No motivation to exercise

clw_888

Hello! I am struggling with absolutely no motivation to exercise. I have the nutrition and calories part of my weight loss down with no problem but I just can't seem to get my butt off the couch to exercise. What motivates you to get active...especially on those days when it is the LAST thing you want to do?

edryer123

I have had the problem where I can't get out of bed in the morning. I keep it simple and just go for a walk. That is how I started and I have progressed to run/walking. I added some dvd workouts as I started to get more energy. I know it is still cold in a lot of places, but just bundle up. Also, don't think about it too much. just put your shoes on and go before you have too much time to think about it. If that doesn't help, keep your sneakers in your line of site to the tv. They'll taunt you to get up. Mine are doing that right now to me because I couldn't get out of bed. I took a nap yesterday and went to bed late.

Sarahr73

My motivation is my fiance. He thinks I am perfect the way I am but cheers me on to reach my goal. I actually had no energey yesterday to workout, it's my TOM and it always makes me extremely tired, but instead of quiting I remembered that my man suggested reduced fat cinnamon rolls at the grocery store because he wanted to get something that I could enjoy too. I couldn't forgo the exercise, I need to reach my goal so I have that awesome feeling when I walk down the aisle and know that he is proud of me.
Do you have anybody in your life that you could say you need to make proud? That might help you keep on trucking even on those low energy/motivation days.

PJilly

Hello! I am struggling with absolutely no motivation to exercise. I have the nutrition and calories part of my weight loss down with no problem but I just can't seem to get my butt off the couch to exercise. What motivates you to get active...especially on those days when it is the LAST thing you want to do?

I've had to change my way of thinking. I approach my exercise the same way I approach my chores. It's something I know needs to be done, so I commit to doing it, and then I do it. It's simple, but not necessarily easy. It's kind of the same as doing dishes. If I had to be motivated or wait until I felt like doing them, my kitchen would be a very scary place!

Toniteach

I could have written your post. If *I* can exercise, girl you can too! I keep it soooooo simple! I am ***committed*** to walking 5 days a week. Be it outdoors or on my treadmill. If I tried to do the Wii, or PBox, Shred, etc...I would just set myself up for failure. Just know yourself and YOU have to decide that you WANT and NEED this. It's gotta be all about you, which is so hard for so many of us. Good luck. I just know you can do it!

RunHardBeStrong

My motivation is knowing I will feel awesome after I workout vs. if I say *crew it and keep my happy *ss on the couch I will only feel guilty, miserable and beat myself up over it. It's a choice, choose what will make you feel better!!! Good luck!

scagneti

I wish I had an answer. I'm going through the same thing right now. I'm really satisfied with the way I look and I tell myself "would 10 lbs make me any happier?" and it really wouldn't. But I tell myself that if want to keep looking like this (and eating my regular treats), then exercise is the only way that's going to happen. So 5 days a week I work out in front of the tv and I walk to and from work whenever it's not snowing/raining. That's to avoid our terrible transit and to save $5 a day though, which I guess I could put towards something I want!

ladybox

Find a group of friends to work out with.

I have a treadmill at home collecting dust and workout DVD's on my shelf doing the same.

I had my son in December 2009 and he was a c-section so I had an even longer time to wait before I could get active again. One of the girls I work with started telling me stories about her zumba class that she was going to and invited me to try it with her. I liked the work out and how I felt after but I felt a little "white and uncoordinated" but I kept going back because I got to spend time out of the house with a friend and then met more friends through her.

I became friends with the zumba instructor and now my co-worker and our other friend attend his class 2 times a week when we can. I even attend his monday class by myself and that class is a our local gym and I found a flyer for a 4 week group personal training class that I signed up for because I have made friends with the girl who is the trainer.
I also play volleyball during the summer and through that have made friends with people who will call me to play pick up games once a week if it makes.

I HATE running so I will never ever get motivated to leave my house and run or run on the treadmill. I also live in Wisconsin and it gets too cold out for me to want to bundle up and walk.

What motivates me is having friends to work out with. I look forward to working out now, but it's not because I'm working out it's because I get to see my friends.

Good Luck!

Juniper3411

Right now I'm having a hard time exercising because of my 5 week olds crazy schedule. I really like working out with my husband but since the baby always wants to be held it isn't really happening becuase we tend to motivate each other...

I did go skating once last week but it seems like the time keeps getting away from me and I don't make it to the rink. I am thinking about ordering Zumba or Just dance for the wii and see if that is something that I can do with my 5 year old. Maybe she can motivate me!!

ejb245

I put on my workout clothes and lace up my shoes. It sounds kind of silly, but once I'm in the gear, I know its time to do something. Otherwise, I'll wander around the house looking for an excuse to NOT do something. That simple step gets me going even when I really don't want to. I run outside because I know that if I had to go somewhere to exercise, I wouldn't do it. I have years of paying for gyms that I never went to as proof of that one...

