When Do You Workout? Do you fight with yourself to get off y

RachelsReboot

When do you work out? Do you fight with yourself to get off your butt? HOW do you get yourself out there when you are not feeling it? What goes on in your mind to motivate you? What do you say to yourself and how do you decide when?

Anyone else go through this struggle on getting out there? Did it go away for you? You never encountered this? How and when do you get up and off your butt? What motivates you?

I work out all day long. I am trying to get in 2 hours a day starting with 30 minutes first thing in the morning. 1 hour in the afternoon and 30 minutes in the early evening.

When I am not feeling it I remind myself that it will only take a week of not feeling it to begin unraveling all the hard work I have been putting in.

I tell myself that there is someone out there who wishes they had my mobility and would give anything to have lost enough weight to be ABLE to exercise like I can at this point and that there are a lot of people watching everything I do and I can motivate them with my success, the three most important people are my kids.

When I think about eating something I shouldn't I think about what I am going to have to do to work it off. If I get depressed I get on the elliptical because I can't cry and do that at the same time unless I am crying because I am doing HIIT on it LOL.

It's all about how bad you want it. My whole thing is no more excuses, I am sick and damn tired of excuses including my own.

nnylee

Usually work out in the evening. But since I'm on Spring Break, I've been working out in the early afternoon and evening. Trying to motivate myself to get that second workout in right this moment....funny that this thread should show up.

Stompp

I would love to do it in the mornings... but honestly afternoons just end up working out for everyone.

Also, when I worked out in the mornings, personally, I would justify "extra" calories during the day "because I worked out this morning". Afternoons mean that every day ends up being similar calorie wise and I can count the exercise as bonus burned calories instead.

Mornings would be ideal, but they don't work for everyone all the time... Do whatever gets your butt moving!

PinkiePie07

Some days are hard for me. Today was one of those days actually, but I work through it. I want to see results and I want to lose my weight so badly that I won't let myself skip a day. I know that if I make excuses for myself, then I'll start excusing everything and I'll fall off the wagon and probably won't get back on. On the days that it's exceptionally hard for me, I work through it in baby steps. I don't want to do it, but I make myself by breaking it all down into small tasks. I'll say to myself "Get off the couch" and then I move to, "go put your exercise get up on". When that's done I say "now fill your bottle with water", then it's "get on the bike" and finally "Now start peddling". It's so much easier to handle if you break it up in pieces rather than think of the whole picture. Then when it's all said and done I feel so much better that I didn't let myself stop me. That right there, the sense of accomplishment, is probably my biggest motivator. Feeling better physically and sleeping better at night are just perks.

Jeaninedj

As long as you do it, it doesn't matter what time. At least that's how I look at it. My motivation is knowing how much better i'll feel. I've started just to make it part of my work day. You do all of the work you need to, right? Think of exercise as an extension of the workday...a chance to volunteer to help yourself .I'm an intern though, and not paid either way but that's how I see it. I also do it in the afternoon. My kryptonite is sitting on the couch...I wont want to get back up! So I just walk in, change, and go. I find it works.

Helloitsdan

I love working out!
I work out 3 times a week and lift heavy things.
Easy as pie!

mwyatt005

For myself it's whenever it fits into the current schedule. Good thing about morning workouts are they are able to help get you moving or "wake you up" but it should be something moderate imo, not something full blown like circuits or crossfit but more of slow to mid pace run just to get your day started. I find for myself motivation comes and goes in spurts, a lot of the times it completely dependent on how the day went you just need to accept that some days you will be the god/goddess of the treadmill or iron and set new records and others you just get by. Embrace the suck and don't go in thinking this will suck or omg i don't want to do this, that will only subtract from any motivation you already have. I find for me anyway if i think on it i find excuses where as if i just man up go through the paces by the end of a warm up I have my game face on...but like I said some days you just put in the time 20-60 mins of slugging through is still better then flipping channels. Good tunes, a workout buddy, or even a memory of struggles I had in the past that I never want to repeat can motivate me and get me going. Wish you the best of luck

DopeItUp

I go immediately after work. There's a gym at my work so it makes it easy. Change from work clothes, work out, drive home and eat dinner that my wife has made

calgarychick2012

ok not a morning person but into a routine in am 30 to 45 minutes pay off and what i tell myself is i am totaaly awake ake energized i will continue to burn calories for a few hours into my day
that being said i just broke my ankle so things suck right now

DietPep1978

I'm having a stare down with my elliptical right now. Ugh.. I might as well get off my *kitten*...

