Why won't I exercise?

deltakern

I've been counting calories, lowering carbs, and boosting protein intake for 3 months. I've lost 19 lbs. I am being monitored by a physician. I am supposed to be exercising but I have NO MOTIVATION to do it. When I get home from work all I want to do is eat my 400 calorie dinner and veg. I even have resistance tubes and a kettle bell which I basically could use in front of the TV. Last winter I worked out or treadmilled almost everyday for two months and I felt great! I know what it can do for me, the weight would come off even faster....I just can't seem to get back on the exercise train. Anyone have any earth shattering suggestions for me? Now, with the weather getting colder and drearier (winter's coming), my interest in exercise has waned even further. Thanks peeps!

sho3girl

Try doing it early in the morning (get it over and done with) maybe?

Congrats on the 19lbs loss already

MikkLuhnRozzWhuh

So here's the thing, doll.
.
There is not really.....an easy way....to just start exercising again. I'm not being mean and I'm not being....well, mean. This is not to be taken in a negative way at all.
.
The reason people say losing weight is hard is because it is. Whenever I want to exercise, I have to just take one step at a time towards exercising. Whether it be getting in a sitting position from my laying down. Standing up and moving around after having been sitting for a while.....getting off of facebook and whatever.....you have to learn to take that first step.....
.
It's not something that just magically comes when you get the perfect advice, it's just something that you will yourself to do.....it's tough, but if I can, I'd love to add you and see how I can help you out.
.
I'm sorry this came out really harsh. it's not meant that way. It's just....weight loss is hard...and there's never really going to be a day where somebody comes out with the breakthru advice about how to easily will yourself to exercise..... We just have to take encouragement and try to think into it more than we want to.
.
When you want to go for a walk on the treadmill....try to just...hang around where the treadmill is. Get up from your sitting position and just....walk to the laundry room and do some laundry if that's where your treadmill is (that's where mine is)....wherever you treadmill is, try to find something to do that's near it....and think while you do that thing...(hey, I need to exercise...hey, I need to exercise)....I don't know. I should try it too because I go through the struggle of motivation to walk on the treadmill too....
.
How about this? We should challenge each other to pick 3 days of the week to walk on the treadmill.... Maybe?
.
I am here to encourage...I don't strike anyone down and I definitely don't kick people when they're down. I simply try to offer that hand that could just be the saving hand that lifts others up from their fallen position. Yano? Wow, I could have worded that better. Okay. Here goes.
.
"I simply try my best to be that hand stretched out to lift people from their fallen position..." - Grr, maybe there isn't a good way to say that?
.
Add me if you wish.

Graceious1

Maybe reassess your goals. I find that when I do that it motivates me. Only you can find your motivation though. All the best.

TavistockToad

as nike say, just do it!!!

stop thinking of all the reasons why you cant, and go work out!

BernadetteChurch

I'd also recommend trying it exercise early in the morning. It really sets you up for the day and gives you great energy. Plus, once you're in the habit it just becomes part of your daily routine and you don't even think about it. Best of all, when the evening comes and you can't be bothered, it doesn't matter because it's already been done.

Zomoniac

You need to want it more.

WANT IT. BECAUSE IT'S AWESOME. DO IT.

mrtoaster

I hate the thought of exercising some days too.

If I feel like that, I make a deal with myself, go to the gym for 20 minutes if I still hate it I can go home. Over the course of going to the gym 4-5 times a week over the past 3 months, I have gone home early exactly once. In most cases its not the exercise that is a problem, its just the motivation to starting.

bunsen_honeydew

Sticker chart? (Seriously)

If it was good enough for Seinfeld: http://www.writersstore.com/dont-break-the-chain-jerry-seinfeld/

BelindaDuvessa

I hit the same slump last year, after having my daughter. I just, couldn't do it. I had no motivation to exercise at all. My eating was ok, but not great. About the time I decided to try and work out again, I found out I was pregnant. So here I am....7 months pregnant, wanting to work out, and can't go and do what I want in that regard. That's why I'm here and actively logging, so maybe I can get that motivation to stick with me when I have this one.

