What do you do to help motivate you?

laurenw1992

I'm finding the eating part very simple, just the right ingredients and better portions.
What i struggle with is the motivation to get off my butt and do some exercise. I'm a carer so i'm on my feet all day... the last thing i want to do is go to the gym.

What does everyone find helps motivate them into exercising? I could really do with some advice!

I'm 5ft 8 and 75kg, i want to get down to about 67-68kg, I need some help!!!

asayer

I think for me it is just the thought of getting down to my goal and wanting to get there so badly! I also wanted to do a sky dive but was on the weight limit so want to get down so I can reward myself with one

Good luck on your journey and feel free to add me.

MissFuchsia

I find exercising in the morning helps. I usually set my alarm 1 hour early to get it over with. I really enjoyed exercise (especially strength training and yoga) but I'm always too tired after work. I always tell myself on days I don't want to do it that I'll never regret my workout but I will regret missing it

Add me if you want

LeonnieH

My exercise is usually in the form of walking my dog, it's difficult to ignore that cute little face asking for a walk. We love going for off-leash walks through a very large forest which is not far from home so I usually get in a good hour or more of medium paced walking. I think you need to find something that you enjoy doing, you're more likely to stick with what you enjoy and feel motivated to do it

elinakalna

Mayb funny, but sometimes my motivation is being stingy. I buy gym membership and then to make most of it I have to go as often as possible = more often I go, less it costs/per visit. So if membership is 60£ by going 20 days a month it costs me only 3£/visit.

Another thing I sued to do was to fit into the jacket I used to wear in highschool. It was hard work, but I did it once! Mayb I should dig it out again

mostaverage

I'm a carer too and understand that it's wearing and sometimes at the end of the day you are just done! I think the secret to exercise & keeping motivated is to start with an activity that you enjoy doing, for me it was cycling, I got back on my bike last summer and built up from 5 miles to 50, my weight started dropping off and it became a a reward rather than a chore. Since then I've taken up running, football & weight training. I feel better & more energised after a workout than before and get grumpy and sluggish if I dont do something every day.
So start with something that you enjoy doing, start small and build up, no need to jump straight into a marathon you'll only sicken yourself. See what small things you can change in your day to day that increases your activity - taking the stairs rather than a lift or escalator, walking to the shop rather than taking a car/bus, walking to get a coffee at lunchtime and taking the long way back (weather permitting) - all small changes that will boost your burn.
Once you get started it gets easier to keep going and to do more.

Good luck !

natpalit

I think the stingy thing helps me as well. It doesn't just have to be gym membership. For example, if you buy a new pair of running shoes, sign up to a 5k at the same time, and the running shoes then become for that purpose. Having a specific date makes you more focussed to achieve the goal by then.

Also realising that denying yourself particular foods and losing weight will help you to: run further/cycle up steeper hills/swim faster, as you will be lighter!

Getting into a routine makes it so much easier, force yourself to exercise at a particular time of day for a few weeks, and then after that it will become like any other part of your day. I even look forward to the gym at the end of my work day now.

Make plans to exercise with a friend/loved one. I used to go to the gym with my best friend. Having her call me up and nag and say, so when are we going to the gym today, meant it was a lot more difficult to wiggle out of it. I also partake in things like bouldering/badminton/swimming with friends, it can make it more enjoyable, and sometimes you might even feel competitive, and so push yourself harder.

I sometimes play my bf at badminton, he always wins. But that just motivates me to try harder, so one day I will win, and he will be like what happened?!

briznik

I agree with the setting a goal thing. Enter a race, then you've got something you HAVE to train for.

For me it was a swim - 1500m in 30mins, it's getting close and I don't think I'll crack the time, but having the goal to aim for has really helped my general fitness training!

shelleycolton

Ive joined a team challenge its certainly helping me to get off my *kitten* and do some exercise don't want to let a team member down.

Ejwelton

I tell myself that I'll go to they gym and just do 20 minutes. The if ive had enough ill come home.
I don't think I've ever stopped! Once I get there and get into it I usually do an hour.

I've just read a book called "run fat ***** run" - its a light hearted look at running and had me laughing out loud. She talks about having an inner critical voice that you can use to motivate yourself.

Vailara

I wear a pedometer and try to be a bit more active - the usual things such as walking instead of driving, when I can. I'm doing strength training at the gym and I find that it motivates me to have a clear programme and be able to see progress. I take a notebook with me and record everything, so I know if I'm getting better. I feel much more inspired to go than when I just "went to the gym" and didn't feel I was getting any fitter.

I get SO bored on exercise bikes and treadmills, so I try to to sometimes get out for a brisk walk or a cycle ride instead.

Songtothesiren

Did you ever find anything that motivated you?

For me the answer came when I found an exercise that just grabbed my attention and made me want to commit 100%. After that everything else on the motivation front was easy and other exercises just followed naturally.

For me it was Pole Dancing !

