Is exercise this tough for anyone else?

kcmg0730

Hi,
Since joining MFP in Sept, my biggest NSV has been with the way I've been eating; though I've always been a pretty healthy eater, striving to eat clean when I can, my portion sizes were too big, and I had that tendency to binge if I wasn't 'on' a diet. Now, I'm really proud of tackling some compulsive eating behaviour. I rarely ever snack, and when I do, I can finally eat just ONE biscuit and be satisfied, which is a huge step in the right direction for me, and I feel like the way I eat now is a lifestyle change that feels realistic and healthy. So, most days, I'm reasonably on target with my calorie goal.

But I can't seem to find the motivation to exercise consistently. I seem to do it in bursts...where I can exercise really regularly for a few weeks, and then suddenly, I just stop, and let weeks go by before I start up again. Not exercising slows my weight loss tremendously, and even though in my head, I think this should be so easy: I'm eating less, so if I just got moving, the weight would fly off, it doesn't seem to be much of a motivator, and I can't figure out why!

My only real limiting factor is that I can't really join a gym; there isn't one close enough to us and they aren't very affordable. I have a gym quality treadmill at home and a bike (though I am struggling a bit with fear of riding where we live for some reason!), but seriously, I don't have that much of an excuse not to do it.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this, and how you tackled it...I've had this issue for years, and just can't figure out how to break through the laziness, which is what it boils down to!

kr3851

I'm struggling with the same thing... So I've realised that whenever I get the idea into my head that I should go for a walk, or a ride, or head into the gym for some weight training - I need to do it straight away. Luckily my gym is 24hrs so I literally CAN decide at 3 in the morning that I need to go weight train.

I think I'm going to go now actually....

chocolateandvodka

exercise doesn't have to be limited to a gym...

have you tried other means? walking? running? workout videos at home? etc?

dirtydirtydiana

I was like that a year ago. It was really difficult for me to get up and just work out. I've succeeded in making it part of my daily routine now, but I've had to build it up slowly. Start by doing exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes each for about 3 weeks, and then build it up every 3 weeks (at least that's worked for me). I now work out 6x a week for an hour each day. (It took me 3 months to get to this routine, and I've had to really discipline myself.)

Another thing that helped me is I keep a calendar posted up on my wall and I mark the days that I work out so I can see that I've accomplished something. You can also reward yourself at the end of each week once you've accomplished your short goals (but not with food!). I used to reward myself with a trip to the salon, or a new outfit, or even a new book.

You can do other activities, like walking for 30 minutes a day, or you can get workout videos online to use at home if you don't have access to a gym. Jillian Michaels workout videos are really awesome, and I started with those because they last about 30 minutes.

Good luck!! And great job on watching what you eat! That's what I have a problem with now. Working out is easy, but watching my diet isn't.

Starla_

I was such a lazy person and currently dont have the means to join a gym and am very limited by equipment I can use.

But I met this fantastic person who saw I wanted to change and got me started here and still helps me. He does up routines for me and I know if I dont do them im not only letting myself down but I'm letting him down as well and wasting his time and so it really helps give me the nudge I need to keep it up.

Having someone whose tracking my progress with me and getting as excited over me by changes is absolutely fantastic. Just makes me want to do more.

Having support and people who inspire and motivate you to do more is the best push you could ever need,