How do people stay motivated to go to the gym

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Replies

  • margannmks
    margannmks Posts: 424 Member
    0227141620_zps8wawcpw.jpg this
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    No motivation necessary really...I like hitting the weight room and I like riding my bike, swimming, hiking, and all manner of other activities...fitness is a huge part of my life as I like being a healthy and fit individual. I do things I enjoy doing and forgo those things that I do not enjoy for the most part.

    Maybe early on there was some motivation needed to get off my *kitten*...but once I started reaping the benefits of my fitness, I was pretty much hooked.

    There are days when I'm definitely not feeling it and I have a decision to make...if I really feel like I need a breather I take one...If I'm just being lazy I suck it up. I also make sure to get at least one if not two rest days per week. It's just like work or anything else you do...you need time off...making rest a part of your fitness regimen will help decrease the chance for burnout.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    planning ... discipline... logging progress.. goals...


    heres how to fail:

    Go in there and F around for an hour with no clue what your end game is or how you're gonna get there

    Knowledge is power

    Also, having a plan makes ya feel less worthless. While you may be far behind others, you know your plan and you know its solid. You'll make consistent progress and leave people in the dust that once intimidated you.

    When I walk in the gym it feels like I;m alone no matter how many people are there (its usally packed). Why? Cuz I know exactly what I'm there to do.
  • runforestrun35
    runforestrun35 Posts: 480 Member
    I like to go right after work, going if you don't feel like it will help get you in the habit of not making excuses!!!
  • lilredhead314
    lilredhead314 Posts: 52 Member
    My gym is next door to my office, so I go straight from work to the gym. No excuses that way!
  • LassoOfTruth
    LassoOfTruth Posts: 735 Member
    Go before work. Wake up 2 hours earlier, and get everything ready. Do it before your mind realizes what you're doing... Lolz. By the time you're "awake," you'll already be at Planet Fitness. Lolz.
  • aka_Kamalevantis
    aka_Kamalevantis Posts: 133
    I guess I'm lucky (in some ways) because I work evenings, so I get up in a morning, do some housework and then I walk down to the gym; I go to the gym Monday to Friday and I go walking with my husband at weekends.

    Motivation isn't the reason I go to the gym, enjoyment is the reason, and the fact that every time I get on the scales and the numbers go down, every time I put on my clothes and they fit better or have got to big, I just feel amazing (tired sometimes amittedly) every time I walk out of the gym.....
  • becky10rp
    becky10rp Posts: 573 Member
    I don't have a gym membership - I have a home gym.

    But - I belonged to gyms for many, many years.

    I always loved going - I love the discipline of it all.

    About 12 years ago - after I had my daughter - it got more and more difficult to find the time to go (I have an hour plus commute to and from work).

    So - I started to build a gym. First I got a Universal weight machine and a weight set - then I got a treadmill - then came a recumbent seat bike - and an elliptical.

    I LOVE my home gym - when I get home from work the first thing I do (after I feed my cat) is change my clothes and work out). After my long commute, I find it's the BEST stress buster. The weight lifting especially has helped me keep my weight consistent.

    My husband is very 'handy ' when my machines need maintenance - he does it (he's fixed my treadmill twice).

    And - the best thing is - after my horrible commute - I don't have to go anywhere else to work out - HOME is the last stop!
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    My gym is in my basement and I've spend a lot of money on all the equipment. Darn right I have to stay motivated!
  • toronto_j
    toronto_j Posts: 206 Member
    Why do you go home first? I know the moment my *kitten* is on the couch, I'm down for the count.

    For me, the gym and working out are just part of my life now. I do two nights with a trainer who requires 24 hours notice for cancellation...the only times I missed sessions were due to an injury and a delayed flight. On top of that, I schedule my workout week by looking at what classes are available. I mix it up to try new things and keep me interested. I also feel a need to work out because it allows me to eat a little more that day...also I feel less guilt (a useless emotion) when I overindulge a bit. And I've regretted the workouts I didn't do but never the ones I did do! I don't necessarily love exercise but I feel so much better for having done it and I'm building towards my weight loss and fitness goals little by little.
  • pettychia
    pettychia Posts: 109 Member
    So many of these replies are along the lines of "find something you love and you won't need motivation" but that's only half the equation. I love my gym time but sometimes I just don't feel like going. It's especially hard if I miss one scheduled day and then fall out of the routine. Once I get back in the routine, I remember why I love it so.

