Motivation PLEASE!

tracypk

Okay this is getting very old in my brain. Every night I tell myself "tomorrow is going to be a better day." I plan how I'm going to get better at working exercise into my busy schedule...yada yada. It never goes the way I plan. I know if I fit it in I will have more energy, but I seem to be talking myself out of it more and more. I had such a great schedule, but over the holidays it faded away. Now I deserve to get back to that. Does anyone have any good tricks to motivate myself? I know ultimately it's up to me, but there's got to be something to get me over this slump. Many thanks to your advice.

Swissmiss

Get a calendar and write down all that you want to do in a day. Be specific. Read over it. Seeing it in print may encourage you to do it. This of it as a very important meeting that you can't miss.

tracypk

Thank you i will do that and see what happens. If anyone else has ideas I would love to hear them.

kelseyhere

Try getting your workouts in earlier in the day at first. i did the same thing, stayed on track all through the holidays then at the end of January I hit a wall and got lazy. Getting back into it was even harder, and when I left my workouts for the end of the day, inevitably something would come up and I wouldn't make it to the gym. I made it a goal to workout before work or at lunch for a week, and that was enough of a jump start to get my body craving the exercise again.

You may also try consider attending a new fitness class, or trying a different routine. Sometimes we burn out because we're bored, doing something new could help combat that.

Another thing to try is find a friend or co-worker who is trying to get in shape, and commit to meeting each other at the gym, or the track or wherever you prefer to workout at least twice a week. If you have to meet someone, you are much less likely to flake.

salgalruns

I do a 30-minute DVD in the morning before I get ready for work. Jillian always says, "It's 30 minutes. You can do anything for 30 minutes" and she's right. Seriously, it's 3 snoozes? I can generally talk myself into that. I find that if I get in my morning, I am also motivated throughout the day to be more active.

I'm also a bit neurotic, so also fit in an evening workout as well, but my kids are out of the house now, so it's easier for me. I love to go running with an audiobook, so it's my downtime. I also have a gym membership and often stop on the way home (that way I ensure I won't give up before going). I even pack my bag the night before and it stays in my car - no excuses.

The friend thing helped me to start, but ultimately, it was me. I still get together with my friends on the weekends for a workout, but needed the daily workout to really make a difference. I work out now 6 days/week. Day 7 is a planning day - both food, shopping, prep, and exercise plan for the week (it only takes about 30 minutes to plan at most now).

PeachyPlum

Get up earlier and do your workout before you start your day. I know this sounds impossible - trust me, I am NOT a morning person. I have to leave for work by 7:00 and would frequently be two hours late for work (they would totally fire me except I frequently end up working fifteen hour days for no OT, so they can't say a whole lot).
I started forcing myself to get up at 5:00 every morning and either running or doing 30 day shred. I literally set four different alarms to make sure I actually woke up. It's amazing how easy it actually is, and how much free time I've found. Provided I get moving quickly, I still have an hour to straighten up the house, play with the dog, watch the news, or whatever before I have to leave for work.

Give that a try for a week. Seriously, if I can do it (and like it), so can you!

blgerig

I used to HATE working out in the morning, and it took a few weeks to get used to, but now I get up 3 or 4 mornings a week at 5 a.m. to workout. I have so much more energy on days I do that! For me if I don't workout either first thing in the morning or the second I get off work then it just doesn't happen. When I first started working out I would meet a friend or my sister 2 or 3 nights a week to run or walk. Having that person counting on you to show up did wonders for me! Good luck!

epcooper

On top of working out in the morning, I also log all the food I plan to eat and the exercise I plan to do in the morning. If you have a plan laid out, it's much easier to stick to it, especially if you see how the plan will affect your goal. Of course, most days I end up changing my log a couple of times, but I never feel good about removing a workout. It's always easier for me to get off my butt and just do the workout than it is to take it off my log and see that doing so keeps me from reaching my goal for the day.

kelseyhere

I had to read a book recently for work that you might also find helpful. It's called "The Oz Principle" by Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman. It's a motivation book about holding yourself accountable. It's primarily focused on business, but I actually found it way more helpful for my personal life, especially when it comes to working out. It you're short on time, just read part 2- it has all the best info.