I've seen it suggested elsewhere, especially with Winter coming on, to make sure you're taking a Vitamin D supplement. You might try it and see if it helps. I know I feel better during the Winter when I get just 30 minutes of sunlight. Maybe that will help give you the boost of energy to help motivate you. It's a thought.

lambertj

What I do is change my clothes at work at the end of the day, I never go home until my workout is done. They say getting into your workout clothes is the hardest part and they are so right. Even if I am walking near my home, I change at work, park at home and never ever go inside. Commit to 21 days of exercise, even if it's only 20 minutes of walking per day - after 21 days it should be a habit. It is hard to get started but once you do you won't regret it.

dillydally123

hi there, sorry you're having a tough time with this. I don't think i have anything life changing to say that you don't already know! I was the very same up till a couple of weeks ago the only thing for it is to do it. and once you've done it once you'll get that "jeez why wasn't i doing it the whole time" feeling. maybe you're not eating enough? and that's why you've no motivation - becuase you simply don't have the spare energy to work out? you can do it, why don't you try something really short. like walk away from home for three minutes then turn round and go back? best of luck

YaGigi

I just hate gym, hate exercising, hate diet, hate healthy food.
If it was up to me, I'd spend all day eating chocolate and drinking wine.
Also I would love never work, having lots of money, traveling and shopping all the time
But you gotta do what you gotta do...

Going back to gym after a long break is like going back to work after long vacation. You are kind of scared, hate waking up early and spending all day away from home. But then it's become a habit again and you start enjoying it, especially when meet your goals and reach success with your projects.

Just go back to gym. And next day go again, even if you hate it. And the day after that go to gym again even if you have excuses not to go. And again, and again. And weeks later you'll start enjoying it again.

Moosycakes

Maybe you could find some sort of exercise that you actually enjoy! There's nothing wrong with just getting up and having a dance, or going for a nice walk with a friend... they all burn calories and increase your health!

You could get a friend or family member to excersize with you! Go for a jog or walk together, go for a swim!

If you're really finding it hard to motivate yourself, consider going to a group exersize class. You'll be motivated to go each time, because you want to see the people, and everything is more fun in groups

sarafil

You are going to have to force yourself. Try going in the morning, that always works better for me. Enlist the help of a friend/relative to call you on the phone repeatedly until you get out of bed. Try to find a work out buddy, someone that will be waiting for you at the gym, etc, so you feel a sense of obligation. Try a form of exercise you have never done before.

conniehv40

It never seemed a good idea to me, but it works-I've tried it!!!

You have to plan to meet a friend.... I signed up for classes taught by my friend. If I didn't show, I knew she would be in her basement wondering where I was!

Walking, I email a few friends and ask when/where they can meet...

That would be a good place to start!

ines25

Congrats on ur 19lb I would urge u to start walking 30min 3 times a week before ur weight Plato just try and later on pick up from there good luck

seabee78

We all have things we don't like but we know we have to do them. Like work. I'm pretty sure nobody here WANTS to go to work but we do it not because we love the job, but because we want the paycheck.

Try small steps building up to more. Maybe start with a goal to exercise for 20 minutes three times a week. Gradually increase the workout time to 40 mins, an hour.

Ge0rgiana

You don't like what you're trying to do. Find exercise you like.

dmjak

I'd rather jab my eye out with something dull than exercise, so I feel ya. I think for me, the thing is getting unstructured exercise. Getting exercise while accomplishing something, like when I go to the store, I park way out in BFE and walk at a swift pace. Take my dog for a walk, and keep that at a swift pace. Work out in the yard pulling weeds. Play a game of catch with the neighbor kid (or your own if you have them).

But walking on a treadmill? Hell no. I get on there, and immediately I'm looking at my watch, "are we there yet?". Riding a recumbent bike while reading a book. Look at the time, "are we there yet?" every 2 minutes. And I have both of those pieces of equipment in my house, used as a coat rack or magazine holder. For me, exercise cannot be structured and boring. I have to get my exercise while doing something else, either productive or fun. That's just the way it is for me. Maybe give that a try. Doesn't matter if you can measure it or track it, as long as you're getting the exercise.

harvo

Honestly, you just have to make yourself do it. It takes 90 days to create a habit and 3 to break it. Maybe put the TV remote on the treadmill when you go to bed at night.

ChristineS_51

Find something you like to do. Exercise doesn't have to involve gyms and so on - just walk more often, walk up stairs if you ever see some, do jumping jacks now and then, march on the spot, dance when you hear something on the radio, start walking around and around your house / backyard (that's how I started); do press-ups against the wall whilst you wait for the kettle to boil, even just "nearly" sitting down and standing up, sitting down but not quite so you don't actually sit, then stand up again - move those legs, the thighs are your biggest muscle. Look on you tube for some free exercise videos, play on the Wii if you have one.

