight 11-12 years ago. I had lost 30lbs in 6 weeks, and before then, I had never been able to keep motivated long enough to see results, or even lose half my weight. But, all I knew is I was sick of looking in the mirror and not liking what I would see. All I did, was count calories and work out. Nothing major. I tried to stick to between 1200-1500 calories, and ate whatever I wanted as long as I did that. I drank TONS of water, which not only helped A LOT, but my skin look amazingly clear for the first time in my life.

Also, I started small when it came to adding in exercise. Since I was in my teens, and lived in the middle of nowhere, all I could do was walk or bike. So, every morning I'd go for a 45 minute walk. I might take another walk in the evening for roughly the same amount of time. I remember at one point, I was able to get my hands on work out videos for my arms, legs, and abs. So, I gradually started adding them into my daily routine. Once I added those, I was shrinking relatively fast. I was surprised since it really didn't seem like I was doing too much.

Hopefully, my story will motivate you. I recall it every day just to remember what I did last time. What also helped was keeping weekly goals, and just trying to stick to those weekly goals and not looking at "the bigger picture." So, I have 60lbs to lose... yikes! But, if I focus on losing X-amount of pounds a week, and eating X-amount of calories a day, and including X-amount of exercise.. I'll meet my weekly goal every week, and it makes that "bigger picture" look a lot better every week.

Alderaic

having a goal helps, biggest motivation for me is a specific event to look forward to.
Since I picked running, I sign for a race six month in the future and train for it, also I can check my stats progression and that helps me.

when I was doing P90X I was writing down eveyrthing looking at reps/weight progression, giving myself goals to keep up with the crew, then with a specific guy etc..

Find a goal, aim for it, train for it.

DomVitagliano

Thanks everyone, you've all been wonderful in giving me a few things to try. I think I also need to get some more sleep under my belt at night. I kind of think that it's also impacting me.

I've come so far with my weight loss and I've only got a few kilos to go 7 to be exact so 15 pounds. I've lost a total of 40 kilos (88 pounds) and I also think I need to remember that which should help me reach that finish line.

I'm happy to know that I'm not alone on this one either, so thank you for sharing...

Can't wait for tomorrow now, I've tried zumba and loved it, so I'm going to have some fun with that one :bigsmile:

thrld

When I lost my motivation, I had to rely on my determination.
So when I don't look forward to working out -- I still work out. When the thought of trying a new program makes me feel tired -- I try it anyways -- because it might make me feel excited to work out again. And a program means that I have to commit for a number of performances/weeks -- which makes it harder for me to give up on. And if you still don't regain your mojo - try going back to the activity that you started with -- maybe you'll find it if you re-trace your steps.
Keep reminding yourself - the excitement may be gone, but the determination is still there, the committment is still alive.

Francl27

Honestly, you have an active job... it's not a huge deal. Just eat less.

xMillyLouisex

ive been going through the exact same thing at the moment, its a nightmare, putting my gym clothes and trainers on when i should be working out always helps feel free to add me

ktc1968

I am struggling right there with you. This has been so depressing for me and every day that goes by it just gets worse and worse, any motivation or support I can get would be appreciated.