Motivation (or lack of) to exercise

markybmark83 · April 2014

Hi All

I would love to hear from people who used to hate exercise and now love it and if there is anything in particular you did/changed.

I have now completed over 50 days of counting calories and think the habit is beginning to kick in and I have had some good losses, I would now want to exercise to both improve my fitness and tone up some of the flabby bits! But most of the time I just can't muster the motivation and/or energy to actually get up and do it.

I don't know what it is, sometimes I enjoy it when I am doing it - others I don't. I usually feel good afterwards. People say "you just need to get up and do it" and that sounds simple but there is always something I find that I would rather do!

I really WANT to enjoy exercise - but I just don't!

Any suggestions? Anybody else have the same thing?

Also, I am currently a student and have zero money so gyms, classes etc are out of the question!

Thanks for your help!

Mark

JoeLewie · April 2014

DEFINITELY have the same problem, yet once I get into it there is no stopping me.

I would offer this as a tip - keep trying things until you find something you enjoy doing enough to get you through that harder first phase - where it's just hard and there are no perceivable results (even though you are getting results from the first workout).

Enjoyment is key.

I have also discovered combining exercise with audio books. I don't get time to read, but love a good book. So getting on the bike for an hour is also a chance to get into a 'book'. It really keeps the boredom factor at bay.

davidlunch · April 2014

Hi Mark!
I know what you mean, I also have days where I really feel nothing good about doing a workout, and sometimes I skip it. If I force myself to do it, my mood usually improves about 20minutes in, but until then I feel just awkward, not sporty at all and if I work out at the gym I only compare myself to the others, that girl over there is lifting more weight than I do, that guy runs at speed 9 while I can only make 7... etc

But then there are other times, when everything just goes fine and I feel happy before, during and after doing a workout.

What kind of exercise have you been doing? I found that since I have never considered myself a runner, buying nordic walking sticks was the key to get me started. Now since you're on a budget, forget about the sticks. Powerwalks can be done without them at least as good, you don't need anything but a good pair of shoes in which you walk comfortably.
Try making a playlist for your walk, with varying songs that you have not listened to in a while, make it kind of like for a party maybe. You can of course also try out some radio programs or podcasts that interest you.

If you want to focus on strength training, there are many websites offering suggestions for training using your own weight as resistance, for example http://uk.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_250/265_weight-training-without-weights.html
That you can do at home or outside on a meadow. For free!

I hope this helps a little. I found that distracting myself with a good radio documentary or walking along to some forgotten classics that I listened to when I was 16 made it much easier for me to get out and do something.
Godspeed!

TeaBea · April 2014

I have been a yo-yo dieter. I have always exercised to lose weight. Then when I lost the weight I stopped exercise. The weight came back (doh!). Now I exercise because I know I need to if I am going to maintain a weight loss. This is a lifestyle change for me.

Anyway...... My initial goal was 60 minutes of exercise each week. I started by keeping a spreadsheet) .....a calendar would work just as well. Hang a calendar some place to make you accountable....put stickers on it.....whatever. This "small" goal was totally obtainable. My only excuse was laziness. After I got used to 60 minutes, I bumped it up..........baby steps. This became a habit.

I had a Netflix (by mail) membership & got a new workout each week. This helped me figure out what I liked, and what I hated. Try (really hard) to find something you like to do. It's easier to start exercise than it is too keep it up, if it's something you hate.

I really like Leslie Sansone Walk At Home DVDs.....this is excuse proof for me. You don't need equipment, much room....or even coordination. If her voice grates.....there are DVDs with a music only option. Sure I could walk outside.....it's too hot, it's dark out....indoors is excuse proof.

Of course there is something else I would rather do. But I like having more energy, I like sleeping better, I like not being all jiggly....which is what will happen if I don't strength train while dieting. For strength training (not my favorite)....I found an instructor that I clicked with (Kelly Coffey Meyer) ...... I don't "love it" .....but it's tolerable & excuse proof.

Just start.....it will change over time.

dalesimpson1 · April 2014

I've been serious about MFP and exercise since about the first of the year and I dread exercise every time.

My problem is dealing with the pain exercise causes me due to an injury I sustained while in the Army. I used to be a runner, I loved to run, but after three surgeries to rebuild my left foot the pain is almost unbearable sometimes when I walk.

