How do you get/stay motivated?

lechesucio

Because I'm having a hard time. I want to change, I need to change, but I can't ever get motivated. I tell myself "Alright, today is the day!" and I end up not doing anything or breaking off the diet.

My commute to work is an hour. I get up at 5am and I'm out of the house at 6-6:30am. I would love to get up and go for a quick jog, but I also love my sleep. I don't get home until 6-7pm and by that time, I basically eat dinner and go to bed because I'm exhausted. On my days off, I basically sleep all day because I'm tired. I WANT to do something but I'm too tired to do anything.

I need to get motivated or start doing something. So my question to you guys is what do YOU do to get going? What can I do to get my butt outta bed and get going?

Starting a new habit is always the hardest, whether for the first time, or the millionth, or trying to get back on track after a weekend of slacking. My suggestion is to work with what works for you. You'll always feel like a failure if you're not a morning person and you try and fail all the time to do a morning workout. Try eating a protein snack for energy right before your commute home so you have energy to work out right when you get home. Or if you hit traffic, maybe exercise around your work to avoid sitting in traffic. I leave sneakers at my office so I can walk on my lunch hour. Sometimes around neighborhoods and sometimes I plan errands that involve walking, like a post office visit 1.5 miles away. It's motivating to maximize my time like that. I'm getting fit AND crossing 'to-do' items off. I also like to read on the treadmill/elliptical. That makes me feel like I'm doing double duty as well!!

BrownEyedSister

I wish I could remember where I saw this quote/saying. I've put it on my profile because I struggle with the same issue. I find it to be very true and it reminds me that usually after I get started exercising I do feel motivated to continue. Even 10 or 15 minutes here and there adds up!

"Don't sit around and wait to be motivated, chances are that won't happen. Just do it and you'll be motivated."

Fsunami

Honestly, you don't sound committed to it yet. And that's okay, but until you do, you'll find reasons/excuses/justifications for why you aren't doing what you need to be doing to meet your goals.

There are so many creative ways to sneak exercise in. Walking on lunch, going for a run in the evening, parking your car at the end of a lot and walking to the store, do squats or planks or whatever while you're watching TV. You'll be amazed at what you find time to do once you stop giving yourself an out.

This.

I've got the same schedule you do. And I used to have the same reasons you did. What woke me up was I pontificated about wanting to see my son (only child) grow to middle age with me still around.

The choices I was making reflected exactly the opposite. I put on the last 50 lbs in 10 months. I had a lot of reasons I used to avoid action, but the only person I was kidding was myself & what I was continuing to do would have probably killed me in the next 5 years. That was a rather sobering thought.

I decided to stop talking and start acting, even if it was just small things. For now, I am focusing on calorie reduction, better choices, portion control. Oddly enough, since I did those small things and started drinking a lot more water, I feel a ton better & am starting to see progress.

I REALLY get the "tired" feeling & the above small things are helping that feeling go away for the 1st time in years.

Good luck on your journey & remember that we are all here to support you if you want it. Habits are a hard thing to change, so you form new habits based on small successes. They build on themselves.

Thanks
Chris

BrownEyedSister

I look in the mirror......and if I really want to super-motivate myself I turn sideways and look in the mirror.

Same here. With clothes on to feel good about my progress. With clothes off to tell myself I'm not done.

Same here! Wow, I tried on some clothes yesterday and it was kinda shocking to see how much I've let my fitness slide. Made me realize I can't just keep putting off until tomorrow what needs to have been done yesterday. And for me it's not so much getting rid of pounds (although that is also needed), but LOTS of firming up required!!! :grumble:

gypsyGIRL159

Hey! I would like to suggest that you take a B-12 supplement for a few weeks.... see if that gives you more energy to do MORE! It sounds like you might be depleted of energy and Get Up & GO! Actually, when you make a decision to do a thing.... like lose weight.... or break bad habits and make good habits its an awesome idea to write out a Plan.