This made me chuckle...I hope you won that staring contest!

Awesomeaussie

Really like the 30 sec idea. Good mind trick. I might try it, as I am struggling to do any exercise of late. Thankfully some weight has come off to keep me motivated by calorie counting with this website, but when it comes to exercise, just can't find any motivation.

sammys1girly

My best time to work out is around 10 am. I have trouble getting up and moving too early and by afternoon don't always have the energy I had earlier in the day.

akiramezu

I love pain.

Tflick1

I like working out in the evenings better because it helps me sleep. I also walk on my lunch hour when I don't have errands to run.

mcdonl

My best time to work out is around 10 am. I have trouble getting up and moving too early and by afternoon don't always have the energy I had earlier in the day.

I wish I had your job!!

I used to do the morning thing, but I hate mornings. I have to get up at 5:00 just to get to work on time so working out was a nightmare.

Now, my wife and I come home from work... cook and feed the kids then we work out before we eat. We get the benefit of being flexible in time, having warmer bodies and the ability to get a good pre-workout protien snack in. And, I am not convinced but there seems to be some real benefits to eating after working out.

katem78

i cannot imagine myself working out in the morning! i don't think my body will ever obey to my orders of working out!

so i work out every afternoon, around the same time, 7pm. i get everything organized at home (kitchen, living room etc) so when i am done with working out i will have only shower and rest hour!

if i'm not in the mood to get on that treadmill, i push myself a little to do so even for less time that i would normally . only half hour makes me feel better .

dobarber

To quote a well known fitness trainers book, "I hate working out but it makes me feel so much better afterward." I completely understand what you're going through. I have a hard time getting my butt to the treadmill to walk most days and it's only a short walk downstairs in my basement. I just finally tell myself; "go get it over with then you can go on with whatever you want to do." It's gotten to a point where if I don't work out then I won't sleep very well or I'll be mad at myself for not doing it so I make sure I work out. Oh by the way the quote was from Jillian Michaels.

DietPep1978

Thanks so much for the replies. Great tips and strategies. People motivate me!!! Hearing and seeing what you do and what works for you, it really does help.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm just going to get off my butt and get to my workout no matter what time it is! I think even 10 minutes would help me feel more productive than sitting on the couch or computer wishing I was. Someone mentioned being able bodied should be good reason and this is true. This struck me. I have the ability, I do have time, I have the resources (gym membership, workout videos, space) and I should just get to it! There may be a time in my life where I won't have these.

There were so many others too that I know I will use. There are times when one step at a time will work for me, get up, put your clothes on, etc.

Thanks again...hearing these really REALLY helps!

veggievixen79

No, because I found something I love to do and look forward to daily.

Try, perhaps, something nonstandard that still is exercise.

This!! When my "workout" is going to the gym, I can't get motivated at all. But recently I started doing hot ashtanga/vinyasa yoga 3 times a week and I LOVE it so I never have any problems getting motivated to go.

McKristy

I workout in the evening, right after work and love it then. I thought I should workout in the mornings, but it was too hard and when I did, I didn't give any effort into it. In the evenings I'm enjoying my workouts, able to give 100% and it's best for me.

mixedfeelings

I'm off work at the moment. My aim is to workout first thing, this never happens. It's usually 1-2 hours after I get up which can be anywhere between 9:30 - 11. I usually try and fit in some breakfast and then a break before working out, then I try and fit in some lunch afterwards. It seems to be the only thing I do in the day at the moment!

Altruista75

I have to do it first thing in the morning (4:00 am) otherwise I the day just gets in my way and I find it hard to do it at night! I love that its out of the way and it really makes my day go better! It took awhile to get used to but now its 2nd nature to just get up!

meglynne1987

I do the same. The morning would be ideal for me but i just can't get up! If this happens i work out on lunch, since i can't do it at night. Although i feel awesome if i can get up and do it in the morning, the whole day seems better.

