How to get motivated to exercise
BillArtman
Posts: 13
About 4 months ago I purchased a Fitbit One and I wore it everyday to monitor my activity, etc and I was excited that I bought it. I checked the Fitbit website and forum regularly. I am a member of a good fitness center. Now, I never wear the Fitbit One and I hardly ever go to the fitness center although I am paying the monthly membership fee. I am a member of My Fitness Pal and I used to log all of my food and exercise but I no longer do.
When I did go to the fitness center it was a real struggle (and it still is) to make myself go but at the end of my workout I felt better about myself, I felt like I accomplished something and I was glad I went.
I know that exercise is important and that is should be apart of my weekly routine.
Can anyone give me some thoughts and recommendations on becoming motivated to exercise on a regular basis? Some of my friends that exercise on a regular basis tell me that it a part of their life. I wish exercise could be a part of my life.
Thanks, Bill
When I did go to the fitness center it was a real struggle (and it still is) to make myself go but at the end of my workout I felt better about myself, I felt like I accomplished something and I was glad I went.
I know that exercise is important and that is should be apart of my weekly routine.
Can anyone give me some thoughts and recommendations on becoming motivated to exercise on a regular basis? Some of my friends that exercise on a regular basis tell me that it a part of their life. I wish exercise could be a part of my life.
Thanks, Bill
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Replies
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Hey there, Bill! I had had the same problem with exercise as you describe that you do. I had to push myself everytime and like you was paying for a membership that I wasn't using. Here's what motivated me...
A. Find something you enjoy doing, then it doesn't feel like a chore: for me, I enjoy swimming laps, bicycling on the trails, hiking, and dancing. If you don't enjoy it, then it IS literally "working-out".
B. Don't label it as "working out". The mere label for most people has such a negative connotation. I say, "I'm looking forward to my "movements".
C. Make it FUN. When I'm having a hard time staying focused and watching the clock...I make a game out of whatever I'm doing, with myself.
D. Entertain yourself when doing less than exciting "movements". I always make sure that I have great tunes downloaded on my iPod, a fun magazine/book to read, tv show to view, or fun games on your smart device.
E. After I found movements that I loved doing, I made it a point to workout almost everyday, so in hopes that it would become habit forming. It has and now when I miss a workout, I feel sad and aggravated with myself.
HOpe this helps at least a little. Feel free to add me. We all need friends to support one another.
Take care! And Happy Movements!!!:drinker:0 -
I also really really really hated exercising. Until I bought a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor. I wear it every time I exercise, and it shows me a pretty good estimate of calories burned during that time period. That gives me something to go add in MFP. I log religiously because I've tried everything else and this works like a charm like nothing else ever did.
I visualize my daily calorie limit like it's my spending money. I can spend my calorie money on anything I want, but when it's gone, it's gone. I "earn" extra money with my second job, exercise. I enter my exercise calories in and I can eat them back if I'm hungry and want to.
That's made all the difference for me. Give yourself freedom and permission not to exercise if you don't want to, and don't look to the exercise to make you lose the weight. It has gobs of other health benefits, though, and it will surely make your frame look better when extra weight is lost.
Best of luck to you!
Paula0 -
Bill,
Stop procrastinating and (to borrow Nike's tag), just do it!
Make a commitment to exercise, say, three times a week.
You make it a part of your life when you actually make it a part of your life.
If you want to change your life, you are going to have to make those changes happen.
So, go get off your butt!
kind regards,
Ben0 -
I hear ya! I dreaded going to the gym and I really don't like most workout equipment. I built some confidence and started attending classes at the gym. Now I love going to the gym because I see regular people who have similar health interests and it became something I look forward to. If you find an activity that you enjoy doing, running, rowing, zumba, yoga, kick boxing .. do it! Time goes so much quicker when your doing something you enjoy.0
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I do it for the mental benefits primarily, when I don't exercise I get cranky and can't sleep well, so I remind myself of those things when I'm in a lull. But for me the real key has been finding activities that I enjoy, that take my mind of my everyday worries, listen to music I like and make it as fun and relaxing as possible to exercise.