KNOW THAT YOU can do what you really want to do! Just plot a course for success and set out for that DESTINATION. Look at your schedule and pinpoint the times when you can be more PRODUCTIVE. ASK FOR HELP FROM LOVED ONES - IF NEED BE! Push yourself.... (not too much too fast) just a bit here and there... so that you are encouraged and not over stimulated or over worked. Surround yourself with POSITIVE PEOPLE, WORDS OF WISDOM, AND GOAL ORIENTED THOUGHT PATTERNS!

DO YOUR RESEARCH! GET EXCITED ABOUT THIS ADVENTURE.... THIS OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE AN ADVENTURE TO WELLNESS!

Do something DAILY to reinforce your NEW LIFESTYLE! Embrace it.... see it as an OPPORTUNITY. SEIZE THE DAY TO DO WHAT YOU CAN... WHILE YOU CAN.

Be brave! :laugh: draw from yesteryear when you might have played some sport, or been involved in SOMETHING that motivated and made you feel really good and DRIVEN.

REDISCOVER YOUR PASSION! YOUR FAITH! YOUR FOCUS, AND YOUR INNER STRENGTH! MUSIC CAN REALLY BE A SOURCE OF GREAT ABILTY TO PRESS THROUGH TO SUCCESS! TRY NEW THINGS.....

BE SURE TO DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE YOU MAKE THIS MOVE. THIS MATTERS! :flowerforyou:

SET YOURSELF UP FOR LASTING SUCCESS! EAT RIGHT, REST RIGHT, THINK RIGHT, DRINK RIGHT..... AND INCORPORATE THOSE NEW HABITS INTO YOUR DAILY ROUTINE. HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE CHANGES YOU WANT TO SEE!

PUT A DEMAND ON YOUR DAYS... MINUTES.... ON YOUR VERY LIFE!

MAKE IT WORK...... WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO..... DESIGN A PLAN AROUND YOUR PERSONALITY, PASSION, CHALLENGES, AND OVERALL GOALS. DON'T GO BY YOUR FEELINGS ALL THE TIME... YOUR FEELS WILL MAKE YOU OBESE, AND UNCARING, AND TOTALLY WORTHLESS. THEY KEEP US IN A COMFORT ZONE... A PLACE OF SADNESS & DEPRESSION THAT CAN LINGER A LIFETIME IF ALLOWED TO FESTER.

ASK YOURSELF WHERE YOU WANT TO BE.... AND HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE FEELING & LOOKING IN A YEAR..... 5 YEARS.... 10 YEARS! KNOW THAT IT TAKES WORK.... BUT ITS WORTHWHILE WORK!

IT ALL STARTS WITHIN THE MIND. IF YOU CAN DREAM IT.... YOU CAN BECOME IT!

LET IT MARINATE IN YOUR MIND..... THEN WRITE OUT YOUR PLAN OF ACTION.....

MAKE BIG POSTERS (if you have to - I did) LOL...... POST IT NOTES HELPED ME A LOT TOO!

YOU MUST PROCEED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT ITS A JOURNEY.... IT WILL TAKE TIME.... BUT YOU CAN MAKE GREAT STRIDES TOWARD SUCCESS IN SHORT PERIODS IF YOU STAY FOCUSED, AND EMBRACE THE PLAN WITH ALL YOUR HEART & SOUL.

JUST DO IT! ONE STEP AT A TIME.... ONE MEAL AT A TIME, ONE DREAM AT A TIME. USE WHATEVER MOTIVATES AND CENTERS YOU TO REDISCOVER YOUR YOUTHFULNESS.... YOUR SPUNK, AND YOUR ACTIVITY LEVELS WILL INCREASE! TAP INTO THAT PART OF YOU THAT NEVER GROWS OLD...... NEVER TIRES..... NEVER WORRIES OR STRESSES. GIVE IT PERMISSION TO GENERATE POWER & STIMULATE YOU AS A WHOLE. PUSH IT REAL GOOD!

KEEP HITTING THE REPEAT BUTTON!

KEEP LOOKING FOR WAYS TO GROW AND GLOW! SHINE!!!! DO IT NOW...... NOT LATER!!!

