Gym Motivation

I´m sorry, there is no easy way. It´s just to get up and go!

It´s about getting to bed early and plan your day accordingly. It´s hard to get up, I´m sure, but you will feel so good afterwards. Really good. And how far is too far? I walk to the gym, it takes me about 20 minutes.

If you don´t want to waste money if you don´t go (but ofcourse you do! You have already proven to be strong by being here.) maybe you can pay for one month at a time? Is that possible?

Don´t tell yourself that you probably won´t go. Keep telling yourself that OFCOURSE you´ll go. Reward yourself afterwards if you have to. But don´t give up. You will eventually love it, if you find that exercise that you think is fun. (I just started to lift last week, I love it- never would have thought so.)

I had the same issue. I was giving my gym their membership every month and I also wouldn't go. I would go for a week then be MIA for months at a time. What helped me was making a plan. How many days do I want to workout?what body parts to work on?what day?It helped me a lot. Sometimes(I think) if you don't have a plan then you have nothing to look forward to.. Sit down make a plan, write it down then get to it!

I always make sure my gym is with in one mile of my house, because then I do not have the excuse of "It is too far". That being said, you have to make yourself go sometimes, especially in the first few months. You have to form the habit, and that won't happen in only a week.

My biggest challenge when I first joined the gym was making time to go.

After work was almost impossible as I have a dog at home as well as a husband who enjoys homemade dinner. I'd always make excuses "I have to go to the grocery store" "I have to start dinner" "I have to pack our lunches" "I have to take Booker for his walk"...

SO, since going after work was difficult, I started going in the morning BEFORE work. I'm now into a very regular routine-getting up at 4:15 AM, working out, going to work and then doing my usual routine after work.

It's not for everyone, but my motivation and gym attendance was much better once I decided to work out in the AM.

When it comes down to it, it's a choice and a matter of priorities. Someone said something very profound...taking the word "can't" out and inserting "It's not a priority"

Instead of..."I can't go to the gym because I have to make dinner" insert "Going to the gym is not a priority because I have to make dinner". Suddenly it becomes about what in your life you are putting before your health...It motivated me to make healthier decisions and stop making excuses.

I suffered from the same lack of motivation. I joined a health club and paid monthly for years and I promise you I didn't go more than five times in as many years. I even took comfort in just knowing I was a member... as if that alone was going to help me get fit.

During the Christmas season of 2007, after much uncontrolled, mindless eating and indolence, I got so disgusted with myself and I actually started to feel bad: out of shape, out of breath, etc. I resolved then & there to start the new year by getting back to the gym (I actually waited a week because I've always failed at new year's resolutions that begin on January 1!!).

I show up at least 5 days a week at 6 am and a little later on weekends. I struggled in the beginning, but I PUSHED myself to get up and go. And I am NOT a morning person. It wasn't easy but I just kept going.... no matter what! I even went to the gym on the day of my mother's funeral. I think.... no I KNOW.... she would applaud. I find that even if I don't want to go, or have a headache, or don't have any energy or feel tired, I just go anyway. Within minutes of starting to exercise, I start to feel better and glad that I pushed myself to go.

Believe me, I am the antithesis of the typical "health nut". Also, I have to say that for me, exercise is a just a "piece of the puzzle". When I gained some success at the gym, I started to feel like I could go on eating as I did when I was younger. Consequently, I reached a plateau and was still overweight.

That was when I took the advice of one of the fitness instructors at the gym who recommended that I try documenting my food intake. I found that trying to literally write things down wasn't easy. One day at the gym, someone recommended an alternative calorie/fitness documenting site online and on "cell phone". After a couple of weeks, I ended up online with myfitnesspal.

Nowadays, if I don't go to the gym or if I engage in mindless eating, I feel guilty, and out of sorts. I'm SO glad that I was able to shake-off the old ways and embrace new ones. NO ONE is more amazed than I at my success. Seriously, if I can do it, anyone with patience and perseverance can!

Um, I don't know if this will work for you. What I did to motivate me to run/go to the gym was invest on a good shoe (it wasn't cheap for me) and work out outfits. You bought them for a not-so-cheap price so you will want to use them. That's how it works for me tho.

I never thought I'd be waking up at 6am 3x a week to get my butt to the gym, but I still somehow do it every week! Before I started working out I would sleep in as late as possible (30 mins before work), get up, throw some clothes on and stumble into work. But now I get to work and I've already eaten breakfast, had coffee, done my workout, and gotten a nice shower in.

You just have to turn it into a habit rather than a choice to start. I used the app GymPact to get started. Highly recommend it.

Once it becomes a habit, you'll feel very guilty about not going and will eventually learn to look forward to it! There is no point in working out if you're not going to sustain it.

3. think of the extra, yummy food you can have after!



I feel great after exercising, have more energy rather than less and I'm going 6 days a week.

... dont reward yourself with food your not a dog. but your other points are good.
You just got to do it! get up and do it! have a big glass of water by your bed and drink that first thing, have everything set out and ready to go the night before. dont allow yourself to hit the snooze button. and make it a habit. on weekends dont sleep all morning, still get up at a good time. sleep in a bit sure but dont over do it.
get to bed at a good time! sleep is important.

I'm pretty much in that position. I've had a membership for over a year and the weight that I've lost hasn't been because of the gym that's for sure. But I'm forcing myself to go tonight. The only motivation I have is that it's cold, dark and raining out and I have to wait for my fiance so it's better to wait in a warm place lol.