    But it's just that: I have a routine. My gym "dates" are scheduled into my week. I don't just "decide" to go one day and not the next. It's an appointment that I make with myself for myself. And I always feel better afterwards.
  • msbanana
    msbanana Posts: 793 Member
    I go straight from the office -- no stopping at home! Pack your gym bag in the morning and you'll already be in the right frame of mind.

    This. Well this and just effing go. Stop making excuses.

    I wake up at 4am to be at work by 6am. I get off at 3pm and head straight for the gym I lift/run/repeat until 5:30-6pm. Go home cook dinner, squeeze in a little house work if I can manage, shower and get ready to do it all over again. It's a grind. I don't always want to do it but its better to grind it out than sit in on my *kitten* front of the tube and get fatter.
  • grandmothercharlie
    grandmothercharlie Posts: 1,356 Member
    First I'm a 63 year old female and I can't believe how I have taken to going to the gym. I'm dragging at the end of the day. Some days a week my job requires a lot of walking -- 12,000 steps is not unusual. Never less than 7K. Yet, I just make myself go. Like someone else said, you don't go home. Once you sit down, you are done! I go at least 6 days a week (I haven't missed though in the last two weeks). I put on some fast music. Start walking the track and the next thing you know, I don't want to stop. I feel so relaxed. I usually walk a couple of miles, ride the stationary bike for 1/2 hour. Do stretching and some light weights. Usually there for 90 minutes from door-in and door-out. I just ordered a bathing suit. Going to start trying to get a swim in after my gym workout on the weekends. Maybe sign up for water aerobics, too! Once you really see the results, it is all the motivation you need!
  • SkinnyMel78
    SkinnyMel78 Posts: 434 Member
    I go in the morning before work! My husband and kids are still sleeping (I don't feel any guilt ) and then I don't have to worry about going after work! Besides, I feel amazing afterwards and it helps get me threw my day!
  • EmmieBaby
    EmmieBaby Posts: 1,235 Member
    I go after work with my fiance, what motivates me is two things : the sense of accomplishment and trying to break new PRs

    I don't want to fee like crap so I workout
    I want to deadlift (190lbs) my starting weight, need to build to get that number and the only way to do that is to show up.
  • kumitejs
    kumitejs Posts: 34 Member


    You go because today is Monday- and on Monday's I go to the gym.

    that's how.
  • mscrystallee
    mscrystallee Posts: 62 Member
    To me I have a packed gym bag in my car, it is the first stop I make after work, it is MY time before I do anything else, or even get together with dinner. For me it is a great stress reliever after work
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
    I am new here and a male and bought a gym membership to planet fitness but I have only used it a handful of times. How does everyone stay motivated to go to the gym routinely? My problem is after a full days of work I leave the office and then get home and really do not feel like working out. I tried going on my lunch hour during work by the time I walk there, get changed I have lost 15 minutes of workout time then change back to work clothes and walk back to the office. I feel I am too rushed. When I finally do get to the gym, I am there for like 2 hours or more. My problem is just trying to get there. Anyone struggle with this?

    Thanks
    Mike

    You just go. Think about the money you're spending if that helps. Think about the results you'll get if that helps (that's my main selling point). Treat yourself to something, if that helps. I work all day, have 2 kids, cook/clean my house, do homework (Bachelor student) and still go to the gym. It's doable :)
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    I go straight from work, or go first thing in the morning.
  • FitMama2013
    FitMama2013 Posts: 913 Member
    Go in the morning. If you choose not to wake up, go at lunch. Half an hour is better than excuses after work and not being active at all. And find something you enjoy doing at the gym...don't slave over a cardio machine if you hate it, or whatever it is that your gym offers.