Thankfully my motivation to lose weight and get healthier outweighs the pain (most days) and I do my best to walk 2 miles or so twice a day at a 4 mph pace or better.

lecounth · April 2014

I found Spinning and other classes at my gym that I like including the instructors. And by going to the same classes, I see the same people and we motivate each other.

I also have found a co-worker to walk with -- we have the same pace so we are good walking partners. We schedule a time to walk each week. Having someone counting on you helps.

Set a mini goal like walking 4 miles a week or getting in 120 minutes of activity and then go for it. I find that if I have a goal in mind I am much more likely to try to reach it.

Oh, and find the *best* time for your workout. I work full time and am a mother+wife+student. I do Spinning classes 2x a week at 5:45 a.m. Yes, it sounds like torture but I'm done with my workout by 6:45 and on with my day. I find that if I "plan" to exercise at some other point in the day, there are too many distractions and other things to derail my plan.

Best of luck finding what works for you!!

HikeCyclist · April 2014

I can't say that I've ever hated exercise, but I do have some advice for you:

1. Don't push yourself so hard when you first start working out. If you do, it'll really turn you off to it. Instead of doing an entire workout video, do half. Instead of running, then walk. But slowly build up to doing more as time goes on and as things become easier.

2. Exercise is something that, once you actually do it, it causes you to want to do it again. It really makes most people feel really good mentally. For me, I am a different person during the times I exercise regularly, and during the times I don't. I mean, from feeling like a miserable lump on a log, to feeling like I have all the energy and joy in the world.

3. Don't worry or get anxious over having to exercise. Don't even think about it until you do it. For example, if I'm feeling tired at work and know that my after-work workout will be difficult, I really try not to even think about it during the day because it bugs me out and makes me really dread doing it. Put simply, don't bug yourself out about having to work out. Just do it when the time for it comes.

4. Instead of "exercising," do something fun that incorporates a good cardio session. Sign up for tennis lessons. Join a swim club. It'll be much more motivating for you. Exercise doesn't have to be boring.

Good luck!

hermann341 · April 2014

Having a SPECIFIC achieveable goal is what helps keep me motivated. When I started running 2.5 years ago, it wasn't enough to just say "I want to get in shape." I therefore chose to run a marathon as my specific goal. I realized it would take some time to get there, but it was something I knew I could accomplish if I desired it and kept working at it. Plus the bling at the end is a nice reminder of you've accomplished. Seven half marathons and two full ones later, I'm working on my third and have no plans to stop running. If you do decide to do something like a marathon, be sure to work up to it in smaller increments.

markybmark83 · April 2014

Thank you all so much for your replies! :happy:

There are some really good points made. I am actually training for a 25k charity walk in June. We are doing reasonably long walks every few weeks. I guess I never really considered that "exercising" as such. Plus as we are upping the distance and are trying to train as a group we can only find time once every few weeks.

I do enjoy it though so I think I need to have my own goal to do my own walks at least once a week. I like the points about music, audio books, pod casts etc...

Having something to aim for might help. Perhaps I will also sign up for a 5k run towards the end of the year to try and get me into running. I would love to be able to 'go out for a run'...

Food for thought (calorie free food too!) - thanks everyone!

cebreisch · April 2014

I hate HATE exercising and have lost my weight really without it.

However, I will say that things have motivated me to move more. Setting a goal to do a charity walk or run is a great idea! My husband did a mini-marathon, and was very happy to be able to say he's done it.

One of the goals I had was we set a goal to go to Disney World last summer. I wanted to be able to walk around. I was able to, and it was fantastic!

Elsie_Brownraisin · April 2014

I think finding something you like is the key and the walking sounds great. I really enjoy walking too

I used to run on a treadmill or ride the stationary bike at the gym (I was too self concious to go running outside) and I absoloutely detested it, no matter how long I persitsted with it. I felt good about doing the couch to 5k on the treadmill, I had a goal, but I still hated it and it certainly affected my motivation to go to the gym.

I swim and lift weights now, both of which I really like. I still have days where I can't be arsed, but nothing like before and I'm almost always in the mood to go walking or swimming outdoors.

