At a loss.

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SayLiLIG
SayLiLIG Posts: 197 Member
in Motivation and Support
I lack motivation. I know what I WANT, but when it comes down to working out and getting it done.... I feel this overwhelming feeling of its just not worth it...

What has everyone else used to motivate them to actually WORK and keep up with it???

Replies

  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    routine...if you get in the swing of things, it would seem weird not going to the gym at 8:00 and you won't know what to do with yourself...it's hard getting started but once you're in, it's easy...lots of people recommend working out with a partner of the same sex...i for one do not recommend this because you spend more time yapping then working...eating healthy is VERY hard, but cut one bad thing out at a time...if you try and change to much of your lifestyle all at once you'll set yourself up for failure...one thing at a time...stop drinking pop for a month...let us know how you're doing...then go to the gym once a week...let us know how you're feeling...log your food often, so you have a baseline...baby steps...motivation comes when you realize you've just lost 50lbs
  • o2blori
    o2blori Posts: 168 Member
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    I have to agree. Routine is so important for me. I work out right when I get home. Before dinner, before kids, before anything. Then I know it's done. I try to do 30-60 minutes depending on what's going on. I guess I just keep on going from work. Get up, get dressed, off to work, and come home and finish with working out...and then...I'm off for the whole night.

    I know it's hard to stay motivated, but you can do it. On the days that get tough for me, I remember that I just bought new pants that are 2 sizes smaller. It gives me just enough to keep going. Or...find an exercise program that it fun to do. I'm currently doing Turbo Jam. I love it. It's fun, it's dancy, and it's short. That's key for me. In 35 minutes I burn 750+ calories.

    Anyway, hope I helped! Keep it up
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
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    Sometimes being an adult means doing things that we don't like to do.
    I hate exercise. But I know it's something that I have to do to stay healthy.
    Not only does it make me look better, it makes me feel better.
    That's enough motivation for me.
    Steph
  • lesleyuk
    lesleyuk Posts: 57
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    Its not always easy but you have to look at the long term gain. If you want to lose weight and get fitter there is a cost. Its not going to happen over night and its not always smooth sailing but if you put some effort in you will see results. No-one can do it for you. I walk 3 lunchtimes a week and sometimes I just really feel like I can't be bothered but once up and out of the office I quite enjoy it and it feels great afterwards.
    My motivation has been me. I want to lose weight and get fitter. I have to do - so I am.
    What keeps me going are the results. Today I wore trousers to work which I couldn't fit into 6 weeks ago and are a bit on the big size.
  • ErinMarie25
    ErinMarie25 Posts: 733 Member
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    An exercise program that I LOVE. Makes me excited to get up in the morning to do it and it helps me keep eating right.
  • bree5291
    bree5291 Posts: 50
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    Gotta feel like you're worth it for your routine to be worth it.
  • BCase
    BCase Posts: 24 Member
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    First of all... if I think about working out to much then I talk myself out of it. Sorry for the cliché; just do it! Then when I'm all showered up and still not feeling eating discipline I go window shopping for clothes. I see all the things I want to be wearing. For me, that usually keeps me on track!
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
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    I'll join the choir, it's not so much motivation as making a live style habit. You have to make eating a certain way and squeezing in daily exercise like you do brushing your teeth, taking a shower, styling your hair, or whatever it is you do each day because you like the result once it's done.
  • jazzy020106
    jazzy020106 Posts: 485 Member
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    I have to agree that routine is key. Just add it in to the things you need to get done for the day =] And experiment with different exercises til you find one you actually enjoy! Also, just remember this is a lifestyle change! I have to keep pounding it into my head everyday that it doesnt matter about how quickly i can lose weight. I am making myself healthier in every way and losing the weight is a plus =] Remember it IS worth it! nothing that is actually worth it is easy =] GL and i hope you find your motivation!
  • tbernard
    tbernard Posts: 54 Member
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    I think Gillian gives outstanding advice on this one. It seems to me that if you feel things overwhelming sense of "its not worth it" then you either don't appreciate how great the end results are, or you are a little intimidated by the size of the effort you feel you need to make. So try some baby steps..

