May I ask how you guys do it?

ShannaHeidelberg

I can't seem to make myself work out before or after work so I started walking fast during my breaks around my parking lot at work. I may only do 5 or 6 minutes at a time but I try to do it 5 or 6 times a day. My coworkers have been very supportive so when they go smoke, I walk! Every little bit helps!

lmarshel

See my profile quote: "I've worked too hard to go back to fat!" :bigsmile:

HubbyForAsh

For me it is a combination of positive and negative reinforcement:

Positive
- I like how I look in the mirror
- I like how I feel
- I like that my cholesterol and blood numbers are perfect
- I truly love preparing and eating healthy, wholesome foods
- I like increasing my strength and fitness which allows me to do almost any activity I am interested in trying
- I like getting smiles from random women

Negative (in that these are sort of negative reinforcements)
- I hated how I looked and felt when I was 37 pounds heavier
- I hated the digestion problems and frequent bathroom trips when I was eating badly
- I hated being shamed and lectured by my doctor about my cholesterol and weight
- I hated how I looked in my clothes
- I like making the people around me who want to see me fail eat their hearts out because I am committed and refuse to fail
- I like making guys I went to high school with feel like they are fat loads now - because they are
- I like making old girl friends take a second look at their fat lazy husbands as I wish them well

Dude, I'm going to post this everywhere that I look all day long. Hit the nail on the head!

TeaBea

Nike's ad agency nailed it: Just do it.

I tell myself that sitting on my *kitten* will keep me the way I am (was), but getting off it will change things up. I tell myself I don't have to do much, but I have to do SOMETHING. I do this every day. EVERY day. Some days I work crazy hard, some days I just go for a stroll. But whatever I do, it's not just *kitten*-sitting, which doesn't do anyone any favors.

Maybe a better slogan would be: Just do SOMETHING! :happy:

^This! Once you start doing SOMETHING everyday .... it becomes a routine. Working out will become "normal"

I use exercise DVDs - started with Netflix rentals .... a new video every week. Your local library will have some as well. Keep trying "something" everyday. You will eventually find things you enjoy doing.

Log your exercise where you can see it - place a sticker (or just mark a star) on a calendar. This will keep you honest.

Impy84

catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. or sit down and see gut.
either works wonders for getting up off the couch

jaj68

for me the best way was to set a designated time. Mind you some days life happens and my exercise time comes and goes without me exercising. At 3 pm. there is a tv show I like to watch on a cable channel. So...if I want to watch it, I am on my exercise bike for the hour it is on. :bigsmile:
Also....always hearing the dr. say for anything I go to see her for...."if you would lose weight, then......" Right now I am sitting here with a wrapped swollen throbbing ankle and a very sore knee. Both causes are arthritis. The pain reminds me if I lose weight, it won't bother me as much.:noway:

grecogab90

I got tired of looking in the mirror and being unhappy, and I was the one that made it that way. As far as exercising, I started with a friend a couple nights a week. Then I just started a routine of going four nights a week and now it's just a habitual.

Hmrjmr1

How do you guys get motivated? How do you guys get yourself to exercise everyday?

Ilook in the mirror and ask myself if what I see is good enough?\

I also remind my self that You are where you are because you put yourself there! somedays it makes me smile others it makes me work harder.

ctooch99

For me it is a combination of positive and negative reinforcement:

Positive
- I like how I look in the mirror
- I like how I feel
- I like that my cholesterol and blood numbers are perfect
- I truly love preparing and eating healthy, wholesome foods
- I like increasing my strength and fitness which allows me to do almost any activity I am interested in trying
- I like getting smiles from random women

Negative (in that these are sort of negative reinforcements)
- I hated how I looked and felt when I was 37 pounds heavier
- I hated the digestion problems and frequent bathroom trips when I was eating badly
- I hated being shamed and lectured by my doctor about my cholesterol and weight
- I hated how I looked in my clothes
- I like making the people around me who want to see me fail eat their hearts out because I am committed and refuse to fail
- I like making guys I went to high school with feel like they are fat loads now - because they are
- I like making old girl friends take a second look at their fat lazy husbands as I wish them well

Dude, I'm going to post this everywhere that I look all day long. Hit the nail on the head!

Glad I could help - not really proud of the negative reasons listed, but it is just honestly how I feel now days... very surprising to me how many people around me would rather see me fail or try to derail my fitness than see me be happy now...

verptwerp

I love my little gym ..... the price is right, the equipment up-to-date, the staff is friendly, as are the members, and lots of classes (Pilates, Zumba, yoga) to choose from ...... I have fun there :happy:

Find something that you LOVE to do !

