Exercise ALONE and on a BUDGET :-/

mom2enlp

I know how hard it is to stay motivated when you're doing it alone, but don't be discouraged! One of the best arm exercises I've found is one that a friend gave me. He's a trainer, and he knows it's difficult for me to do traditional pushups because I have arthritis. This one actually helps all over if you do it correctly. Stand an arms' length from the wall and face it. Put your palms flat against the wall in front of you, and makes sure your hands are level with your shoulders. Step back a bit so that your body is slightly slanted toward the wall. Tuck your rear end in, rise onto your toes, and hold your tummy in. Then, slowly lower your nose toward the wall as far as you can go in a modified "push up." Make sure to maintain control going in and out.

I didn't think these would work, but my arms burned afterward! I'm up to three sets of 15 reps, and I'm seeing a difference in my upper arms.

And if you want some help with motivation, I'm glad to send you an encouraging message when you need me to! You can do this! And you are COMPLETELY worth the effort! Always remember that if nothing else. :happy:

photo_kyla

I love my gym, but I was living in a different city with no gym access for about 6 months. I would walk at every opportunity. Walk to the grocery store, walk to work, walk to activities. It takes time but you'll burn a lot of calories.

The other thing I'm seeing is that there are a lot of other people in the same boat as you. You have some equipment and routines for exercising at home. Why not get together and start a challenge/support group? Check in with each other and keep each other accountable. It's easier sometimes to go ahead and do your workouts than have to admit to everyone that you were too lazy to get off the couch

Ginger1384

I have the gazelle and usually exercise alone. I have some shows on DVD so I put one of them in. Daria is a personal favorite.

GameOn2011

Im also working out at home by myself. You seem to have all the tools you need to succeed, just not the motivation to actually get up and use them! I was the same way!! Getting started on a workout routine is the hardest part. What I did was make a 12 week chart of exercises to do. Everyday that I did an exercise I marked in on the chart.
Start off small. Maybe your first weeks goal should be to do the elliptical for 10 minutes every Mon, Wed, Fri and bands on Tues & Thurs. Get what I mean? Youll begin to get in the habit of working out in no time! When I started, I was only able to do the elliptical for 15 minutes. Now I can go 50 minutes without stopping.
Hope this helps!!!

That is exactly what I do~! I have a 12 week chart that I follow and I MAKE myself get out of bed to do it before work. And boy, I really begin to appreciate those rest days.

Maybe sign up for a 5k walk/run. Having a goal is definitely motivation! Good Luck!

Yocum1219

I started with once a week. Then after a bit, 2ce a week. I started getting more energy & feeling so good that the results were addictive. I still slack off now & again, but I'm still a long way from my final goal! Feel free to add me, or find our challenge group, currently 200+ Frying the Fat (part 2). Even when we get below 200, we stay on & support those who still need it, like me! )

krepl

I work out at home alone too and it took me a while to get into the routine and figure out a way that works for me. Firstly ,don't be too hard on yourself! I started off doing just 10 minutes - something is better than nothing - then gradually bumped it up to 15, then 20, and now I do 35 minutes pretty regularly, plus a bunch of sit-ups and stuff afterwards. But I don't beat myself up if I skip a day, or if I do a shorter workout - it's punishment enough that I have to eat less that day!

One tip I got from someone is: even if you don't feel like working out, at least just put on your workout clothes. Nine times out of 10, people will end up working out since they've already gone to the trouble of getting changed. (This has worked for me.)

Some other tips:
- figure out what helps you feel like the time passes more quickly. For me, sometimes it's TV, but most times it's iPod. I find my motivation crashes during commercials and boring parts of shows, but with the iPod I just have to get through 6-8 songs and I'm done.
- I cover up the display on the elliptical. It usually feels much easier to get through the workout if I'm not constantly tracking every second that has passed and seeing the difficulty levels increase. Or maybe you'll find it motivates you to watch your progress on the screen. Just try to notice what makes your motivation go up or down while you're working out or getting ready to work out, so you can develop a routine that works for you.

Good luck! You can do it!!

rrsuthy

Sometimes I have to tell myself , "I never finish a workout and say "darn, I wish I hadn't worked out". That motivates me to at least do something and then once I start I keep going. i've had days where I could barely do 20 minutes, but I do it and then the next day is better.