I don't know, some people (including myself at one point) thought that the boredom, difficulty or annoyance just meant I wasn't good enough, rather than the activity just wasn't for me. Or that 'excercise' automatically means a treadmill or aerobics class - no problem if that's what you enjoy, but it's not the only form of physical activity. Walking, picking berries and wading through a stream is also exercise.

My husband is an instructor in several outdoor sports and is a fell and road runner - to say he is enthusiastic about exercise is something of an understatement - but he'd have little motivation to exercise if it was in a gym or a class.

AdventureFreak · April 2014

I am not super motivated to exercise. I don't know if anyone really likes it. It is just better than feeling like garbage all the time so I do it. Plus it buys me more room to eat awesome food too!

Capt_Apollo · April 2014

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/08/31/is-it-really-worth-it/

read this and watch the video

sweetpea03b · April 2014

I love to run... but inherited arthritic knees so my body can only handle it a few days/week... the other days I just go for a nice walk around the neighborhood.... listening to tunes on my iphone. It gives me a little bit of "me" time and gets me out of the house. Other days I'll play Wii Fit or Wii Dance.... do some yard work... hubby and I will go to theme parks and do lots of walking... or go hiking or canoing. We try to be active as often as we can. In November I started lifting... and although I don't have the tools yet to get into the really heavy stuff (hoping to soon!) it has really helped kickstart my weightloss and I enjoy it. You just gotta mentally kick yourself in the butt and make it happen until you start loving it... I promise... when you start seeing results, you'll love it. I never got into working out when I had to sit in a gym for hours... but now just choosing to do an activity in the world that will help me lose weight is much more desirable and enjoyable

Good luck!

nik_nak_1983 · April 2014

My family had a running joke about how much I hated exercise, then I started running, circuit training and swimming. For me the key was finding something that fitted into my schedule...don't put yourself out otherwise you won't stick to it, take your gym kit to work and go for a walk around where you work for example. The best bit of advise I ever got about exercise was 'don't be afraid of the sweat!' I really hope you find something you like!

MystikPixie · April 2014

Find a workout buddy. Someone who is about in the same boat as you are fitness wise. And you can challenge each other and make contests out of how much weight you lose.

cwolfman13 · April 2014

I have found that most people who have this problem are under the impression that to "exercise" means they have to be on some machine or going to some gym or prancing around their living room to a DVD....none of which I would enjoy (save for lifting at the gym).

Save for my weight lifting, most of my exercise could largely be considered recreational...I like getting out on my bike a few days per week and doing a nice couple hours on the bike on a Saturday or Sunday morning....I go for the occasional jog and I walk the dog pretty much every morning for a good 3 miles...I take the kids to the pool and we goof around and I squeeze in a few laps...I go hiking quite a bit...I play a little golf here and there, etc.

Exercise doesn't have to mean going to the gym and droning away on some eliptical machine or treadmill (unless that's what you're into)...it doesn't have to mean prancing around your living room to some P30Ds...90xTurbo whatever. I have a hard time believing that people can't find something they enjoy from a recreational standpoint and just do it more often and maybe with some greater intensity for fitness purposes.

HisMandy · June 2014

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/08/31/is-it-really-worth-it/

read this and watch the video

that was awesome

Thanks for posting

ChristineRoze · June 2014

Find a workout buddy. Someone who is about in the same boat as you are fitness wise. And you can challenge each other and make contests out of how much weight you lose.

This is something i really need haha it sucks that none of my friends are at my current goal interests, hopefully i will find someone at the gym to help motivate me.

PinkyPan1 · June 2014

I think it is wonderful that you doing a charity walk. There is your exercise right there. I have never enjoyed exercising since entering adulthood. I never liked to sweat and found it disgusting. Then in January I suffered a heart attack and my doctor told me that I had to walk a mile every day and and lose 10 lbs. Yeah right. One day I decided to walk and guess what? I liked it. I found videos on youtube for walking at home and since spring I have been walking outside. I do 5 miles every morning at sunrise. I am addicted and it is not a workout if I am not dripping in sweat.. I am power walking and losing weight. I have not felt this good in years. I am 53 and I was feeling like I was 63 in January. Now I feel like I am 43. LOL. I get a high from my morning walks and I have no plans to stop.

Motivation (or lack of) to exercise

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