May I ask how you guys do it?

13

Replies

  • docdevore
    docdevore Posts: 39 Member
    As others have said, setting a goal and then making eating right and exercising a daily habit. The endorphin high is something to which I look forward every day. And the second glance from the opposite sex is kind of nice. Especially from my gorgeous wife.
  • awilcox1014
    awilcox1014 Posts: 8
    For me the decision was easy - I am not good at dieting or limiting myself - I enjoy food - I enjoy the social aspects of eating. To eat the amount of calories I want - but still steadily lose weight - I work out. 6 days a week. As time has progressed, I am better at evaluating my diet - and making better choices. On days I do long runs - I indulge - because I can - and I like that. I like not feeling deprived - but still losing weight steadily. It is habit for me now. I get up every morning and do my thing - first. Then I walk my dogs for a mile minimum - which they love and it is a cool down for me as I drink water. Then off to my normal day. If I miss it - I freak out and am distracted for the day until I get it in. But in 6 weeks I have missed only once. I set a goal for November to run a race. The remainder of the competition between now and then is me competing with myself to better myself each and every workout. Once I am back in the groove = I never understand how I got out of the groove in the first place.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    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:

    Love that I'm stealing that!
  • Pink_Tina
    Pink_Tina Posts: 164
    Well, see, I usually get up when most of my friends on here are ending their day. So, I read through and see all the workouts they've finished and it helps me to get my butt outside and do something too. :blushing:
  • jsidel126
    jsidel126 Posts: 694 Member
    My job is not physical so I enjoy exercise time
    I feel better after I exercise
    I measure progress over time
    Easier, more enjoyable way to drop pounds and tone than serious dieting
    Once you develop an exercise habit, You feel your not complete without
    Gyms, team sports, group exercises (5ks) have a social component
  • tabulator32
    tabulator32 Posts: 701 Member
    I told myself I would walk at least half an hour every day. I made myself do it, every day.

    I told myself I would eat a half cup of oatmeal every day. I made myself do it, every day.

    I told myself I would drink a half gallon of water every day. I made myself do it every day.

    I told myself I would eat more vegetables and fruit every day. I made myself do it, every day.

    I had a list of items to do every day. I made myself do them, every day.

    After enough days went by and I had lost more than sixty pounds, I had a beer, watched the sunset and felt real damn good about myself.

    P.S. I know my marker says forty pounds. All together, I lost about 64 pounds and kept it off. I lost forty with MFP.
  • chu604
    chu604 Posts: 353 Member
    Music
  • aura100
    aura100 Posts: 23 Member
    nothing tastes as good as skinny feels haha thats what i keep saying
  • Guines9
    Guines9 Posts: 137
    You're very beautiful. I would say the number one thing for me is a healthy self love. Yet everyone's motivation is different, but the core reason has to be loving yourself and having others love you back also. Is there more than love?
  • puffidredz
    puffidredz Posts: 119 Member
    How do you guys get motivated? How do you guys get yourself to exercise everyday?

    i think of my fat pictures

    and then i think of the skinny pants i want to get back into.

    thats all the motivation i need. it gets my *kitten* up out the bed to exercise everytime.
  • katejkelley
    katejkelley Posts: 839 Member
    I have a dog. She's home alone all day while I'm at work. When I get home, she needs - and expects - a good, long walk. I call her my personal trainer because she accepts no excuses for missing our daily walk! Once I've done my cardio (I live on a mountain so it's a very strenuous walk), I just pop in a workout DVD and do some yoga, pilates or other strength workout. Then I'm done, have some extra calories to enjoy at dinner and can feel good the rest of the evening.
  • heykaraoke
    heykaraoke Posts: 191 Member
    I find that working out is addicting. When I'm done torching calories and I'm dripping in sweat I feel fantastic. Also after you make yourself work out consistently it becomes a habit and for me I feel odd when I skip a workout.

    This. I force myself to work out because I know that, even if I walk into the gym absolutely uninspired and not wanting to be there at all, by the time I am done I will be sweaty, tired, and totally pumped that I completed yet another awesome workout. That feeling of pride and accomplishment gets me moving every time :)
  • cmeade20
    cmeade20 Posts: 1,238 Member
    Todays motivation was if I didn't work out I didn't have enough calories for supper.
  • ashleew1117
    ashleew1117 Posts: 158
    I do something that i like to do, or like right now i'm doing 30DS it's a challenge that i have to push through everyday, and if i keep pushing myself i know that i'm going to get results and results is what i want.

    At first i wasn't motivated at all, and then i realized i just had to do what i needed to do.
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
    Honestly? Just get it done. I went through my honeymoon phase with the gym where all I wanted to do was WORK OUT ALL THE TIME, and all those cutesy motivational sayings go out the window when it's 11pm at night and I've made bad eating choices that day, when the gym is the last place I wanna go. But then I remember that I'm only holding myself back, my progress has been too slow, and that I'll regret it down the line if I don't get my *kitten* to the gym.

