How do you get the motivation to exercise?

runsmallx

I need some advice. When it comes to my eating I'm in general pretty good. I do binge more than I'd like but I've cut back on that a lot and I plan on tracking my food more on MFP and making better choices. Today I had watermelon instead of the chips I wanted. Baby steps right?

Anyway, how do you get the motivation to exercise? I know its' a dumb question and I just need to do it but I can't seem to. I work two jobs and more often than not I work 12 days around 5 days a week, so when I get home, the LAST thing I want to do is exercise. I know I'd feel much better and probably kick up my weight loss more if I did do it. My goal this year was to run a 5k this summer and I don't know if that's happening.

I just don't have the motivation right now or any day, how do I change this? Any advice at all is appreciated. I just need something to get my *kitten* moving.

chrissyrenee1029

My dog was my initial motivator. I realized she was getting fat too and needed to be walked, so now we go for a walk together every morning. The more I do, the easier it gets and I'm already finding myself looking for ways to add more activity to my day. Basically, the way that I look at it is if you have five minutes of down time, you have five minutes to exercise. When I find a few spare minutes at work, I get up from my desk and take a "lap" around the office. It's really added to my step count, especially on days like today when my workload is extremely minimal.

cardbucfan

You don't have to exercise to lose weight-all that is required is a calorie deficit. I personally love to eat though so exercise "gives" me more calories to eat. Not to mention all those lovely health benefits.

As far as motivation though, it has to come from you. I suggest finding something you like to do. Running, walking, youtube videos, DVD's, join a gym, bike ride, dance-the options are endless. I personally love my spin classes, golf and zumba so they are a joy to do. (I know, weird). I like the way I look and feel after strength training so I make myself do that. Plus-extra calories!

A friend of mine who also works 2 jobs told me she gave up her gym membership because she just couldn't get there but she started doing fitness blender videos on her computer first thing every morning and absolutely loves them. I've never done them, (I HATE to workout at home) but offer them up to you to check out.

Good luck and congratulations on eating the melon instead of the chips! (of course, if you can fit the chips in your calorie goal for the day, you can have those too )

afbrzoska

I'm a newby too, but I find that doing it super early in the morning works for me. I have to eliminate all obstacles, no matter how trivial. I have my workout clothes ready and try to braid my hair the night before, so I literally jump out of bed and hit the street. I'm usually half asleep when I start, but that's ok. It works, and it's a great start to my day.

KateyWegman

Baby steps is right. I hated exercise and had the lack of time you're describing. You can do it though. If you're walking from your mode of transportation to your front door, you're already in progress. Whether it's 10 feet from a driveway or a few blocks from a bus/train, you can slowly build on that. I started by saying "ok, today, I'm going to walk around the block before going home." I made sure to pay attention to how good it felt to accomplish that and the next day when I had time, I walked 2 blocks. Fast forward a few weeks, walking 3,4 miles a day became a habit I loved/was afraid to disrupt. You can get there, it just needs to start with a tiny push to your brain about why you want to, then 123 GO!

runsmallx

Thanks guys! I appreciate it. I was thinking about getting up early and exercising then but I'm already up at like 4:30 a.m. to start at 6:00 a.m. and I can't imagine getting up any earlier. I'm not a morning person. I'm thinking my best time to get into exercising is after work, I can squeeze in half an hour or an hour in there somewhere. I don't know. I do need to do something. I know I don't need to exercise to lose weight but I like how I feel after I exercise plus I'm SO out of shape.

cardbucfan, I had the chips earlier. :P I wanted more but chose the melon instead!

zoeysasha37

I'd slowly ease myself into it. Find something you like doing and slowly build on it. If you like riding bikes, start by just going for a ten min ride and then increase in time. :-)

PinkyFett

My motivation is that I don't like the person I see in the mirror.

tuckeychicken

I get motivation from my family first and from my own personal desire to feel better, have more energy to enjoy life with my family, and to be quite honest with you I also have this real cute outfit that I want to wear and lood gooood in.

I just take it day by day one small battle at a time. I fianally chose me instead of harmful food.

Good luk to you!