Like everyone says, when you want to do it, you will.

This might help, it's Aussie, but the ideas are good http://www.findthirty.tas.gov.au/finding_thirty/getting_started

HeidibooJB

Unless it's enjoyable, it's hard to stick to it. Have you considered trying a Zumba class?? If you like to dance, it's an amazing option. It's a real calorie burner (dependant on what you put into it). I started Zumba 6 years ago, after I had back surgery, and it's the one type of exercise that has kept me hooked. I started Zumba that October, and since then have lost 40lbs. I became an instructor this year, I love it so much, and I teach 5+ classes a week. Everyone uses the same lines, "I'm uncoordinated", or "I can't dance". It, like everything else comes with time and practice. Give it at least 3 tries; if you still aren't hooked, then you've lost nothing (except maybe a pound or two). You can find an instructor near you at Zumba.com Best of luck!

TheViperMan

How about this for a suggestion - quit making senseless posts on the internet looking for guidance and go DO what you want to do.

I'm sorry if this sounds mean (actually I'm really not) but come on... "Hey how do I go do something that I know how to do but don't want to do?" Do you need motivation to eat? Do you need people to tell you to use the restroom? No? Then why do you need US to tell YOU to go exercise?

Weight loss is hard - if it weren't hard, there wouldn't be an obesity epidemic in this country. It's good advice to make friends and have people encourage you. But you're sitting in front of a computer screen asking strangers to tell you to do something that you could just go get up and do.

Go exercise. Or don't. Either way it doesn't matter to me - seeing my beer gut every morning is my motivation.

JMSKCW

When I get into an exercise rut, I print out a calendar for the month and write in the days when I am going to exercise. I then put it on the fridge and highlight the days the I actually managed to exercise. If I didn't exercise, I write the reason (tired, sick, lazy, etc.)

Another thing that has helped me is training for a race. There are many programs out there that tell you how to train for a 5k, 10k, half marathon, etc. If you have a goal in mind, it may help you to regain your motivation.

Lastly, I agree with the other posters re: a workout buddy. Even if it is someone you meet once a week to go for a walk, it will keep you accountable (I know that even when I don't feel like going to meet someone, I don't want to be the one to suggest we skip our workout for that day!)

The good thing is that you know that you need some motivation which means your likely to get out of your rut soon. Try some different things and find what works for you. Good luck!

ItsMe_Fe

Good advice. It is hard work. Just take it one day at a time. I have to talk myself into exercising and it's well worth it once I'm done.

watcheronthewall

Sticker chart? (Seriously)

If it was good enough for Seinfeld: http://www.writersstore.com/dont-break-the-chain-jerry-seinfeld/

I have a sticker chart for my weightloss lol

lwoodroff

motivation is a fantasy. all there is is determination. forget waiting until you 'feel' like exercising, set a plan and stick to it 'it's Monday at 6pm therefore I'm xxx' - I never feel like exercising but I never regret it afterwards. Also, you get to eat more, and the endorphin rush and sense of smugness becomes something to look forward to

try it and see!

Goal_Line

Two suggestions:

1) Figure out some kind of reward fro working out to reinforce that behavior.

2) Just do it. Habits are built over time with discipline. Work out everyday, eventually it will become a habit, but that takes longer than 2 months.

Remember exercise in the magic pill to not only loose weight but to keep it off, without it the odds of rebound are muh higher.

louise294

I've started the couch to 10k which is extremely motivational, as I want to get better at running, rather than just to log x amount of exercise or x amount of calories. I can now run for 2 mins at a time instead of 30 seconds at a time, and next week I will master 3 minutes at a time. Find a plan that motivates you to fulfil the course, with outcomes that are achievable and measurable.

Find something that you want, whether its to run for a certain time or distance, or to gain muscle on a particular area, or walk to a particular point on the street. Maybe to take the stairs x amount of times per day instead of using the lift. you could get a pedometer and try the beat your previous days number..??

dorothytd

Lots of good ideas here! The notion of doing it first thing in the day is such a good one. Nothing interferes and then you are DONE. If you have to do it later, use your 400 calorie dinner and veg as your REWARD. No sitting until exercise is done. You WILL get your groove back. The hardest part really is getting started.

Good luck!