    I also found a good thing to remember is that all the little things add up - the good (that extra flight of stairs you climb, the 10 minutes you tack on to your gym routine, the bike ride to the grocery store) and the bad (the second helping of mashed potatoes, that bag of chips you grabbed in line, the butter and mayo in your sandwich), success is the big picture, but it's also in the details :smile:
  • tamtamzz
    tamtamzz Posts: 142
    I have seen what not taking care of yourself can do to you. If I can help it, I do not want diabetes, heart disease, I was pre-eclamptic (super high blood pressure) with my son so that means high blood pressure for me, strokes, arthritis...ugh that list is loooooong.

    I want to enjoy life as I get older. Going to doctor's appointments, and worrying about my health is not how I want to spend my years.

    That's all the motivation I need right there. As far as discipline, it has become a habit now. Exercise is as routine as walking my daughter to the school bus or getting the mail.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    Just my experience:
    I say start small. If you start out with grand plans (like thinking you need to go to the gym for a spin class every day) it may feel intimidating, and the moment you feel like it's too much, it's so easy to quit. By starting small, with something you KNOW you can accomplish without it being too annoying, you'll gain confidence, and feel good about that small victory... for me that builds the momentum to try something harder or longer the next time. I started with 10 minutes walks, it was all I could handle not just physically, but mentally. I still have a long way to go, but now I think nothing of putting on my headphones and walking for a couple of hours.
  • Superbritt2drescu
    Superbritt2drescu Posts: 273 Member
    In the begining I had a friend that I went with often, that helped tons. After awhile, I needed to do it. Habit, or addicted to the endorphins, either way I loved it. I still had days I didn't want to. So I would change into my workout clothes lace up my shoes and get all ready. By the time I put that much effort into it, I knew I would workout. Once I strained a muscle and the doc told me I had to rest, that was when I finally figured out how much I love it, miss it, need it. I'm more thankful now that I can workout. :)
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    cuz it feels soooooooooo damn good!
  • freew67
    freew67 Posts: 348 Member
    All I have to do is look at my 2 little boys and that right there reminds me of why Im doing this. My G-pa died at 57, my wifes Dad died at 48, I dont want my boys to deal with the same thing.

    http://freew67.blogspot.com/
  • Frozen300
    Frozen300 Posts: 223 Member
    Unfortunately, exercise is usually called "working out". Who the hell wants to "work"? It sounds like such a pain in the butt!

    I've been trying lately to change my mindset, and make it more about fun. I find myself lazing about in my recliner, about to take another power snooze, and I gotta shake myself out of the chair and find SOMETHING to do. It doesn't always have to be something like P90X or a 25km bike ride, but I gotta get myself moving, doing something. I'm hoping the more I do this, the more natural it'll become, and the more motivated I'll be.
  • AlphamaleBAMF
    AlphamaleBAMF Posts: 373 Member
    Spite.
  • torrmairi
    torrmairi Posts: 64 Member
    I always do something fun - I want it to be a hobby or a game, not a chore. Often I'll put on some really upbeat music and hula hoop to it.
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
    Find an activity you like. I love riding my bike, so I'm eager to ride. I don't necessarily enjoy weight training, but the results are very apparent even from day-to-day, which keeps me motivated and excited to see my progress. I've tried things I didn't enjoy, before. Running on the treadmill... bored me to tears, and I didn't last more than a week before I quit exercising. Punching bag was fun for short periods, but, again, I got bored quickly from being stationary. So yeah, finding something you actively enjoy makes all the difference.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    bump for the read.
  • djsupreme6
    djsupreme6 Posts: 1,210 Member
    i've played highly intense competitive sports my whole life although i'm more of a weekend warrior nowadays but i've never lost the competitive fire...I find it very easy to get in the zone for an activity no matter what it is...for me its all mental...just focusing and visualizing what needs to be done and all the mini goals that add to a larger goal
  • kdelin08
    kdelin08 Posts: 1 Member
    I change my workout almost daily. Sometimes I walk, sometimes I do zumba, sometimes I ride my bike. On days that I am not feeling cardio I go to a hot yoga class, I always feel super refreshed afterwards. I lose motivation if I start feeling like I have to stick to one thing but it I found that switching it up like this makes it easier for me to make sure I work out in some way every day. So far it has been working for me.I have lost about 18lbs since the middle of June.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    It helps me relieve stress lol
  • mirandamayhem
    mirandamayhem Posts: 772
    How do you guys get motivated? How do you guys get yourself to exercise everyday?

    It's taken me a long time to find the motivation, In my case motivation can't be forced, something just snapped inside me. My new lifestyle is my new addiction. I try to get my work out done early cause by the end of day I am tired and don't feel like it.
    I'm looking forward to my before and after photos. Picture yourself a year from now, how do you want to look / feel ?

    this!
  • rmn1972
    rmn1972 Posts: 20
    I get up early so I have time to ride my stationary bike BEFORE I go to work. I have gotten to the point where my day would feel strange if I didn't start it out that way. I watch the news, weather and traffic report to pass the time (I ride for 60 minutes), then I either ride another 30 minutes after work or else I walk 30-45 minutes.
    Good habits can become as difficult to break as bad ones if you give them time.

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