If you can tie it to a hobby you want to improve at it helps too (For example, I do hula hoop dance but consider running and weight lifting as 'cross training' so it helps make my workouts fun and balanced)0 -
For it to be a part of your life, you have to do it until you love it. It's rough now,but you have to make yourself get out there and put in the effort! That is the only way I enjoy working out. As I see results, I want to see more results. Even when I don't want to go, like today, I make myself. I can rest the other 3-4 days that I'm not at the gym! As you said, you don't regret going,and you obviously WANT to since you have posted this topic. Just go do it. Try mixing it up with things that you really enjoy. Personally, I have a variety! Aside from the gym I enjoy: hiking, kayaking, jogging, martial arts, skateboarding, and even a simple walk. I've tried biking, I loathe it. Why? Because I'm terrible at it! So, I do it anyway. One day, it will be added to my list of enjoyable exercises.
So, a summary, find things that you enjoy,and get your money's worth at the gym until you can enjoy it as well!0 -
I don't like going to the gym either. At all. But I get up at 6 am three days a week and go because if I don't, I will slide back down that slippery slope. I understand what a poster above said, that you should find something you like to do, but I am not, never was, and never will be an athlete of any sort, so I just have to get myself up and out the door. It's my "job" for this year! I have a Fitbit One too, and I like to have it linked to MFP so I know if I am moving my carcass enough on non-gym days to cover even the BMR calories! I am not so thrilled about logging everything either, but I do, and I have learned it is better for me to plan the day before what I am going to eat, as far as I can. I have lost almost 45 lbs since about April, and still have a long way to go, so I totally understand losing motivation! But - When your motivation runs out, your discipline has to kick in. From someone else (I forgot to write down who!) "Motivation is doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done when we WANT to do it. Discipline is doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done even when we DON'T want to do it ."
Here's a couple of posts that I have copied and saved on this theme:
https://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/yoovie/view/congrats-on-finding-your-motivation-again-537323
http://actionfiguremini.tumblr.com/post/53432744622/lost-your-motivation-my-standard-answer
Hope that helps!0 -
This is what helped support my initial motivation.
* I did something every single day for at least 30 minutes. It could be walking, or something more challenging. Rule was: the sun could not set before I got my 30 minutes in. It didn't matter how I felt about it. I just had to do it, no matter what my mood.
Most important #1 thing. (Be smart about recovery, though, if you like to work out hard; cross train, take active rest days, and one day right off).
* I made it convenient to work out. I exercised either
a) at home or
b) at a gym NOT MORE than 8 minutes from my house. How far away is your gym?
Alternative: find a gym not more than 8 minutes from your place of work that is EXACTLY on your commute, as in, minimal detours to get there and home; rent a locker there to keep shoes & toiletries, so you're less burdened with packing/carrying stuff day to day.
My gym was barebones -- had weights; was open until 10pm so I could squeeze in late workouts; had good membership terms; lucked out in some important ways. It was also kind of skeevy. Compromises. Location is mostly everything, though , because you can have a bells-and-whistles gym with all the classes you like (if you like classes), but if it's 20 minutes out of your way, you're much less likely to overcome the mental barrier.
I eventually bought weights to work out at home on days I didn't feel like travelling 8 minutes. I set everything up so I didn't have to look for things. No excuses, all contexts covered.
(Will say: a gym membership is nice, because it's easier to crosstrain for cardio. Many of the high calorie burners you can do at home for free are high intensity or high impact. It's great to have several low-impact options you can rotate to minimize potential for overuse injuries vs eg just a treadmill or bike at home.)0 -
Can anyone give me some thoughts and recommendations on becoming motivated to exercise on a regular basis?
My buddy just had a heart attack.