    If I wait until evening to go, it doesn't get done! I know I will come up with a million things I need to do and the gym will be last on that list, so I go at lunch.
  • trojan_bb
    trojan_bb Posts: 699 Member
    I think it's something that really just comes naturally for a lot of us, because we love it and/or we are terrified of not going/not making progress. It's the thing I look forward to most every day. Only once every few weeks do I feel a slight hesitation about going. It's usually something I feel I HAVE to do and WANT to do. I plan the rest of my day around my workout.

    After going around 250-300 times per year for the past 5 years, it's not even a question of going or not. It's what I do.

    I do remember the first 3-4 months were not like this though. Progress created motivation. Then it became habit. Then it became me, what I do, as obvious to me as eating lunch.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    If I had the money to pay for a gym membership, that would be all the motivation I'd need. I wouldn't be able to pay for something and not use it. I hate throwing money away.

    Has happened to me several times.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    Start by being realistic. Can you get there three times a week? Three times is better than zero. Most people report better success if they go in the morning. Try to go three times a week and to walk briskly for at least 20 minutes on the other days. Aim for a good workout, not a perfect one. Focus on how you feel afterwards. If you can't or won't do that, it's time to come up with a different plan.
  • tmm_0127
    tmm_0127 Posts: 545 Member
    I always make sure I bring my change of clothes with me and change before I leave the office - if it's possible you should pick a gym that's between home and work, less out of the way / hard to get to. I also try to plan my workouts in advance and keep them written down on my calendar so I can see what's in store for me that day. I find the longer I give myself to wiggle my way out of getting to the gym, the less likely I am to go ... so to get over that I started writing it all down so instead of thinking about how much I didn't really want to go, I think about which exercise I'm doing that day and by the time I leave work there's no excuse I can think of that''ll keep me from going.
  • margannmks
    margannmks Posts: 424 Member
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  • Kekibird
    Kekibird Posts: 1,122 Member
    it sucks sometimes but I try to go before work. The getting up part is the hardest but once I'm up, I'm up. And the gym is not as crowded and I feel accomplished before I'm even in the office because my workout is done.
  • pdank311
    pdank311 Posts: 137 Member
    I am new here and a male and bought a gym membership to planet fitness but I have only used it a handful of times. How does everyone stay motivated to go to the gym routinely? My problem is after a full days of work I leave the office and then get home and really do not feel like working out. I tried going on my lunch hour during work by the time I walk there, get changed I have lost 15 minutes of workout time then change back to work clothes and walk back to the office. I feel I am too rushed. When I finally do get to the gym, I am there for like 2 hours or more. My problem is just trying to get there. Anyone struggle with this?

    Thanks
    Mike

    Well that's the whole thing man. Shut your brain off and just go. I work out at home and I can talk myself out of working out during my ride home (8 miles). Just try to detach your brain, show up at the gym, and start your first set. You should be good to go after the first set.

    I've been fighting this at least 2x a week since I hit maintenance last year at this time. 100% mental.

    My work outs are after work as well. I don't allow myself to sit on the couch or even think about making dinner until the work out is over.
  • moya_rargh
    moya_rargh Posts: 1,473 Member
    By having a constant determination to get in shape and to never be fat again.
  • monstergirl14
    monstergirl14 Posts: 345 Member
    I am new here and a male and bought a gym membership to planet fitness but I have only used it a handful of times. How does everyone stay motivated to go to the gym routinely? My problem is after a full days of work I leave the office and then get home and really do not feel like working out. I tried going on my lunch hour during work by the time I walk there, get changed I have lost 15 minutes of workout time then change back to work clothes and walk back to the office. I feel I am too rushed. When I finally do get to the gym, I am there for like 2 hours or more. My problem is just trying to get there. Anyone struggle with this?

    Thanks
    Mike

    I hated going to the gym for such a long time, but after my fitness improved and I started seeing results, I was okay. The best thing to do is bring your gym bag to work and go right after. If you need fuel before you go, have a handful of nuts or something. Not going home will prevent the lazy mentality and the urge to sit on a couch lol
  • ironmonkeystyle
    ironmonkeystyle Posts: 834 Member
    do what you enjoy and mix it up. Do HIIT for a while. When that gets boring, start running. Then switch to swimming, then back to HIIT, then spinning, etc. etc...

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