How to get my butt to the gym?

It's quite simple just don't let yourself make excuses. That's it.

I live in my exercise clothes not only are they comfy but whenever i get that urge to go all i do is have to walk out the door! i find the hardest part about dragging myself to the gym is actually getting off the couch and going out the door. I don't tell myself i have to go to the gym i tell myself all i have to do is walk out the door!

I put my gym clothes on first thing every morning (other than my 1 day off a week). On a school day I go straight to the gym after taking the kids to school. Everything else gets done when I'm back from the gym or my run. Actually, I am much more efficient after working out!
If the hardest thing is getting off the couch then don't get on the couch. You'll always feel 100x better and more energised after exercising.
On days when I feel really tired or have low energy, I just make myself go and tell myself that I'll just do 30mins instead of 1hr. Once I get moving I no longer feel tired and end up doing my 1hr session anyway.

I exercise at night (24 hour gym) 6 days a week, motivation for me is easy, I want to be fit and healthy and just don't make any excuses.

I am a newbie at getting to the gym. I wouldn't do it if I didn't have a PT session. However, I do lay out my work out clothes the night before (and pack my work clothes, etc) , get up 45 minutes before I go, eat my protein bar, get to the gym to make sure I am on the treadmill for 5 -10 full minutes before my trainer is ready at 6 am. I go two days a week for 30 minutes.

I fill in with Barre3 the other 5 days, and walking. I wear a Nike Fuel Band to record all physical activity. I think the main mistake I could make is to go to a gym 7 days a week. Other people live for it daily.

Set up your plan, follow your plan. Put it into your schedule and do it just like you would a meeting or anything else you schedule

This is what I do. I treat it like my job.

I think choosing a workout that you enjoy will help as well. I rarely want to skip lifting. But everyone has those days, so I just don't let skipping be an option. It's amazing how much difference it makes to just not entertain any thoughts of not going. It's not a matter of whether or not I'm going to work out. Just "it's Monday so it's bench day." Period.

i set an alarm with a motivating song instead of a buzzer. i set it for about ten minutes before i actually want to get up, so i can hit snooze once.

i lay out all my work clothes the night before, and make sure my bag is packed with anything and everything i need if i'm going to work or somewhere after the gym instead of home.

i make sure my devices are all charged. i'm not going to skip a run or whatever if my mp3 player isn't charged.

i set up the coffee pot, with the automatic timer. by the time i wake up and pee, my kitchen smells like morning.

i review my work out plan. am i going for a long bike ride, or am i doing hill repeats? am i dead lifting, or overhead pressing. i mentally prepare for the next day.

in the morning i often still don't want to wake up. but after all that preparation i feel bad not going to work out.

but the most important thing is that i signed up for a race a while back. see, there is a big difference between exercising and training. when you're just exercising to exercise, you can find excuses to skip things. when you're training for an event, you have purpose and direction.

Question for ya'll...

What's your best method for actually GOING to the gym 3-4 times a week...sleep in workout clothes? have your gym back ready and roll on out to the gym when the alarm goes off? any tips would help!

Julia

It's not easy is it. I went 4 times a week for about 6 weeks, I'd get home from work, get dressed and walk over there. It became part of my routine and I made sure not to make plans to interrupt that. Then I had a few commitments that meant I didn't go to the gym for a few days. That was 2 weeks ago and I haven't set foot in the gym since.
So for me, I need to be better at saying no to other social events etc during my allocated gym time in the evening, as it only takes a few days for the routine to be ruined! I think setting a routine is key.
I'm well aware that I am lazy and have never been naturally energetic or full of beans, and I hate mornings so I am never going to be up at 6am and bouncing to the gym!

Hope to hear you've got there tomorrow.

I agree its got to be part of your routine, just like work or your shower, or a meal. Just the same as if you had a couple of weeks holiday from work, you have to go back. Its hard to get up those first couple of days, but you gotta do it. Treat your workout the same.

Two things

1. Go straight to the gym after work, no putting it off or stopping somewhere on the way. I don't go in the morning, nobody will rip me away from my cozy bed a minute before I need to be

2. Gym time is play time, I listen to my favorite music while doing my strong lifts program, then watch netflix on my smart phone while on the elliptical. I rarely sit down to watch TV at home, that's what the gym/elliptical is for. Godda catch my programs am i right?

It usually works best if you get your whole person to the gym. I know my butt is probably what needs the most work and the most frequent work, but it can't go in by itself and leave the rest of me outside.

OP, you just go. Fake it. Tell yourself that you already love going there and that it's your thing. Eventually you'll be in the habit of going.

You mean as opposed to skipping it? Do you also skip brushing your teeth or taking a shower so you can sleep in later?

There are consequences for not working out, just as there's consequences for not showering or brushing your teeth. There's no "I don't feel like it" in my house. You do it because that's what you are supposed to do.

i have things set up so that i hit the gym on my way home from work. it's actually a really easy detour, and spending 45-60 minutes at the gym means the worst of the rush hour traffic clears up by the time i'm heading home. there are multiple locations, so even on nights when i have something else going on, there's still a gym i can go to after work.

i keep my gym bag in the car so that no matter what, it's always with me. on the days when i need to do laundry or swap clothes, i'll put the bag right in front of the door so i don't forget it.

it's basically just a matter of building the time into your schedule, and then making sure that going is a good experience rather than one you hate. if you enjoy it, it becomes a positive reinforcement and you're more likely to build it into a habit rather than a once-in-a-while thing. just remember that making the small goals of going each day (or every other day, whichever you're going to do) and accomplishing it makes it that much easier to do it again the next time.

When you want to do it, you just do.

Everyone has their own way.

I would pack and have a bag ready, but I'd always double-check to make sure I had what I needed, so I'm not sure why I bothered packing.

Just start doing it, and eventually it will become routine. I used to go after work, and half of the time I would skip because I had a long day and didn't want to go. I am NOT a morning person, but I recently started going in the morning before work. The first few times I had to basically have my husband drag myself there, now it is just my routine and I never skip morning workouts. Also, not letting yourself let you skip, like someone else said, treat it like a job, you have to go. Don't let skipping happen, and your excuse for skipping is probably not very good, so stop making excuses. Good luck!

If you're really lazy, like me, start small. I mean really small!

When I started working out I only worked out like ten minutes on the treadmill the first week. I even started out at only 1 minute two years ago, for the first two weeks, maybe three! LOL!

Your mind and body may be overwhelmed if you start out too big or think too big.

Good luck!

I agree with the advice above, it was a mental challenge for me at first, I was SO out of shape that the thought of exercising was scary because I felt like I couldn't do anything that was actually going to be a "workout". I got freaked out trying to create a perfect exercise regimen than I didn't do anything.

Pick something, and get going.