Nomomush

The little things really work for me to be motivated. Like my gym friends...I get to visit with them during the day and catch up.

Also, I have a bikini and a picture of my inspiration on my phone. When I am feeling unmotivated, I look at the pictures and remind myself of my goal.

But last but not least...I tell myself..."The more you do it, the better you feel. The better you feel, the more you do it...so just DO IT."

Good luck to you.

BeLightYear

I've had to change my way of thinking. I approach my exercise the same way I approach my chores. It's something I know needs to be done, so I commit to doing it, and then I do it. It's simple, but not necessarily easy. It's kind of the same as doing dishes. If I had to be motivated or wait until I felt like doing them, my kitchen would be a very scary place!

I'm with Jill, I do not give myself any other option. I wouldn't skip going to work or paying the bills, so I cannot skip working out either.

You CAN do it, just do it:flowerforyou:

bachooka

Right now I'm having a hard time exercising because of my 5 week olds crazy schedule. I really like working out with my husband but since the baby always wants to be held it isn't really happening becuase we tend to motivate each other...

I did go skating once last week but it seems like the time keeps getting away from me and I don't make it to the rink. I am thinking about ordering Zumba or Just dance for the wii and see if that is something that I can do with my 5 year old. Maybe she can motivate me!!

My four year old loves just dance. I tell her that she doesn't need a controller because we are a team. It's great to get the babes involved because it is setting them up for positive exercise views later in life!

Juniper3411

Bachooka - thanks! my 5 year old LOVES to dance, so I am fairly certain she will have a blast. She has got musical theater written all over her! She sings and dances and does gymnastics in the house all day long! I found it for a good price on amazon.com. Think I should just mosy on over there and order it right now!!

clw_888

QUOTE:
I've had to change my way of thinking. I approach my exercise the same way I approach my chores. It's something I know needs to be done, so I commit to doing it, and then I do it. It's simple, but not necessarily easy. It's kind of the same as doing dishes. If I had to be motivated or wait until I felt like doing them, my kitchen would be a very scary place!




Thanks everyone! I really like this idea of thinking of exercise as something I have to do! I am going to work on changing my way of thinking of exercise as an optional part of all of this because it is not. I will start to think of it as something that has to be done most every day of the week. I need to remember too that I can lose the weight with diet alone but I will never see the tone or muscle that I would like without exercise.

koosdel

My motivation is knowing I will feel awesome after I workout vs. if I say *crew it and keep my happy *ss on the couch I will only feel guilty, miserable and beat myself up over it. It's a choice, choose what will make you feel better!!! Good luck!

Me too.

sarahs440

one thing I do is enter all my calories for the day first thing in the morning. At least my breakfast, lunch and dinner. And when I see that I am almost out of calories, or out, I know I need to excercise so I can have peanut butter and celery at night, or once in a while my Jello temptaions. It helps a lot believe it or not! And 9 times out of 10, once I actually start the workout, I get into it pretty quickly, and am ALWAYS glad I did it!

Shua456

I think first you have to change your mindset. You are looking at exercise as something grueling and torturous that you *HAVE* to do. Get that kind of thinking out of your head and start thinking about things you like to do.

Start by going for walks and bike rides around your neighborhood. The most important thing is to do SOMETHING and if you enjoy it all the better because the most successful workout routines are the ones you enjoy.

After you've gotten in the habit of walking every day then you up it a little and work yourself into a full exercise routine. You have to build it in order for it to work.

Adopt a no excuses mindset. Every day at 5:15 when my alarm goes off the first thing my brain does is start making excuses of why I should just sleep a little longer. I literally have to say "no excuses!" and force myself out of bed. Once I'm up the struggle is over with.

Work out as early in the day as possible. It helps because #1 you've had a great workout and it makes you feel better and #2 you don't have to do it again until tomorrow! At work they have a motto "eat that frog". It's a silly and kinda gross analogy but it does work. If you HAD to eat a frog each day wouldn't it be better to get it over with as soon as possible - then everything you do after that has GOT to be better. We all face things we simply don't want to do but if we just decide to do it and get it over with then everything after that is better and you feel a strong sense of accomplishment.

Bottom line: it's a decision. Motivation or not you are making that decision every day - you are deciding to work out or not to work out but inactivity IS a decision.

PJilly

I think first you have to change your mindset. You are looking at exercise as something grueling and torturous that you *HAVE* to do. Get that kind of thinking out of your head and start thinking about things you like to do.

I hear what you're saying, and I agree to a certain extent. The more you like what you do, the more likely it is that you'll do it. But I also think it's the "doing" that matters, not whether you "feel" like doing, if that makes sense. Sometimes you just have to make the decision you're going to do what it takes to get the results you want. If you decide you don't want the results badly enough, you have to own that as well, and I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with that. You just have to be honest with yourself.

Sknutson5

Get a work out buddy. Then you have to workout otherwise you're letting them down too.