Rayzback

I've noticed that I started to really like the satisfaction I get once I've finishd my cardio exercise. That's enough to get me passed the motivational hump just before I start. Not sure if it's routine or actually kind of addicting. I also just recently started working in strength training... and I really like the tightness feel I get from that.

kacarter1017

I set long term goals- like a 5K, then a 10K, then a 1/2 marathon. That gives me long term focus. For the day to day (and this is much harder), I have friends I exercise with frequently and that accountability piece is very helpful. Other times, I just have to pull out the Nike ad and..."Just Do It." I have had to tell myself that I only have to walk/run/elliptical/whatever for 10 minutes. I seem to feel like I can do that. Once I get started, I go longer- usually because I would feel stupid logging 10 minutes of exercise.

Eventually, you don't feel good without exercise, but there will still be days where you feel really whiny about having to do it.

CarleyLovesPets

I always have this convo in my head.

Carley... You should go to the gym.
I know... I'm just lazy.
Well stop being lazy and hour isnt going to kill you.
Ugh... I know I should I just don't want too...
...
FINE I'LL GO STOP JUDGING ME.

DangerJim71

Most days I can just do it. You get up and you know doing the exercise will make you better, stronger, faster.

The days that I don't feel like it or want to find and excuse like it is too rainy for a run, or too cold for a bike ride I just watch one of several videos that make me say to myself "quit your whining you jackwagon and do it because you can"

Today was one of those days so i watched this and then jog/walked 5 miles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax4VIVs-qsE&feature=related

I like this one when I don't think I am reaching my goals fast enough and I need to pick myself up and keep trying:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLdi0hMkinM

I mean really, despite years of abusing it, my body is pretty much whole. What the hell kind of excuse do I have to not work hard.

MyOwnSunshine

For me, it's not necessarily about motivation, but more about discipline.

I treat working out the same way that I treat going to work. I don't wake up every morning and think, "Gee, I can't wait to go to work!" but I get up and get ready and go anyway. I know that I need to go to work and do a good job so I can get a paycheck and live the lifestyle that it affords me. Some people choose not to go to work every day, and they live a far different lifestyle than I do.

Now, I've learned to treat the gym the same way. I don't "want" to work out every single day. I can usually think of other things that might be more pleasant. I go anyway. I don't treat it as an option. I know that I need to workout on a regular basis in order to look and feel the way I do now. In the past, I've chosen not to go to the gym on a regular basis, and I didn't like how it felt to weigh 282 pounds. I would rather go to the gym regularly and watch what I eat and weigh 170 pounds.

I really did used to think that all the people at the gym were there because they loved it and had fun. I thought that there was something wrong with me because I didn't love it and have fun. Now, I realize that all the fit, healthy people at the gym aren't necessarily there because it's fun -- they're there to maintain and increase their health and fitness.

Now, I will say that I like working out a lot more than I used to. I try to do different things and have lots of options for my workouts, so if I don't feel like doing one thing, I can just do another that day. I have home workout options and gym workout options, so there's never an excuse to not workout. I will also say that I like having a pre-set routine when I go to the gym. I'm doing New Rules of Lifting for Women, and it is very motivating to go to the gym and have specific exercises with a specific purpose. I don't feel so aimless and am less apt to skip out early. I also love seeing the progress I've made with this program.

In the end, it really does come down to that old Nike commercial: "Just do it." :-)

Larisonlj

How do you guys get motivated? How do you guys get yourself to exercise everyday?

I'm the kind of person who if I've made a commitment/promise to myself I would be more disappointed in myself for not getting up to workout than for the extra hour of sleep I would get. Gets me up working out every time. There are days that my body tells me I need the rest more, and instead of half-assing a workout and possibly hurting myself I take the break but make sure I walk more that day. Do something enough times it becomes habit and I miss when I don't workout.

ShannonMpls

I don't think about it. I just do it. Not doing it simply isn't an option. I make it part of my day and get my *kitten* to the gym even if it's the last place I want to go. Ask my friends here: I can count the workdays where I haven't exercised over the past 15 months on one hand. If I'm not on vacation, injured, or seriously ill, I go. Done.

blondie0942

1. I don't give myself the option NOT to do it

2. I work out HARD for 20 mins at a time. It's a lot less daunting when it's for a short period of time!

sharkfrenzy

I always have this convo in my head.

Carley... You should go to the gym.
I know... I'm just lazy.
Well stop being lazy and hour isnt going to kill you.
Ugh... I know I should I just don't want too...
...
FINE I'LL GO STOP JUDGING ME.

haha im glad im not the only one!

JosieRawr

I always have this convo in my head.

Carley... You should go to the gym.
I know... I'm just lazy.
Well stop being lazy and hour isnt going to kill you.
Ugh... I know I should I just don't want too...
...
FINE I'LL GO STOP JUDGING ME.

I totally do this! Lmfao