My gym buddies suck! [rant]

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A good friend of mine, my roommate, and I decided for various reasons we want to get into shape - I think I'm the only one taking this seriously though.

My roommate is being a complete flake - he has not once gone to the gym with me and I ask him about 4 times a week. He agreed last night to go this morning, but he's is dead asleep still. I did manage to get him to go swimming with me yesterday though, but I think his motivation was to get a tan.

My other friend lives about a mile from me. We are both similar starting weight, same general level of fitness and when she does go she is pretty good motivation for me to do what I'm supposed to. We had agreed to go 5-6 times a week. She has cancelled 4 times this week, 3 times last week and so on. She always has reasons like sore hips, nausea, shark-week, whatever. I understand not wanting to do things when you feel crappy, but that's exactly when you should do them! I feel like the only valid excuses are fluids projecting out of your body, broken bones or genuine crisis.

On the bright side, my friends inconsistency has helped my resolve. I am forced to go by myself and be my own motivation. I even find that I push myself a little harder when they are not around as an extra F--- Y-- to get results faster than they are.

What motivates you when the people in your life let you down?
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Replies

  • mummyzena
    mummyzena Posts: 259 Member
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    My other half is my gym buddy and he's been twice in the past 2 months... My motivation, getting more done when he's not there because i'm not on his time limit/having to leave because of his boredom.xx
  • lambchristie
    lambchristie Posts: 552 Member
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    I feel your pain. When others let me down I turn to the only One who hasn't and that is my Heavenly Father. Maybe not what you wanted to hear...yet in reality people always are letting others down. Depend on you and you only to get up and get moving. Make friends at your gym and become gym buddies with them. You may find yourself in the position of encouraging your roommate and other friend to keep moving onward in this journey. Stay focused on you and your goals and you will be successful.
  • Shan790
    Shan790 Posts: 280 Member
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    my gym buddy is like that too. Cancels all the time for stuff like house cleaning, too tired, busy running errands etc... Love that she then turns around and complains to me that I am looking so much better and losing weight and showing muscle and she isnt changing :)

    When she does go I Always start before her and stay later, she does maybe 10-15 on machines with weights set as low as they can go. My hubby motivates me a ton even though he doesn't go with me :)
  • Uselessly_Irrelevant
    Uselessly_Irrelevant Posts: 58 Member
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    Love that she then turns around and complains to me that I am looking so much better and losing weight and showing muscle and she isn't changing :)

    I wonder is she even realizes the reason? I know my friend thinks she is working out all the time (sure, by comparison to doing nothing ever it 2 or 3 days a week is a huge increase) and I'm making more progress (according to her) because I used to be in shape and I have good genes or something.

    Do you ever say anything, or do you just smirk inside? :)
  • Shan790
    Shan790 Posts: 280 Member
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    Love that she then turns around and complains to me that I am looking so much better and losing weight and showing muscle and she isn't changing :)

    I wonder is she even realizes the reason? I know my friend thinks she is working out all the time (sure, by comparison to doing nothing ever it 2 or 3 days a week is a huge increase) and I'm making more progress (according to her) because I used to be in shape and I have good genes or something.

    Do you ever say anything, or do you just smirk inside? :)

    smirk outside and flex LOL then complain my pants are about to fall down!
  • jljshoe1979
    jljshoe1979 Posts: 325 Member
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    I feel your pain. When others let me down I turn to the only One who hasn't and that is my Heavenly Father. Maybe not what you wanted to hear...yet in reality people always are letting others down. Depend on you and you only to get up and get moving. Make friends at your gym and become gym buddies with them. You may find yourself in the position of encouraging your roommate and other friend to keep moving onward in this journey. Stay focused on you and your goals and you will be successful.

    I like this comment^^^. People will let you down in every area, including exercise...

    I can't afford a trainer, but sometimes when I'm on the a workout machine, and I know in my head that I'm not giving 100% I close my eyes for just a second and imagine having someone like Chris Powell (or Bob or Jillian or Dolvett from the Biggest Loser) telling me to push myself or go harder just for a minute or two...for some reason the imagined trainer helps me push through.
  • Uselessly_Irrelevant
    Uselessly_Irrelevant Posts: 58 Member
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    I close my eyes for just a second and imagine having someone like Chris Powell (or Bob or Jillian or Dolvett from the Biggest Loser) telling me to push myself or go harder just for a minute or two...for some reason the imagined trainer helps me push through.