Soggynode

I get up at 4:30am too so I've never been able to get enough of myself together for a morning workout. It sounds stupid but I put my gazelle glider in front of my computer in my home office and watch netfix shows at night while I'm on the glider and ONLY when I'm the glider. I'm in the middle of a series now called Longmire that I really like. If I want to watch Longmire, I need to be on the glider, period, no exceptions. Stupid I know but it's working for me. I'm an old nerd so next I'll work through Firefly, Dr. Who or some anime.

laurabritton54

what has gotten me moving is not motivation. I've learned that motivation is tied to emotions. so it falters. it's more a matter of discipline, making myself move my *kitten* when I'd much rather sit on it, no matter what, everyday. I've also set fairly small goals. Ideally I'd like to put in 30 minutes everyday, but I realize that will be hard to keep up with. so I tell myself I have to do 15 minutes everyday. I keep my gazelle set up in the living room so it's nothing to hop on for 15 minutes. I don't sit down to watch tv until I've put in my minimum time and most days I put in 30 minutes or more because the 15 goes by super fast. it's working so far because instead of dreading a 30 minute work out everyday I have more of an "oh 15 minutes is nothing, you can do anything for 15 minutes" kind of attitude. having the discipline to meet this super small goal is motivating in and of itself because I'm meeting or exceeding my goal everyday, which feels awesome!

TheVirgoddess

I need some advice. When it comes to my eating I'm in general pretty good. I do binge more than I'd like but I've cut back on that a lot and I plan on tracking my food more on MFP and making better choices. Today I had watermelon instead of the chips I wanted. Baby steps right?

Anyway, how do you get the motivation to exercise? I know its' a dumb question and I just need to do it but I can't seem to. I work two jobs and more often than not I work 12 days around 5 days a week, so when I get home, the LAST thing I want to do is exercise. I know I'd feel much better and probably kick up my weight loss more if I did do it. My goal this year was to run a 5k this summer and I don't know if that's happening.

I just don't have the motivation right now or any day, how do I change this? Any advice at all is appreciated. I just need something to get my *kitten* moving.

You don't have to exercise to lose weight, but if you decide to - you just have to commit to it. Make it just another part of your day, like wiping after you pee. It's not an option, it's an automatic.

You should also find something you enjoy doing (for me, it's Latin dancing, Jazz and running).

chellycakes

Fake it til ya make it! Tell yourself you love working out and soon you will! Also start with a leisurely walk,
Even 10 minutes is better than nothing! than do walk/jog, build yourself up in baby steps! (:

IcanIwill1

Find something you love doing and it will never feel like a chore.
I love walking outdoors, so I walk to and from work. I live in England so that's pretty easy to do.
I take another walk after dinner voila I walk 10miles a day.
I hope you find your groove, exercise is such a nice thing...not just for weight loss only

Annesoucy1957

I love dancing so for me I choose classes pr videos that are related to dancing, baladi, soca, zumba, etc. If you enjoy your exercises you are more likely to do ghem.

KingOfTheGeeks

I actually find exercise gives me the motivation to eat properly and as such it keeps me honest. Once i realized how long a bad day can cost me in the gym or on the treadmill, when i am considering making a bad choice, its usually enough to think about the consequences of exercise to work it off.

aylajane

One of the best pieces of advice I got - dont think of it as exercise... think of it as recess! Like when you were a kid and got to go out and play for 15 minutes at school. Find something FUN to you and do it. That could be playing ping pong (which can be a lot of exercise if you do it right ). The main thing is to get your body moving in any form you can, and if it is fun - it is not "exercise"!

ekat120

When I need an extra kick in the pants, I get myself something new for my workout. A new song or two for my mp3 player, a new workout shirt, etc. It makes me look forward to working out because I get to use the new thing.

strongestgirl10

My motivation is the opportunity to do new things: Try a bellydancing class, go geocaching or play soccer with some friends. You dont need to spend hours doing something you dread...like running on a treadmill. Pick something new and find what you enjoy. You will be more motivated to stick with it in the end

NinaSharp

I think the best motivation is when you do something you love. When I first started losing weight ti was running. I loved it and so losing weight was an added bonus. Now it's weight lifting. Now that I can see the results, it gets me in the gym every single time. I would say to take some time to find something you actually like doing, then it will become fun rather than, ugh, I HAVE to go exercise.

wonderwoman234

Honestly, what you eat is 80% of weight loss. Exercise is a nice bonus, but it's not essential.

I work out 5-6 days a week for 2 hours. I LOVE IT. That is why I do it. I love doing something for ME, that makes me feel great, strong, sexy, energized. It feels kind of crazy to spend 2 hours at the gym almost every day, but it's my guilty pleasure.