When you don't feel like excercising...

AniaFi

How do you make yourself do the workout which you planned before when you don't feel like doing it?

MysteriousMerlin

Sheer willpower, lol. There are days when it just won't happen, but I'm getting better.

I try to imagine what I'll look like if I can do this every time. I try to keep my goals in the forefront of my mind. I read the success stories here. Anything to motivate me.

batesmama

When I don't feel like doing my workout I just tell myself to do 15 minutes instead of 30. I can do 15 minutes and next thing I know 30 minutes has gone by and I feel great about it.

stt43

If you aren't enjoying your workout, find one which you do enjoy. If you usually enjoy it but don't feel like it on a particular day, take a day off.

Lizzy622

Throw my clothes on and get out the door before my foggy morning brain can comprehend what I am doing. Once I am out I might as well get it done.

lbFighter

When I don't feel like doing my workout I just tell myself to do 15 minutes instead of 30. I can do 15 minutes and next thing I know 30 minutes has gone by and I feel great about it.

^^this^^

Sometimes I take even smaller baby steps (... ya know, when I'm being a big baby about it ). First I tell myself that all I have to do is show up at the gym. Then: all I have to do it get on the treadmill. Then: all I have to do is 10 min. By then I'm starting to give in to it, and it switches to: I've already done 10 min, I bet I can do 5 more. Then: 15 wasn't bad, let's keep going. And I really do stop when I'm ready to be done, but that may be 25 min or 45 min or 65 min. None of which I would have ever gotten done if I said "I'm going to do 65 min on the treadmill today."

I have a couple more tricks too, depending on how whiny my internal-self is that day. One is that I download shows onto my phone and play them through my workout so that I tell myself that I can't be done until the episode is over. Another one is go to a fitness class because I know that once I'm in the class, I can't really leave until it's over.

ekz13

self hazing... tell my lazy *kitten* to get in gear and do it and I can whine all I want when its done, but for now, get going.

TR0berts

How do you make yourself do the workout which you planned before when you don't feel like doing it?

Easy. I look at what I'm doing and plan on setting some sort of PR with it. The idea of a record gets me pumped for my workout. The last time this happened was on a deadlift day. So I set a new 1RM on my deadlift. BOOM.

wilmnoca

Do it anyway...an kill it

hammies77

Usually when I'm feeling unmotivated, I tell myself that I don't have to get in a heavy workout as long as I show up and do SOMETHING. Usually I'm just tired, so I tell myself that I can just get on the treadmill and walk slowly. Usually by the time I warm up, I feel stupid walking slowly and get into it.

Broderick50

I keep a notebook of disappointments when I don't want to workout I look at it. Not all in there are because of my weight but I've convinced myself that they are.

lseed87

Sometimes i already log how much i want to do so that way it is already made public on my page which makes me want to do it even more. Especially feels good when you see comments telling you that you did a good burn and what not.

I agree that wearing exercise clothes helps since you just want to do it more and more ready for it.

Hornsby

Just tell myself how bad I suck if I don't go and convince myself how much better I will feel after I knock it out.

The emotional pain of being overweight far outweighs the temporary pain of working out....

kzivic

It's all about willpower. I remember what I'm working towards and what my goals are and that helps me get up and going.

I also try to mix my workouts up enough so that I don't get too bored or tired of one specific thing. When something becomes too routine for me and I start to get bored and feel like not doing it, I switch to something else for a bit.

Huppmanj

I keep in the front of my mind how disappointed I am in myself when I don't work out. It's personally a let down for me seeing as how everyone tells me I'm so strong willed.

sjebert

If I don't feel like exercising, which has been most nights lately, I always remind myself how good I feel when I am done and then I just start. I always feel much better after I am done and much better about myself for doing it.

goldfinger88

I find that there are times when I just really am better off not doing formal exercise. Oh, I get my butt out of the chair and move about. I may do a few push-ups, peddle the stationary bike five minutes - things like that. But if I'm really just too tired or unwell or need to do other things, I take the day off from formal workouts.

You can burn calories just working around the house or taking the stairs, doing normal work. Formal exercise is a relative new thing that people who set on their butts have come up with to do something to burn calories. People didn't used to have to do it as they worked most all day --- real work.