LilRedRooster

I work out alone and at home, as well. Most of my cardio I get from running, and the strength and resistance or cross-training, I get from P90X, doing the lower/upper body workouts, and the plyometrics and yoga. I've found it's a good balance for me, because I can adjust it day to day based on how I'm feeling, and I don't need anything more than bands and a pair of running shoes for any given day.

I started out by pulling up an Excel worksheet, and creating a schedule, week-by-week, of my running and workouts, for specific times. I found that if I put down the times and workouts, I couldn't justify not using the time, since I set it aside specifically for working out. Some days, if the baby was in a bad mood or whatever, I would have to skip some, but for the most part, the schedule worked great in the beginning, and now I don't feel like I need it. I can go for runs or work out without scheduling it, because it's habit again.

Good luck! Coming on here regularly is great motivation alone, so that's a great start!

LilRedRooster

Being a fellow mom....I stole this from a friend.. I love running because I leave the kids at home and run far far away to clear my mind... Once my mind is clear I realize how much I love them so I turn around and run back home...:) I'm sure there are days you can relate...:)

Totally true! You never realize how much you want to get back until you leave for a while. Running away for an hour or so helps so much.

changeisgood55

I exercise alone at home all the time. But when I'm on the elliptical or treadmill, I watch a movie. Before I know it an hour has passed and I didn't even realize it because I was into watching the movie. It just helps me pass the time and not feel so on my own. Just an idea for you.

megan4487

I do exercise with my family sometimes, but I tell you what, I love to put my ipod in and just go, it gives you a little bit of me time, and time to just let everything go. My suggestion would be get some music that really pumps you up and just go to town, then log it in on the website, it is encouraging to see all the calories you burned. And the comments from the amazing people on here cherring you on it awesome!!!! Just remember...you can do it

marquesajen

We're poor as beans! My husband and I exercise together, but often we work when the other is off, so I exercise alone much of the time.

Can you skype with someone while exercising? I will usually watch TV shows on Netflix streaming while working out.

Pebble321

Here's two things that work for me
- I get all my workout clothes ready the night before, even socks and undies. As soon as I get out of bed in the morning I put them on. Then I'm ready to exercise - no excuses!
- I listen to audio books on my iPhone, so I don't get bored when I'm running or walking.

You have all the gear you need, plan out a schedule for the week and just do it!
Why not post your schedule on here and check in every day so you are accountable for doing it?

ndlakebum

I struggle with motivation as well and heard this interesting tip from someone. If your not feeling motivated at the moment, give the exercise at least 5 minutes. If after 5 minutes, you're still not feeling up to it...stop. But more than likely after 5 minutes, you'll be on a roll and feeling great about getting out and doing it and able to put in the full time! It's helped me.

ardeornellis

Ok, sorry I keep posting over and over.... I am passionate about this subject..:) It isn't about a feeling or being motivated either... It's about making a decision to eat healthy and work out... Once that decision is made you don't have to decide if you are motivated or feel like working out. My baby woke up 3 times night before last... when the alarm went off I didn't "feel" like running....not one little bit.. But....it was already decided that it was my run day.. I live in Texas so if I didn't run at 6:30a then it would get way hot...So I drug out of bed and ran..Not because I was motivated and not because I felt like it... Was it hard...YES... But I had already made the decision.. I had a period of time when I stopped exercising and gained a little of the weight I lost back, and couldn't get motivated to get back on track.... I was watching Extreme Home Makeover, Weight Loss Edition, and the man who lost weight said that people will not reach their weight loss goals until they get to the end of their excuses.... Well, I had a list of excuses, some really good excuses.... I sat on the couch and cried that night because I wanted to hang on to my reasons why it was ok not to continue taking care of my body... So....that night I decided....No more excuses and I have logged food and stuck to my decided exercise regimen..... I don't say that to be ugly in ANY way.. It really helped me ALOT so I thought I would pass it along... You CAN do this and I personally will be cheering you on all the way... So....Decide on your exercise regimen and do it... It won't matter ifyou are motivated or not, because the decision has been made...

Slimithy

I know the feeling. At the beggining of my journey I had some very good coworkers who would push me to work out even on days I was making excuses. Accountability is very important. You may try to find someone on MFP who can workout at the same time you do. Chat about what exercises you are going to do and then do them seperately but at the same time and then log what you did on the messae board.

Another idea is to look for local jogging/running groups in your area; there's always one out there or you can start your own. I've also met 2-3 other guys while jogging the local middle school track in the mornings lately. I don't know any of there names, we just exchange a nod of the head, but knowing they will be there makes me want to be there so they don't think I've slacked off...