If that doesn't do it, it's time to accept nothing will, and move on to something else.0 -
I don't like going to the gym. I don't think I've ever woken up and thought "yay! gym!" ... but I pay a lot of money for it, I have personal training sessions and don't want to mess up my trainers schedule/waste the money I spent. The only thing that really motivates me is seeing progress. I think .. well, I went to the gym last week, and I ate well last week, and I lost weight last week. Probably should do it again!0
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Best advice I can offer is don't rely on motivation, rely on discipline instead.
Or, make strong use of visualisation - of how you will feel after the exercise. How you want to be/look/feel in the future and what being healthier/fitter/stronger will allow you to do - in as much detail as possible until you want that so badly nobody would be able to hold you down!!!0 -
I pay for a class. I hate to waste money, so the investment (plus the other participants) keep me showing up.0
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I don't always feel motivated to exercise to be honest, but it's something that's important enough to me just to do it anyway, even if I don't feel motivated or excited about it.
I've had depression and anxiety for a lot of years. Things are a lot better now, and keeping on top of my mental health is very important to me. Running improves my mood/helps me maintain a better mood, so I run. On days when it's horrible outside and I just want to stay in the warm, and on days when I'm tired, and on days when I really don't care about calorie burn etc, I still run because it makes a difference to my state of mind.
There are quite a few nasty things lurking in my family's medical history that I want to avoid. I've watched my parents and other relatives struggle with their health, knowing that it wouldn't be half as bad if they weighed less and were more active. I really don't want to follow that path, so that makes keeping my cardiovascular system healthy really important to me. I can't pretend that's always enough to motivate me to get out of the door, but basically, it's a choice that I've made, so more often than not, I do it.
Maintaining my muscle mass and bone density is important to me, especially as I get older. Again, observing relatives that have become weak and have problems with fractures etc, and having worked with elderly people, I can see how important it is to keep active and strong, and how quickly life can go downhill when an older person falls and breaks a bone. So, all of that means that lifting weights has become important enough to do, even if I don't feel like it. And, to be honest, I often don't feel like lifting weights because I don't enjoy it that much. However, I've made a commitment to myself to do it at least twice a week, and 3 times if possible. So, I just do it. (Having seen the effect it has had on my appearance helps a bit too.
)
Basically, there are lots of tricks to keep yourself interested, and it definitely helps to choose something you enjoy, so it's not so much of a chore. Setting fitness goals also helps tremendously. However - you might just have to accept that, for you, exercise is never going to be something you really enjoy or feel like doing. And then, you have to decide if it's worth doing anyway, or not. Sometimes we choose to do things that we don't really enjoy, because the long term benefits are worth it.0 -
About 4 months ago I purchased a Fitbit One and I wore it everyday to monitor my activity, etc and I was excited that I bought it. I checked the Fitbit website and forum regularly. I am a member of a good fitness center. Now, I never wear the Fitbit One and I hardly ever go to the fitness center although I am paying the monthly membership fee. I am a member of My Fitness Pal and I used to log all of my food and exercise but I no longer do.
When I did go to the fitness center it was a real struggle (and it still is) to make myself go but at the end of my workout I felt better about myself, I felt like I accomplished something and I was glad I went.
I know that exercise is important and that is should be apart of my weekly routine.
Can anyone give me some thoughts and recommendations on becoming motivated to exercise on a regular basis? Some of my friends that exercise on a regular basis tell me that it a part of their life. I wish exercise could be a part of my life.
