I am just starting out AGAIN as of last week...

missym13

and I am eating well but just cant get myself to move as far as exercising goes. I have been a couch potato for so long that I cant do more than 5 minutes before I want to stop. My main frustration is that I am so tired of always starting over.It seems like I just keep starting ..and starting and starting. Never finishing. How can I get past this frustration,anyone ever feel like they are always at the starting line..how do I get past this mental cork? I have been logging in my food plan,but I am mentally stuck somewhere in limbo with the whole mindset thing. I am like a robot,just following rules. Someone help with some words of wisdom to get me past this point.

joannadalina

I hear that.

I would much rather exercise than eat healthy. I recently started running, using RunKeeper. When I first started running in July, I couldn't jog more than 7mins before I completely burned out. My goal was to be able to run 30 minutes every other day. I just recently this week worked up to that 30 mins jog, going about 2 miles. It's not speed racer fast, but it's moving.

Start slow, and when you feel you're gonna burn out, push yourself a little more. Not sure what your exercise of choice is, but running is great because it is for the most part free. I run in my apartment complex, the same route each time. The first time I did it, I just ran, just to see how far I could go. Then the next time, I made sure I didn't stop before that point. And just keep doing that. For example, if on your first day you run to the 3rd speed bump (for example), each time you run make sure you make it to the 3rd speed bump, and then go farther. Maybe aim for the 6th light pole. Simple things like this. And RunKeeper is a great app to track running.

Just find an exercise that you feel comfortable doing, and then start pushing yourself. Music helps too!

Best of luck

MissMormie

Get past this by making small steps.

Who ever said you need to change your diet and your exercise at the same time? Sure, in the long run you probably want to change both, but for now one of them is enough. So if you feel you'd much rather exercise than watch your food start there. And again, start small. If for now all you're managing, mentally of physically is 5 minutes then do 5 minutes! And make a plan of attack.

Say for example:
week 1: every day a 5 minute bout of exercise
week 2: 4 days a 5 minute walk + 3 days 10 minutes of exercise
week 3: 4 days a 10 minute walk + 3 days 15 minutes of exercise
week 4: 4 days a 15 minute walk + 3 days 20 minutes of exercise
week 5: 4 days a 15 minute walk + 3 days 25 minutes of exercise
week 6: 4 days a 15 minute walk + 3 days 30 minutes of exercise

Sounds doable right?

With regards to the frustration, look at it the other way. You're not continuously starting over, you're continuously not giving up on yourself. You are continuously working towards a better you. Sure it doesn't always work out, but in the long run your are committed to this. It's actually another reason to go with small steps. Because every small step you take gives you confidence and mental strength to keep going.

Besides, being a robot is good, just program in the right choices and your set!

KateK8LoseW8

Well, first of all, remember that you don't HAVE to exercise to lose weight. If its just something that's not in the cards for you, don't do it. Maybe try it again when you lose some weight and see if you feel any better about it, but seriously, it is optional. With that said, keep in mind that exercise = more food. Maybe you could find a treat that you like that doesn't break the calorie bank, and you get to eat it when you exercise. A little positive reinforcement.

Second, when you try to start up an exercise program, do you ease into it or go full force into a 5 day program? If it's the latter, stop doing that. Burning out too quickly happens to a lot of beginners, they feel sore, they're tired, and they think it's not even worth it because it sucks so much. Ease into it. Go for a 30 minute walk three days a week, for example. Or get on a stationary bike for 30 minutes 3 times a week. Or play WiiFit games three nights a week. Something light that isn't going to overly strain your body. Then comes the good old fashioned willpower. Force yourself to do it. Say, okay self, for the next month I'm going to do this on these nights for this amount of time, period. Treat it like your second job. The only reasons not to do it are reasons you would not go to work - illness, family emergency, or having to switch shifts. If you have to switch shifts because something comes up, don't just skip it. Decide when and where you are going to make it up and do it. Period. After a while, it will become habit, and you'll probably start to enjoy it more than you hate it. When that point comes, you can decide if you want to add more time or intensity.

Third, I'm going to make a couple suggestions for tools I've learned in group therapy for depression. I've applied a lot of the same techniques to my weight loss, and maybe you can too. First is making an index card of your affirmations, which are positive statements about yourself that you can take out and read each day to reinforce positivity in your mind. The only rules are they must be positive (I.e., "I am strong," instead of "I am not weak.") and they must be in the present tense ("I am achieving my goals" instead of "I will achieve my goals"). Try to think of statements that you would like to be true for you and write them down. "i am healthy." "I am treating myself well," "I am achieving balance in my life," etc. It sounds silly, but it really does help to repeat those to yourself in the morning to carry some positivity into your day.

The second tool is to contest your negative thoughts. We are all plagued with negative self-talk, some more so than others, and this can be self-defeating. You think it's true, so you make it true, even if it wasn't true to begin with. Let's start with a common one - "I can't do this." To contest this thought, first think of things you have done that you didn't think or weren't sure you could do. This is evidence that you can do things if you try. It can be completely unrelated, like getting a job promotion or doing well on an exam, or related, like "I already changed my food habits and I wasn't sure that I could. I did, so I can change this too." Now think about how other people didn't think they could get into exercise and they did. Use me as an example if you want. My first day at the gym I did 15 minutes on the elliptical before nearly dying and going home. But I kept coming back, and now I am a fitness fiend. I love it. Four months ago I would have said I'm the most unathletic person you've ever met, but that's not true anymore. So you can say to yourself, "other people felt the same way I do, but they were successful, therefore, I can be successful too." Write down your negative self-talk and underneath write down statements that prove it isn't true if that helps you. Once again, it sounds a little silly, but these tools have helped me immensely in just getting through that *kitten* brain of mine and thinking logically.



I sincerely hope this helps you.

1yoyoKAT

I didn't exercise at all initially, like the first 30 pounds. And then I just started walking. I could only walk for 5 minutes at first, but it did me good to get outside and changed my outlook mentally. Then, little by little, I started walking a bit more. Nothing uncomfortable, just more steps, and I enjoyed having that mental and physical break from sitting at a desk or around the house.

Once I felt secure in that routine, I started thinking about doing more. And I broke out the old Wii Fit I had in the house and did 1/2 hour on that every other day. It was fun and challenging for a while. Then I switched to some time on my elliptical machine. Only recently, I actually stated going to a gym and I even signed up for an aqua fit class at the Y last week, and it's been a year for me since I started.

If you've got the eating down right, way to go, cause that's the part that most folks have the most challenge with. You don't have to change everything all at once. :flowerforyou:

Hope this helps!
Kat