MelissaL582

Well, I'm up at 730AM with my first grader. Once he's on the bus and I've had my coffee, I'll workout. I find it best for me to get the workout done in the morning- it gives me the energy I need for the rest of the day. I know if I wait later in the day to do it, I won't have the energy or make an excuse not to do it. What motivates me? Seeing my old photos and reminding myself of where I don't want to be again in life. My children need a healthy mom to chase after them and a role model when it comes to eating. I don't want them to remember a mom who sat down all the time stuffing her face with junk food. I don't want them to be embarrassed of their mom.. like how my husband was of his mom.

violetness

I fight with myself every day, too. I hit the snooze, repeatedly. I moan and groan in my mind, and then I just tell myself just try 5 minutes, and then by the time the 5 minutes is up I am usually ready to complete the rest of the workout. And then, its over with!

bjshields

I find it MUCH more difficult to work out alone than with a friend. I work out at home or go biking. I have an amazing biking buddy/mentor who is hilarious and helpful and has been very good to me, so I look forward to that. I also am a big believer in training outside as much as possible and switching things up. Mornings tend to work better for me, BUT I find that if I'm flexible in my mind about when I'm going to work out but NOT flexible that I am GOING to work out, it gets done sometime during the day. I don't give myself the option of bagging it. That helps.

katara74

I work out in the mornings during the week as soon as I get up. I know that by the time I pick up my son, homework and dinner, I will be too exhausted to work out. I have more free time on the weekends, so I'll work out at any given time.

SwannySez

I have a grind of a daily commute: an hour and forty-five minutes each way. Owing to the vagaries of train schedules and such, I leave the house at 6:15 AM and gt home at 6:50 PM. When I get home I have about 10 minutes to eat before a very demanding three and a half year-old's patience with my not playing with her wears too thin. Then it's an hour of play and reading books and dancing and hide and seek and making meals for various stuffed animals. She toddles off to bed at 8:00 PM and I have 90 minutes of me time before I hit the sack.

I usually manage to get in a set of calisthenics and stretch which is about 20-25 minutes. I don't like to do cardio at night because it keeps me up.

So the alarm goes off at 4:20 AM every morning. Sometimes I drag myself up and actually do a set of calisthenics and then hit the treadmill for a 15 minute walk and a 20 minute jog. Other times I hit snooze. If I hit snooze I make sure I walk during the day, either at lunch (3 miles) or an after work walk to the train station (4 miles). I also try to get three sets of calisthenics in during the day in my office.

Maybe it'll get easier for me eventually and maybe I'll come to love running and look forward to getting up and doing it, but I'm not holding my breath. Sometimes I use "if I get up and do cardio now, I won't have to do it during the day and finish work or ride home soaked with sweat" but as sleep is a strong opponent, that doesn't always work. I seem to be getting a little better about it as I start to see and feel progress, the "I'd be a fool to slack off now given how far I have come."

It's hard.

AliceKlaar

I'm convinced there are two types of people when it comes to exercise - those who love it and those who loathe it. I fall into the latter camp; always have, always will. I set myself a target of 5 minutes a day (sit-ups, leg lifts, push-ups, squats etc) and don't stress about when I do it - if I don't get up in time in the mornings (which is pretty usual - I am so not a morning person!) there's no excuse not to find 5 minutes somewhere in the day or evening and if I do get up in time to exercise in the morning there's an outside chance I might squeeze in another session or two somewhere along the way. I find this is less daunting than the 30 minutes, 3 times a week us exercisephobes tend to set as a target. I loathe every single repetition but I seem to have developed a coping mechanism whereby I can maintain a rep-count whilst my mind drifts onto other things, which is handy ) I also do yoga but I see that as a spiritual rather than an exercise practice. Regular, bite-sized chunks are definitely the way to go for me - and I know that afterwards I do feel energised and I am more toned. I know it's good for me - but I'm never going to be in love with it!

ava33

I do a mix of evening and morning workouts - would never get out of bed if I didn't do classes at my gym though; you have to book them in advance and there is a limited amount of spaces, so I know if I don't show up someone who might have wanted to go would have lost out. Makes me feel guilty and so I always go :-)
I think having some external factor helps - maybe you could find someone to work out with? Then you know you'd let them down if you don't show up.
I'm sure there's a whole bunch of theories about when it is best to exercise but surely whenever is better than never!