Got a gym membership...

Options
A month ago and I've gone 3 times in that time frame. Yikes. I need to go more. How do you motivate yourself to go?

Replies

  • Nojoke81
    Nojoke81 Posts: 131
    Options
    I'm too cheap to allow the gym to rip me off by hardly going. Get your moneys worth.
  • icck
    icck Posts: 197 Member
    Options
    I'm too cheap to allow the gym to rip me off by hardly going. Get your moneys worth.
    Haha this ^. I'm a cheapskate. I can't abide by the thought of paying that much a month then not using the membership - just think what else I could've wasted that money on! ;)
  • jlahorn
    jlahorn Posts: 377 Member
    Options
    Always have a gym bag packed and ready to go. Go straight from work to the gym.

    Works for me.
  • nleaverton
    nleaverton Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    I just got a gym membership as well. I automatically signed up with a trainer for my first few sessions to ensure that I go. It's more money but its a scheduled appointment that I can't miss. If I miss it I lose that money. Its built in accountability.
  • Nojoke81
    Nojoke81 Posts: 131
    Options
    Having a partner / spouse or whatever will also help if they're on the same mission. Someone who'll literally get your *kitten* out of the house to go to the gym.
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    Options
    I've resorted to going to a gym that is right downstairs of my work. This way I have no reason NOT to go either during my lunch hour (which is most of the time) or directly after work. The best part is also that it is $20 bucks and it is two doors away downstairs of my building.

    Also, the self guilt trip is another way I stay motivated too (in other words the whole cheapskate thing others have mentioned). :wink:
  • drewba13
    drewba13 Posts: 47 Member
    Options
    I'm too cheap to allow the gym to rip me off by hardly going. Get your moneys worth.

    Yeah it helps me to think of a gym membership as a time/money investment. If I pay $40/month for a membership but only go once a week, that's a $10 visit to ride a bike and lift weights for an hour, what a ripoff! Make it a routine, habits are easy to continue once you get going.
  • jmc0806
    jmc0806 Posts: 1,444 Member
    Options
    It took me 2 years after I got a membership to finally get myself there. I regret that now and I'm making up for it to make all the wasted money worth it, mines only $10 a month though (no, not a planet fitness)
  • Mikkimeow
    Mikkimeow Posts: 1,282 Member
    Options
    I consulted my mfp friends, and found a plethora of ways to make myself go work out. I only have time in the morning, so here are my tricks:

    *I set my alarm to play Kanye West's "Power". Not exactly a night night sleepy tune
    *I have my coffee start five minutes before I wake up, immediately makes me want to go grab some
    *I tell people I am working out. It makes it difficult to skip a work out when your husband or co worker is going to ask how it went
    *I keep gym clothes in my car, office, and on my dresser. There is never an excuse of not having gym clothes on me
    *I set a weekly goal of at least 3 trips to the gym. If I make it, I get fro yo or a mini trip to Sephora
    *I buy new gym clothes all the time. Makes me want to actually go to the gym and show them off!
    *I imagine myself in a year, what kind of person I could be if I don't give up
  • Jim_Barteck
    Jim_Barteck Posts: 274 Member
    Options
    Stop regarding it as optional. If you're trying to lose weight, it's not optional. You either want to lose weight or you don't. You have to change your mindset and make it every bit as much of your daily routine as brushing your teeth or taking a shower. But as long as you look at it as something you can choose not to do, you've already proven to yourself that you're going to make the choice not to do it, pretty much, at all.
  • bdenitto
    bdenitto Posts: 210 Member
    Options
    I make it part of my daily schedule. I pick classes that have firm start and ending times. I also go in the morning, so that it isn't hanging over my head all day.
  • bergpa
    bergpa Posts: 148 Member
    Options
    A lot of times now I just go for 30 minutes. If I was trying to go for longer periods of time I wouldn't end up going very often. Also having a gym that is close by helps.
  • WonkaCat
    WonkaCat Posts: 42
    Options
    Always have a gym bag packed and ready to go. Go straight from work to the gym.

    Works for me.

    That's what works for me too. If I stop at home after work, I'll more than likely not go to the gym so not stopping is a must for me.
  • Breezy0987
    Breezy0987 Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    Schedule it into you day, go with a friend or make a friend at the gym. I go with my mom right after work so thats our routine.
  • chubby_checkers
    chubby_checkers Posts: 2,354 Member
    Options
    *I set a weekly goal of at least 3 trips to the gym. If I make it, I get fro yo or a mini trip to Sephora

    I really like this idea.