HELP! Need motivation to go to the gym after work

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lvrn09
lvrn09 Posts: 13
in Fitness and Exercise
Well I just started a "normal" job working 9-5ish hours (as opposed to 3- 12 hour shifts which left a lot of days open to work out).
After work I am so tired and hungry that all I want to do is eat dinner and bum around on the couch. What will motivate me or perk me up to get to the gym!!!??? I'm doing fine on eating right for the most part (just started really watching my calories) but I am slacking on the exercise.

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  • HLRoberts1987
    HLRoberts1987 Posts: 139 Member
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    Well, make sure you are eating a snack at least like an hour or so before you are supposed to go to the gym. That will help with not being SO hungry while working out. And think about your goals. What do you REALLY want out of all of this...The only way you are going to get there is to eat right and go to the gym. It is a lifestyle change. Its not supposed to be easy. You CAN do this! Just give yourself a little push and make yourself find the routine that works best for you and stick with it...It will become a habit :o) Best of luck to you and remember YOU CAN DO THIS!!! :o)
  • clahut
    clahut Posts: 211 Member
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    I find that I have to go straight from work. Going home first isn't an option because then there is no way I'd go back out!

    That plus the fact that if I exercise, I can eat more! :smile:
  • shreddingit
    shreddingit Posts: 1,133 Member
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    just do it! think about how great you will look coming out of that gym....:wink:
  • Mollydolly10
    Mollydolly10 Posts: 431 Member
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    I change right into my gym clothes when I get home! that way I'll be like "well, I'm already dressed, let's just go for a little while" :)
  • julwills
    julwills Posts: 286 Member
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    I used to have the same issue but you just have to make yourself go! If you don't have to work until 9 is a morning work-out a possibility? I know I work at 8 and I'm SO not a morning person so it definitely doesn't work out for me but what I do is pack my gym bag the night before and bring it with me. Then I have no excuse not to go on my way home from work! I also am getting used to it and I'm in a habit of going now. It's MUCH more difficult to go home then leave and go to the gym then it is to go straight there from work (at least it is for me!). it's gotten much easier as time goes on and now I feel weird if I don't go to the gym after work!!

    I also always have a snack at work around 3:30 or 4 that has a lot of protein so I don't feel hungry the whole time I'm there. Hope this helps!
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
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    I consider the gym an extension to my work day - I too work 9-5..so I take my gym clothes to work and go directly from work. I have a snack in the late afternoon - banana, fiber one bar, etc - then head right to the gym. I find if I go home first...I do not want to leave the house again...lol

    I used to dread the gym, but I have now become a gym rat :)...if I do not go I feel guilty!!.....Remeber it takes 21 days to form or break a habit :)
  • 311Phil
    311Phil Posts: 397
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    Go before work! That way its out of the way!! Gives you a TON more energy though the day as well!
  • weightloss12345678
    weightloss12345678 Posts: 377 Member
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    the best thing to do is just drive there without thinking bout it.......next thing you know you will be already in the parking lot
  • brendajs
    brendajs Posts: 110 Member
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    Great question--and very helpful hints!! I'm in the same boat---lacking that motivation!!!!

    Thanks, everyone!!
  • houlee
    houlee Posts: 60
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    If your gym has lockers that you can use and doesn't have a problem with break-ins, you can always stop by there on the way to work and lock your home keys and your gym clothes in a locker. That way you *have* to stop by the gym after work in order to go home. And once you are actually inside the gym, it's a bit easier to get yourself onto a machine and work out. Sometimes I would just put my home key in a locker in the morning and change into my gym clothes before I left my office. Then I would feel silly walking into a gym just to retrieve a key when I'm all dressed to work out.
  • Becky011
    Becky011 Posts: 384
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    Hey there!

    I have a problem with this too (or i did i should say :) I found that having a snack, like a piece of fruit, at around 4, makes it so i'm not starving at 5 when i leave work. then when i get home I change right away to workout. Like some others have said, I make it like an extension of my work day or better yet for me it is my "unwind time" from the day. I love the feeling afterwards, and I shower and get on with making dinner and relaxing the rest of the night. Focus on the great afterworkout feeling and how wonderful it will be to reach your goals! You can do it :))

    p.s. it also helps me to see how all my buddies are consistently working out on here, so a good network of MFP friends really helps. Feel free to add :) I have a great little bunch of friends that really keep me motivated!!

    Good luck!
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
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    I feel ya.............I HAVE to workout in the AM early or I just don;t want to go!!!! Just kick yourself i n the butt and after a while it will become habit.
  • chuisle
    chuisle Posts: 1,052 Member
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    Just get into the habit! After a month of going 5 times a week I just automatically plan on it and (some days more than others!) enjoy it. Get over the hump of the first week or so and you'll be golden.
  • Floricienta
    Floricienta Posts: 209
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    I find that I have to go straight from work. Going home first isn't an option because then there is no way I'd go back out!

    That plus the fact that if I exercise, I can eat more! :smile:

    Same here, pack your clothes in the morning and bring a couple of snacks. I sometimes get there and I feel terribly tired but once I start with my workout routine it goes away. You will see it's worth it, and also, I find it that I can have a delicious filling dinner afterwards because I have more cals left :drinker:
  • Vanishing_Gordies
    Vanishing_Gordies Posts: 174
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    I'm up at 5 and work till 4pm. I have two little ones and it is VERY difficult to manage all that (plus 4 dogs) and still find time for yourself to workout. The gym I go to has a daycare, and I absolutely hate taking my little guys out of one daycare into another. I tell myself it is only an hour. One hour. It sucked in the beginning, but you have to make the change. I go twice during the work week...from 5 - 6pm. If I can't make it to the gym, I make sure I do something at work. Tricep dips, wall push ups, walk around the block a few times. Hell - park in the very back of the parking lot and do a power walk to the building! I also use Time Warner Cable's Exercise On Demand. They have everything from 2 minute workouts to 45 minutes...anything your heart desires. In the end, YOU have to be your motivation. Everyone's motivation is different. I'll reward myself with a massage or mani/pedi after so much time sticking to my plan.
  • tabathamaree
    tabathamaree Posts: 14
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    Everyone's tricks are aesome ideas and pretty much exactly what I do as well! I've found that if I go straight from work it is way easier and once you get used to going you do start feeling guilty if you don't go. Another thing I've done is found a couple gym buddies and we make set plans to meet after work on certain days that way you feel more obligated to go. Good luck on your journey and remember..mind over matter!
  • lvrn09
    lvrn09 Posts: 13
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    I take the train to work! I hate driving in the city so I don't bother. I said 9-5ish because It's 8 hour days. I generally leave my house at 7 and get to work by 8 so a morning workout is out of the question. I hate lugging a lot of stuff with me to work also and my apartment is on the walk to the gym from the train home.
    Good point to change directly into my workout clothes and just go. I also really like going to the classes which are a bit later than right when I get home. I know I just need to get in the habit, but it's so hard!
    However I know the 25 pounds aren't going to just come off on their own and I'm ready for them to be GONE.
    Thanks for the motivation and helpful tips everyone

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