YOU ARE TOTALLY WORTH IT! INVEST IN YOU, AND TELL YOURSELF YOU CAN DO ANYTHING BUT FAIL! SQUARE YOUR SHOULDERS AND LOOK YOURSELF IN THE EYES AND SPEAK "NEW LIFE" INTO YOUR LIFE! KEEP A DIARY... SO YOU CAN SEE YOUR PROGRESS! YOU WILL SEE..... ITS EZ ONCE YOU MAKE A DECISION TO BELIEVE. ONLY BELIEVE.

(((HUGGZZ))) HAVE A HAPPY JOURNEY! GOD BLESS YOU!

jubama

This is one area that I really struggle with. Hopefully one day I can comfortably say -I can and have. I dont junk but its my inability to stay focused on doing even the simplest of exercises.

LoreeBelle

gypsyGIRL, thanks for your comments! I actually printed them and plan to make some posters to encourage myself to DO THIS.

Blessings!
Loree

mylove4ana123

Well to stay on track I just recently got my mom involved and she's really helping me. I like to set small goals and have two weigh in days per week. This way If I think I'm slipping I know I have to get my act together to reach my goal. Other wise I'll have to have extra workouts as punishments! And rewards are non-food related things like a new shirt ect.

I also like to work out or just go for walks in the morning because it gives me energy for the rest of the day! And make sure you surround yourself with friends!! Doing activities with friends will burn a bunch of calories!! Make it fun

onmyweightohappiness

Myself personally I had to decided to work out in the AM before work or after work. I use to work out after work and it worked well for a year and a half then life changed and I started making excuses to not work out after work. I love my sleep too but made the decision I was going to work out in the mornings. I get up at 4am every morning, have my coffee and start working out around 445-5am for either 30 or 45 minutes I then get ready for work and get my son ready too. It was tough the first week but honestly I love it now after doing it for 5 months. I prefer it, I crave it when I wake up, it gets my day going then that way at the end of the day if I am exhausted its ok, if all I want to do is go home cook dinner and cuddle with my son I can. For myself in the beginning I had to force myself to do it daily for about 2 weeks now its routine. Monday thru Saturday every morning I get it in. Sundays are my rest days.

Capt_Apollo

I look in the mirror......and if I really want to super-motivate myself I turn sideways and look in the mirror.

Same here. With clothes on to feel good about my progress. With clothes off to tell myself I'm not done.

Same here! Wow, I tried on some clothes yesterday and it was kinda shocking to see how much I've let my fitness slide. Made me realize I can't just keep putting off until tomorrow what needs to have been done yesterday. And for me it's not so much getting rid of pounds (although that is also needed), but LOTS of firming up required!!! :grumble:

I hate this. How can positive results come from negative attitudes?

wamydia

You don't necessarily have to get up early or use up your lunch break for exercise if you don't want to. I absolutely cannot make myself get up early just to exercise and I also love my lunch breaks to just kick back and relax for a few minutes. So, the deal I made with myself is that, if I'm not willing to do it in the morning or in the afternoon, that only leaves one option -- I have to do some kind of exercise after work. I find that if I sit down to "rest for a few minutes" before I head out for my evening walk, I end up just staying parked on the couch. My rule for myself is no sitting down before I get my exercise done -- I come home, feed my dogs, put my stuff away, (have a snack if I'm hungry), and then head out for the evening walk. The really amazing thing about exercise is that it tends to make my feel more energetic after I'm done, so I find that I actually have energy afterward to come home, make dinner, do laundry, etc, before bed. I didn't have it in me most of the time before I started exercising regularly.

Also, it really is a habit that you have to develop. You kind of have to make yourself do it in the beginning, but after a few weeks of consistently getting out there and doing it, it becomes ingrained and easier every day.

One last thought is that if you aren't ready to exercise yet, you don't necessarily have to in order to lose weight and get healthier. It is OK to just concentrate on improving your diet and calorie intake for now and worry about adding exercise in later.