    It may be as simple as not changing your life at all at first and simply tracking it, looking for small and simple changes that might make a difference. It might then continue into you making simple changes, one step at a time..

    And Gillian hits on a great first step.. I all but gave up Cola (though I did have two small ones on the weekend...the first ones in months) and I`m certain that it turbo charged my efforts..
  • jenreth
    jenreth Posts: 14 Member
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    Finding a workout partner can be good, if they're quite a bit fitter than you, but a good friend so are wliling to wait for you. We don't go to the gym but prefer to go for runs outside. She has to wait for me all the time, and towards the end of the run is giving me encouragement. Seeing how much fitter she is than me always makes me work harder. I arbitrarily agree to things in the evenings when I'm feeling positive, then come the morning when I might be tempted to stay in bed, I know she'll be waiting for me at the park at 6.30 am or whatever, and I can't let her down. We do tend to have a good gossip but if we've got a certain distance to cover and have to do it together, it soon gets too hard to run & chat!

    Good luck!
  • jenreth
    jenreth Posts: 14 Member
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    Oh, the other thing that got me up exercising when I did't feel like it was entering a 14km (10 mile?) race. I wasn't fit enough at the time of entry, but had 8 weeks and people told me I could get fit enough in 8 weeks, at the very worst to walk it. Then becusae I'd paid money and told so many people about it I sort of had to follow through with it (this worked for me at least!) In the end I went from barely being able to run at all to running most of it and finishing in under 2 hours. I did the same thing with a novice triathlon this weekend. Agreed to do it months ago and then had to work out how I was going to do it! Ends up being great motivation.
  • SayLiLIG
    SayLiLIG Posts: 197 Member
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    Thanks so much for all the replies. Gillian was definantly right. Im not sure about a partner because i do tend to talk alot :) I decided today to officially quit soda... Yes, it was Diet Coke, but that is my horrible habit. Also, chocolate. The bite size stuff they keep in the office is horribly tempting, but I have vowed to give that up as well. (Diet Coke has no calories..lol) Im opting for Diet citrus green tea and water now.

    OT, would you first buy a bike, or a weight set..?
  • jenreth
    jenreth Posts: 14 Member
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    an actual bike for cycling around places? or a standing still one? I bought my bike to get around ages ago and haven't looked back. I'm now looking at upgrading to a better one so I can do proper workouts, but cycling to and from work takes as much time as driving or catching public transport, and burns almost 500 calories for me! So i would say definitely get a bike, if you can find a way of working it into your everyday routine until you depend on it. (picking up groceries maybe? morning cycle for half an hour, evening for half an hour? I also think it's great to get out into the fresh air and sun so I may be biased :))
  • azmomof2
    azmomof2 Posts: 714 Member
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    Thanks so much for all the replies. Gillian was definantly right. Im not sure about a partner because i do tend to talk alot :) I decided today to officially quit soda... Yes, it was Diet Coke, but that is my horrible habit. Also, chocolate. The bite size stuff they keep in the office is horribly tempting, but I have vowed to give that up as well. (Diet Coke has no calories..lol) Im opting for Diet citrus green tea and water now.

    OT, would you first buy a bike, or a weight set..?


    Giving up soda is an awesome idea I did the same and cannot stand it now although I say that understanding many still drink it and I don't judge those who do but for me all I drink now is water, tea, and sometimes coffee. I even had to give up fruit juices they aren't as healthy as I used to think! As far as chocolate goes I've had no problem maintaining my weight loss so far and eating the high in cocoa content such as Ghiradelli's 72% Twilight chocolate. Not having the whole bar of course lol but having a fairly large square or two every once in awhile doesn't hurt if it's around 72% or higher. In fact here's a link to a study on it to explain the benefits. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/story?id=3342232&page=1

    Good luck! :)

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