Thanks, Bill
I only take my fitbit off to shower. It is clipped to my bra the other 23.5 hours a day.
as for the gym, I made it a point to force myself to go 5 days a week for 3-4 weeks to make it a habit, a routine. Then I dropped down to 3-4 days a week because it really was too much. I also got to know the staff. There is something about walking through those doors and having 3 people call you by name before you even scan your card that makes you feel special. I got to know some of the regulars too ( both by face, and by name) so I work out with "friends". They know my routine so well that I am fairly sure if I took 2 weekdays off in a row, someone would call me to find out why I wasn't there!0 -
Getting started is the hardest part. I started trying to run last year (trying cause when I started I couldn't run a block). I kept at it and seen improvement. So I signed up for a 5k run and altho I walked most of the way I made it to the end. That got me started and I signed up for another. I tend to do one about every 3 months so I have something I'm "training" for.
This month I got in on the 50miles in October challenge on this message board. Finding something that challenges you may help keep your interest. Plus I love shoes so I reward myself with a new pair when I do good. LOL0 -
Thank you for your link. Love this one --
"Actually, YOU DON'T NEED INSPIRATION OR MOTIVATION. You think you’ve “lost your motivation”. ...What has happened is that YOUR EMOTIONAL STATE CHANGED! You are NO LONGER EXCITED DOING THE WORK it takes to get there. Well, that was ALWAYS going to happen.
WHAT YOU NEED IS TO USE YOUR SELF-DISCIPLINE. Now, the good news is, you already have the discipline you need, you just haven’t applied it to this project yet..."0 -
Go check out MFP FITSPIRATION. I think you might just be inspired. I know I was. This is just one of my favorites. I have more favs & printed them & have them all around my work area.
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bump to read links0
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Bill,
I have been there and I have done the motivation is the worst killer of exercise it haunts me all the time. You said that you have friends that exercise regularly. My suggestion would be ask them to join you or if you can join them. Exercising with a friend is much easier to tackle with a freind than by yourself. This way you can have someone to share the expeience with and to help push you on those days where the motivation is lacking/ I hope this helps.
Joel0 -
I also really really really hated exercising. Until I bought a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor. I wear it every time I exercise, and it shows me a pretty good estimate of calories burned during that time period.
That's how I do it also. I can't trust what the machine tells me I've burned. I always go by my HRM.I visualize my daily calorie limit like it's my spending money. I can spend my calorie money on anything I want, but when it's gone, it's gone. I "earn" extra money with my second job, exercise. I enter my exercise calories in and I can eat them back if I'm hungry and want to.
I love this!0 -
It sounds like you jumped in with both feet and then jumped right back out. Maybe take it a little more slowly and start incorporating smaller changes. Schedule your gym time. From 5-6PM, I will go to the gym and work out on Mondays and Wednesdays, or find out when they have crossfit or spin classes you may want to get into. But start out small (two days a week) then build up from there. Try logging again but this time only log in your food but don't worry bout hitting marks (calorie or macro). When that becomes a habit you can start hitting calorie goals ect. Smaller steps have helped me turn these things into habits (like brushing your teeth) and motivation isn't really a problem any more.0
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mmmm I simply had nothing else to loose which was my motivation. You'd be surprised how far you are willing to go when your back is to the wall. When you get to a point that loosing weight is the only option then you have found your motivation. Videos will only get you so far but the end result is you have to want it more than anyone else around you. Hope this helps cheers.
Tof0 -
I've noticed that I have a hard time tracking my food if I'm not exercising. Exercising is the key as far as being mindful of what I eat--I'm doing all this work and it doesn't matter if I'm not watching my foodz. I still struggle with getting myself to exercise, even though I KNOW I'm going to feel better after. Some things that have helped me:
-Set a weekly workout goal. Ex. I will go to the class at the gym 4x a week. (This justifies my membership fee in my mind, haha.)
-Get a workout buddy. I carpool to the gym with a neighbor most mornings, and texting her to tell her I'm staying in bed makes me feel bad.
-Track and notice your progress, both in endurance/fitness and in your body changes. When I look in the mirror and see what working out has done for my body, or I go to the gym and can lift twice as much as when I started, these are the things that keep me coming back.