Rose6300

I look in the mirror......and if I really want to super-motivate myself I turn sideways and look in the mirror.

Same here. With clothes on to feel good about my progress. With clothes off to tell myself I'm not done.

Same here! Wow, I tried on some clothes yesterday and it was kinda shocking to see how much I've let my fitness slide. Made me realize I can't just keep putting off until tomorrow what needs to have been done yesterday. And for me it's not so much getting rid of pounds (although that is also needed), but LOTS of firming up required!!! :grumble:

I hate this. How can positive results come from negative attitudes?

Positive results can come from negative (yet realistic) assessments. I'm not sure I see any negative attitudes in anything stated here.

tohellnback

what do you do for work?

you say you are exhausted by lunchtime, exhausted by 6pm... have you been to the doctor about it? being tired after a busy day is normal, but exhausted by lunchtime doesnt sound right? whats your diet like? are you getting all the nutrients you need?

I'm a vet assistant. I'm on my feet, restraining dogs and cats and running around the clinic. Ha, the doctor...yeah, I haven't been to one in about 10 years. I know I should, but I'm scared. My diet isn't bad, I don't eat crap foods. Fruits and veggies, I take vitamins (Fish oil, B12, D and C) every morning. I may occasionally get Starbucks here and there to get me through the day.

cebreisch

I think this is the magical question that if we could "bottle and sell" whatever that is, we'd be RICH!!!

Back in April 2011, I had an "aha" moment. I went to a school event with my oldest daughter, and could hardly walk to the door.. I was so out of shape, I had to stop several times on the way to the door, and once inside, had to sit down. I had the nerve to tell them it was there fault I was huffing and puffing for having made me walk so far. Sitting there, I was humiliated, mortified, and embarrassed as I sat there trying to catch my breath watching all the other mother's and their daughters "climb" over me. I decided that something had to change. I called a lap-band surgeon that week to see about surgery. I was told they wanted me to lose 90 pounds before they'd do it. Ugh. I started meeting with their dietician, a therapist, doing what they told me to do, etc. I lost 115 pounds, and a year ago, I had skin removal surgery for another 26 pounds. My husband and I had set a goal to go to Disney at the end of the school year, and my goal was to not be a hinderance to going around and doing things - and it was awesome.

At that time, I relaxed a bit....it was raining, it was sunny, it was cloudy, here comes July 4, and then school's getting ready to get back in session for the kids, and excuse after excuse after excuse. It also didn't help that my dad had been fighting a few types of cancer either. He passed away in December.

YEs, there's been a lot going on, but ultimately, it was the prison I made for myself by not holding myself accountable. That's what got me up to 376 pounds to begin with. I got so frustrated with trying to lose weight, didn't have the right support system or the right program, wasn't doing the right things and MOST IMPORTANTLY, I wasn't willing to step up and do what I needed to do.

Ultimately, that's really what it is. Anybody who says they can't lose weight despite all odds really isn't doing what they need to do. They may not know what they need to do - I didn't for the longest time. A guy I know who lost about 100 pounds and is now a body builder once told me that the way he was able to do it is that he "hired the right people."

In my mind, yes, hiring the right people helps, but moreover, what it REALLY amounts to is: You have to be willing to get uncomfortable and do what you need to do.

That means:
Don't dwell on whatever medical conditions might be hindering your efforts. I have them too.
Get over the idea that other people being able to eat what they want. You aren't them; they have their own issues.
Quit talking about it and start doing.
Get your groove on, and decide that this is what you're doing. It just is.

My dad always said that once I made my mind up to do something, you might as well mark it down because I'm stubborn enough to see it through.

We can do this!

sunnysteph0420

Hey didnt read everyone else comments so sorry if something similar has already been said. I personally follow my macros which allows me to eat a lot and not feel hungry. I have a very similar work schedule to yours and I too love sleep. I found some workout classes at a local recreation center I workout for an hour 5 days a week at 6pm if you get your workout in before you eat dinner and sit down for the first time your more likely to succeed at working out. Hope this helps.