alright, it's time to get off my butt.

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lindseyelyzabeth
lindseyelyzabeth Posts: 33 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
i feel as thought i'm starting to hit a mild plateau, which means that it's time to start getting off my butt and work out. i'm the queen of excuses when it comes to exercise. i actually really like working out, once i get in the groove. but, it's that initial fire under the *kitten* that is always tough for me to find. i have a ton of DVD's that i like (jillian michaels, beginning pilates, core training) and i have a gym membership, and i have a great walking neighborhood. so what is stopping me? i always find that when i get into working out i get mildly obsessive, so if i can't meet these outrageous workout goals i make myself, then i just give up. i'm just looking for any advice/encouragement to start the process. any favorite workouts? thanks!

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  • LongMom
    LongMom Posts: 408 Member
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    The only workout that's worked for me thus far is ZUMBA! I love love love to dance. I spent my 20's in a bar/club dancing 5 nights a week (no wonder I was so skinny!). Now that I have two small kids and a husband, going out partying isn't exactly feasible :) So I found a Zumba class and became HOOKED! I've been going fairly regularly for almost a year now :)
  • ntp0826
    ntp0826 Posts: 95 Member
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    Try setting small goals. When I first started working out, I told myself to commit to 30 minutes a day and I eventually moved up from there. It is really easy to get obsessive as I've been there before but an injury stopped that for me, you just have to learn how to balance everything out. By the way I love all of Jillian Michael's DVDs! Good luck!
  • TaraMaria
    TaraMaria Posts: 1,975
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    Oh hunny, you sound SO much like me! Ha ha! I'm either like "Wow this couch gets comfier EVERY day" or "I wonder how many crunches I can fit in the next ten minutes before dinner." Right now I'm working on balancing the two extremes! I think I've just gotten to the point where I know I'm worth it, my body is worth it, my family is worth it...is it going to kill me to do 30-60 minutes a day? No. lol!

    SO! One thing that has helped me is the challenges on this site. Right now my favorite one is the "Burn 3500 Calories a Week." Its pretty simple. You can burn 500 calories a day...burn 700 and workout 5 days a week...its so versatile! I love doing the 100 pushup or 100 sit up challenges. http://hundredpushups.com/index.html

    I try not to set actual weight goals (loose 5 pounds by this date) because my body is not reliable. I set goals I can control. 3500 calories a week burned? Check. Eat my 1200 calories? Check. Start small and build up. I started with 5 goals and wrote them out. I've added to them as I wanted but made Christmas my deadline. I listed them on my blog. I'm technically not trying to loose at this point...trying to maintain, but the purpose is still there: Healthy Lifestyle. After the new year, new goals!

    If you want encouragement girlfriend...I'm your gal! Tell me what you want to get done and I can help motivate you! I love my kickboxing and Zumba dvds. Does your gym offer any classes? I just started running and love it! :o) Find things you love and make yourself an expert...that way you love it even more! :o)
  • knittygirl52
    knittygirl52 Posts: 432 Member
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    I hear you! You feel so good when you've done it, but looking forward to it is a little more like dread! I spent this weekend traipsing up and down a ladder to my attic, then up and down a ladder as I decorated my 10-foot high Christmas tree. (I'm only 5'1) My butt has such a "good ache" going today. I wish I had more junk to haul down! But no, I guess I need to actually do real live exercise.

    I just read an article that was talking about how, over the holiday season, we can really keep ourselves from getting off track by making sure we exercise. Once you've beat up on your body, you hate to wreck it by shoveling down bad for you food. So that's my goal for the next month! Do some kind of challenging exercise every day, even if I eat poorly at a party or something! Wanna join me?
  • lindseyelyzabeth
    lindseyelyzabeth Posts: 33 Member
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    hey tara, what kickboxing and zumba dvd's are you using & loving? i'll have to check them out! :)
  • thatklutzychick
    thatklutzychick Posts: 13 Member
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    What helped me get started with training was to set daily goals and have someone keep me accountable for them. I'd tell Sean that I was going to work out for a half hour at a certain time and though I suspect he didn't really care whether or not I worked out, just knowing that if I didn't go I'd be lying to someone gave me enough motivation to get my *kitten* to the gym.

    The other thing that was great for me (up until I totally screwed it up this week) was that I set my workout schedule in my calendar. I had set times that were as immovable as a work meeting. I'd plan out my workouts ahead of time so I wouldn't have to think about it. I'd just wake up and half asleep start doing whatever my calendar told me to do.

    When all else fails, sign up for a "race." I say "race" in quotes because you don't need to move fast, but it gives you a goal to complete something. For example, I know I can't totally slack off in my running routine since I have my half marathon in eight weeks. I don't plan on being competitive in it, but I know if I don't work out it's going to be a long, painful 13.1 miles.
  • goingwithgrace
    goingwithgrace Posts: 109 Member
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    I went to a Zumba class. It is pretty fun! I think the in person would be more fun than DVD because it's kind of an energy in the room thing. My gym offers a couple of them. :bigsmile:
  • TaraMaria
    TaraMaria Posts: 1,975
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    hey tara, what kickboxing and zumba dvd's are you using & loving? i'll have to check them out! :)

    I'm using the zumba dvds from their website, LOVE them. They are nice to do at home because its on your schedule and they have SO many different routines to pick from. And so far my favorite kickboxing dvd has been 10 minute solutions: Kickboxing. Its amazing! I remember when I could barely get through ten minutes and now I roll through the whole thing! If you have a wii and netflix you can stream the 10 minute solution dvds, they are all pretty awesome!! :o)

    You said you belong to a gym? My gym offers Zumba classes weekly and those are killer!! So much fun!!!! :o)
  • chocolatnoir
    chocolatnoir Posts: 182 Member
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    Have you tried something like Bikram Yoga or Power/Vinyasa Yoga? All are really amazing and work out your entire body- even muscles you don't realize you have :) I've also been a huge fan of Tae Bo for about a decade. Every couple of years when in a fitness rut I will bust out my dvd's and really shake things up. Again, a really great fully body work out!

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