On the other hand, you can just go through the motions and do the best you can. I've done that too. Trouble is, you often don't get as much out of the workout that way.

Reevsie123

I am in the gym at work every morning at 6:30 for my 30-40 minute workout, I enjoy exercise at weekends, although I must admit on dark cold mornings I could quite easily stay in bed.
I intend to think of the extra calories I can eat later, once I am there and changed its no problem, unfortunately you just have to make it a habit and persevere.

cwolfman13

How do you make yourself brush your teeth when you don't feel like it? You don't right...you just do it. How do you make yourself get up and go to work?

Stop thinking of exercise as something "extra" in your life...it's not extra...it should be just what you do. Obviously things are going to come up from time to time, but when exercise ceases to become something "extra" you'll actually start to feel a small void in your life when you miss a session.

Also, you need a decent calorie burn so that you can have beer later...

asianmonkie

Don't think, just do. When I sit there and think too much about how much it's going to suck, I end up not doing it. It's better to just do it.

tigersword

If you aren't enjoying your workout, find one which you do enjoy. If you usually enjoy it but don't feel like it on a particular day, take a day off.

This.

RoyBeck

Personally:

At first it's so easy! It's new, it's exciting and your doing things you've not done before (Or in a long time!). Eventually, it becomes a second nature until you start planning your work/social life around your workouts.

There are days when I don't want to go but I just do. If I REALLY don't feel like it I don't go much like I wouldn't go to the pub if I didn't fancy going. However, I tell myself that tomorrow ill run an extra mile to make up for it.

ModernNerd

I'm a visual sort of person so I keep two photos on my phone. One of myself and the progress I've made so far and a second of a model whose body is something I see as a challenging but achievable goal. I figure if she could put in the work to get that body, so can I:)

amsipub

I use a list like this one: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/551631-100-reasons-to-work-out-today

That usually gets me moving. I also have a quote that sits at my desk at work that says "Make moves not excuses!" It's from a workout t-shirt that I have.

ElizabethFuller

I plan my food in advance, taking into account a certain number of eaten-back calories. No exercise then no extrra treats calories -the lure of the wine/chocolate/pizza/ice cream is enough to get me out of the door.

JTick

I don't get to eat as much if I don't work out!

Also, I'm at the point where I'm actually pretty fit, even though I have a bit of weight left to drop. When I really don't want to work out (and for no good reason), I'll remind myself that fit people work out, they don't just sit on their butt and keep their endurance. That mindset usually helps a bit.

Steveburg123

Hello,
I enjoy exercise at Daily or weekends, although I must admit on mornings I could quite easily stay in bed or in ground. I find that there are many times when I just really am better off not doing exercise as well.but my fitness key is the exercise and my joyfulness as well.

cwolfman13

Also, find some exercise that you enjoy. There seems to be this notion that "exercise" means you have to do some DVD workout and/or drone away on some cardio machine for hours upon hours...I've done neither at any point.

Find something you enjoy doing. I like walking and taking hikes in the mountains and riding my bike...I enjoy weight training so I do that 3x weekly as well...but you'll never find me on an elliptical machine or doing some P90X thing...not my cup 'o tea and not necessary.

dlionsmane

For me the first key is doing something I like. The rest is what others have said. If I am doing a video, I say well I will just do the first 15 minutes (cuz 15 minutes is better than nothing) and then the next thing you know its past a half an hour and I think well maybe that is enough and then I'm like 'Oh wait I like this part' and I keep going.. happened just last night and before I knew it the whole video was done! I had completed the workout.

AniaFi

Thanks all you guys! You are so right saying that the first few minutes are the toughest, and once you start and those first few drops of sweat appear on your forehead it's getting more like "I'm gonna make it". I admit I didn't feel like doing it today but I told myself to do it and I did it :drinker:

becky10rp

Stop over-thinking it.......

The more you think about it - the more you dread it - or find excuses.

Just put your sneakers/gear on - and Do It.

Afterwards - you feel GREAT!

Then - you can spend time analyzing how GREAT you feel..................!