Make these things a habit in your life and it will get easier! The first month of anything is the hardest.0 -
Motivation is from within. People can tell you all the benefits and reasons why you should do it, but until you truly WANT to do it on your own, then it may be just an after thought. You know the reasons why it's good. You just have to find the reasons on why you don't want to do it and resolve them personally.About 4 months ago I purchased a Fitbit One and I wore it everyday to monitor my activity, etc and I was excited that I bought it. I checked the Fitbit website and forum regularly. I am a member of a good fitness center. Now, I never wear the Fitbit One and I hardly ever go to the fitness center although I am paying the monthly membership fee. I am a member of My Fitness Pal and I used to log all of my food and exercise but I no longer do.
When I did go to the fitness center it was a real struggle (and it still is) to make myself go but at the end of my workout I felt better about myself, I felt like I accomplished something and I was glad I went.
I know that exercise is important and that is should be apart of my weekly routine.
Can anyone give me some thoughts and recommendations on becoming motivated to exercise on a regular basis? Some of my friends that exercise on a regular basis tell me that it a part of their life. I wish exercise could be a part of my life.
Thanks, Bill
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I'm about to finish up my second week of working out 6x a week. I personally don't like the gym. I don't get excited to work out but these are the things that motivate me.
I make it a point to wake up before work and do it every day. Then I also work out on Saturday morning and Sunday is my rest day. I used to do the whole 3-4 days a week thing but the problem is you just say "Oh I don't feel like it today I'll go tomorrow" and that keeps adding up and then you end up going once or not even at all because you didn't create a routine.
I also make sure to do it before work because it's hard work for me to have to wake up early. It keeps me in line with my diet all day and if I think about going off track then I would feel really angry because i know that is valueable time where I couldve been sleeping instead so I hate to let it go to waste.
I keep it simple(for now). I just do the elliptical while playing my special playlist with high beat songs that will get me moving more. I figure 30-40 minutes of something is better than nothing. I just don't enjoy being there for too long.
I am going to join the YMCA though to take up some classes because I think they are fun. I will be excited to do BodyPump and Cycle and a step class too. Maybe being in a group helps.
Having a good support system. My boyfriend tells me that he is proud of me for self-motivating myself to wake up early to do it but in all reality his compliments is what keeps pushing me more. I don't want to disappoint him and I want him to keep being proud of me.0 -
I heard it said best here one time talking about food but it applies to exercise as well. Will power is like a muscle the more you use it the stronger it gets!0
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This post itself is motivation to people like me. I lurk in the forums to both find advice and to find motivatin....
And sseriously, just do it. The more you force yourself at the beginning, the more natural it becomes later on. In no time at all, it will become second nature. It takes 30 days (or something like that) for something to become a habit. Stick with it long enough and it will be a natural habit :-)0 -
Great tips!0
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Some days, like today, I just didn't feel like going to the gym. But I want progress, and I'm not going to get it sitting around, so I got dressed. Then I went. I got it done. Then I came home and I was proud of myself for doing it. I imagine the same thing will happen tomorrow.
That's it. There's no magical AHA! moment. You either make it a priority or you pretend to and keep letting yourself come up with excuses not to. There's always an excuse. In the end, saying you did it regardless of obstacles is worth it. One day at a time.0 -
With being a dance minor at college, I am required to take dance classes, so even though I had to drop my jazz class (I got tired of the snickers because of me being a mom and because I am still big) I still have my modern dance class twice a week and because I don't want to fail it, I go (though the intimidation factor is still there, I suck it up)
Along with that, I try to run 2 to 3 days a week, sometimes though that doesn't happen. I park as far as I can away, still carry a 15lb book bag with all of my school stuff around campus, sprint down the football field to catch interviews, run up and down the stadium stairs. Just to get exercise in. I am thinking about restarting Insanity and going back to the Y to weight lift again, but I will work that in slowly.
It will get easier. I still hate working out but I know I have to if I want to be able to do things physically for fitness and if I want my lungs to get any better.0
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