Mavis

BettyBlueEyes

I'm a carer too and understand that it's wearing and sometimes at the end of the day you are just done! I think the secret to exercise & keeping motivated is to start with an activity that you enjoy doing, for me it was cycling, I got back on my bike last summer and built up from 5 miles to 50, my weight started dropping off and it became a a reward rather than a chore. Since then I've taken up running, football & weight training. I feel better & more energised after a workout than before and get grumpy and sluggish if I dont do something every day.
So start with something that you enjoy doing, start small and build up, no need to jump straight into a marathon you'll only sicken yourself. See what small things you can change in your day to day that increases your activity - taking the stairs rather than a lift or escalator, walking to the shop rather than taking a car/bus, walking to get a coffee at lunchtime and taking the long way back (weather permitting) - all small changes that will boost your burn.
Once you get started it gets easier to keep going and to do more.

Good luck !

This has to be the best suggestion - it's what I do too. I jumped into a half marathon having never run before. I did it, but ruined my knee in the process and now can't run at all. I walk as much as possible, play tennis with a friend (we have free coundil owned tennis courts nearby) and do strength training by doing the 30 day shred every day (more or less) - getting it out of the way in the morning is the best bet! Anything you can find that you enjoy is great. Classes are good, especially if you go with someone else as it'll motivate you to go rather than skip it. Good luck!

racemary

I agree with most of the other posters. It's easier if you like what you're doing. The great thing is, once you've got started, it's actually fun. I enjoy cycling and swimming and I don't like the gym. So I cycle everywhere and go swimming when I get a chance. Committing to classes helped me to get off the couch as well I signed up for yoga, spinning, zumba ... I tried loads of things to find something I liked and the fact that I had to pay upfront made me go.
Plus, there is this photo I took of myself in a bikini ... I keep it on my phone as a reminder of what I don't want to look like
Now I have so much more energy and can't imagine not exercising.

pikselinka

Best motivators for me are:
- Weight-in in the morning
- Naked stare in the huge mirror
- Going out shopping

furby1

Firstly it was buying a 2nd hand exercise bike which my sister said I would never use!....to me thats a red rag to a bull....BUT most days it is still so difficult, so I'm writing a blog about my virtual cycle tour of the UK.....for every hour I cycle i log 10 miles and then every 100 miles (10 cycle hours) I look on a map and work out where I have travelled to, and blog about the various interesting places I have "virtually" visited !!...yes I know that an actual bike would be better, but i am disabled and can only manage 15 min a time on the bike.

Secondly I joined a challenge on here which involved exercise hours. As I didn't want to let down my 5 team mates, I have probably exercised more over the last 2-3 weeks than in the 5-6 weeks prior.

The more personal a motivation, the better likely hood you are of actually sticking to it.

laurenw1992

I'm finding things a lot easier now i've started seeing some weight loss! I've been doing C25K and i'm really enjoying it! When i get to week 4 i think i'm going to sign up to a 5k race as extra motivation! Thanks guys!

GuruOnAMountain

I'm a carer, too, Lauren......I'm also doing a PhD full time and teaching at Uni, too, so life can be mental and I agree with what other people say about finding something you love.

Also, before I went back to do my PhD, I was working full time as a carer......I used a few strategies to keep me working:
1. I walked to work. It was about a 3 and a half mile walk so took me an hour but I did that and walked home too most days, unless it was pouring etc. which meant I always got some exercise in.
2. I went to the gym straight after work whenever possible. I knew that sitting down on the couch would stop me from ever moving again!
3. I don't know if you're in community care or home care or what...I worked in community care and most of the time our shifts were simply assigned but if we ever got the option, I'd tend to pick something active eg. going a walk with a client. I was lucky that one of the clients I worked a lot with was full of beans and loved stuff such as swimming and going to the gym and used to like me to join in with her at both....so that was even extra exercise.

PurpleCoyote

I've tried lots of things and I find being stingy with having a membership helps. setting goals in the future, for me that's a 5K run and the Great North Swim next year (I've just started learning to swim in May) and generally being accountable to yourself.
Try different sports! I spent a lot of time Lindy Hopping up until last summer, which was hilariously good fun and I got to meet people too. And Ceilidh dancing is a great way to stay fit if you have a group in your area.
If you haven't got much time just put small changes in, take a walk and use a pedometer or put one of the walking apps on your phone, and make yourself small rewards for doing this. I tend to offer myself new music for my phone that I can run to or some jewellery or perfume for when I've done well, so when i graduate again from the Couch to 5K I'm going to get myself the new Kenzo perfume
Feel free to add me if you want more motivating as I'm (apparently) annoyingly cheerful!

opuntia

I also am on my feet all day, working with disabled children, so quite a physically demanding job. How I motivate myself is to make going to the gym something that just sort of naturally happens as part of my routine - I joined a gym that is on my way home from work, just where I get off the bus, before I get onto the next bus. And the gym has a sauna and steam room, which I find really relaxing - so I tell myself that even if I don't work out, I'll go into the sauna and steam room, as a nice relaxing thing to do after a hard day at work. But generally I find myself going into the gym first, even if just for a short workout. I'm also motivated by the fact that there are scales in the gym, and I like to weigh myself.

Another thing I do is walk to work sometimes, rather than take the bus, as a way to save money, and also to keep fit. Even though I'm on my feet all day at work, walking to work is a different sort of exercise and I'm generally feeling really refreshed and energised when I get to work.