    I never thought to do this, I like this idea :) I feel like the last 5 minutes of anything kill me; maybe I'll adopt your imagined trainer :D
  • _DaniD_
    _DaniD_ Posts: 2,186 Member
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    Agreed. I am also so much better than all of my RL friends because I workout and they don't.
  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
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    I get motivated by all the hot chicks I am going to bang...
  • Mainebikerchick
    Mainebikerchick Posts: 1,573 Member
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    Agreed. I am also so much better than all of my RL friends because I workout and they don't.

    Me too! I have like 2 friends in RL who work out....makes me wish all my awesome peeps on my FL here lived closer so we could rip some $H!T up!!
  • Capt_Inzane
    Capt_Inzane Posts: 733 Member
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    ^^ I lol'd @ banging hot chicks

    Without going too deep into my past

    I'm recently divorced so some of my motivation is finding a young lady that I can roll around in the sheets with. I've never been attracted to larger women (nothing wrong with them just never been attracted to one) so in order for me to get the type of girl I'm physically attracted to I kinda need to be in better shape myself. Plus typically people who take care of themselves seem to have a better outlook on life (my opinion).

    I also had to take care of someone for some time after my father passed away and during that time that person dragged me down so low in life it was hard to wake up in the morning (...ehh enough of that). My point is though don't let others drag you down, you need to understand what you're doing and more importantly why. As long as you keep that in your head you'll push harder at the gym and put down those sweets/etc.

    If you ever need extra motivation from a net ninja zombie fat killer ....add me.
    I'm not giving up on myself and if I have to drag others with me..well let's go!
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
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    I stopped depending on people to train with a long time ago. Finding good gym partners is almost as hard as the dedication needed for goals. I do it, for the most part, on my own now. I am fortunate enough though, to find a group of guys who train strongman once a week. These guys will not let me sit back. They keep pushing me. These groups are hard to find.
  • Buff2022
    Buff2022 Posts: 373 Member
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    I don't have any work out buddies. Although I have offered to bring a co-workers wife when she wants to go. She says she wants to lose weight and blah blah blah. But she has not taken me up on it at all.

    My gym time is MY TIME. I am me..not anyone's mother, gf, friend, co-worker, daugher..you get the idea. I put on my headphones and go to it.

    When I am dying...I find a song that really pushes me. For example: Bruno Mars Beautiful girls makes me keep going. Because I start to think of those 2 little "bleeps" who think they are the ****. And I say well you don't have **** on me.

    The last season of Biggest Loser was really a motivator for me. I loved Dani from jump. I remember Jillian saying to her..you can do anything for 1 min. That keeps me going too.

    Sometimes I just pray. Lord give me the strength to get through this. I repeat over and over and over.

    I have learned and learned quick..that the ones I would expect to be my cheerleaders have been my biggest let downs. But I am now down 25 pounds and I plan to keep going.
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
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    Motivation comes from within. You either want it or you dont
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
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    If you are looking to others for your motivation, it's going to be a long road.
    First thing don't talk bs behind your friends back....you're actually no better than they are, become a better person.
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
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    One thing to be careful with when starting out and using a partner - the thought that if they don't go, then I don't have to go. It is an easy way out. Easiest way for me, just stop thinking about it.
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
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    And this is why I don't try to work out with my outside-the-gym friends. One day it's, "hey, let's take a day off" and then two weeks later I'm waking up in a pile of cupcake wrappers and wiping the frosting off my lips in a sugar-induced haze. Besides, my friends who do work out pretty much fall into two categories - the ones who like doing things I don't (running, bleck) or the ones who live an hour or more away from me.

    But you can meet people at the gym. It's cool. It took me six months of seing the same woman working out at the same time as me every day before I finally realized she's my across-the-street-neighbor. Now we are up to a head-bob and occasional "hey", which counts as some serious social interaction in my book.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    The only "gym buddy" who never lets me down is my iPod (unless I forget to charge her for too long). I did make friends at the gym with some people who are there consistently, but its never a good idea to rely on someone who isn't already consistent when it comes to working out.

    Congrats to you for using their slacking as your own motivation.. They'll be wishing they went when you start looking great :flowerforyou:
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
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    I don't rely on people in my life to motivate me. I do that myself. I work out alone that way the only person I can get mad at is me, there is no one to blame but me ever.

    I suggest finding the motivation in yourself and just do it.
  • qbrvp
    qbrvp Posts: 7 Member
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    Story of my life.That's why I don't go looking for any. I invite people that may struggle with weight loss but bets believe I learned my lesson on gym buddies. They can make you fall off your schedule and they're determination may wear off while you are fired up. Some buddies don't take it as serious as they should. It's a commitment.