How to get my butt to the gym?

2

Replies

  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
    it takes 6 weeks to form a new habit. so in those first 6 weeks, you will have to push yourself to do something new. It takes time making something a routine. Just go do it.
  • sino19
    sino19 Posts: 50 Member
    :laugh: I have the same problem. BUMP
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
    I have my gym bag in my car ALWAYS. Packed with all the options, including a bathing suit.

    I schedule time on my calendar.

    Over time, it will become part of your routine. Heck, you will start to look forward to it.

    I have a stressful job, and have found that lifting all the weights in the gym really helps me process my day. It has become to the point that when I DON'T go the gym, I feel sh!tty.

    ETA: Set goals for yourself. Small, manageable steps increase your likelihood of success. Goal #1: get to the gym X # of times per week. Do 10 minutes. You will find that you will almost always overshoot your goal this way. Good luck!
  • Cfkearney
    Cfkearney Posts: 197 Member
    It's easy for some people to stop making excuses and go. It wasn't for me. And even when I went I didn't push myself to my limits. I thought I was but I wasn't. I signed up with a personal trainer. It is kind of expensive, but I know I'm doing the exercises right (I'm also a newb) and I know I'm pushing myself to my limits because she has more confidence in my abilities than I do. :) Also, its on my schedule. Having someone I'm accountable to helps a lot. Accountable to being there on time, pushing myself, and to stick to an eating plan that will help me get the results I'm working for in the gym.
  • brewinggirl_butskinnier
    brewinggirl_butskinnier Posts: 108 Member
    I play mental games with myself. If I'm feeling really unmotivated and tired, I make a deal. Well just start the workout...if you feel *really* crappy after 10 minutes...you can quit.

    But honestly, once I'm 10 minutes into it, I pretty much never quit. I think the only time I did (in years) I stopped and went to go puke. So...yeah. Probably shouldn't have been working out that day lol.

    I do have my workouts on my calendar and I think that helps as well.
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
    I go right after work, have my gymbag in the car, and just drive there. Sometimes I'm just in there for 15 minutes, but I'm building the habit
  • joanthemom8
    joanthemom8 Posts: 375 Member
    I have actually thought of going to bed in my workout clothes so there would be one less thing to do in the morning. Short of that, I make sure I have EVERYTHING ready the night before...down to my keys..water is in the fridge, my little fanny pack I take is ready. My shoes are even untied- clothes are ready to go, coffee is programmed to perk just before I get up so I can have a cup before I go. I go to the gym around 4:30 or 5 in the morning. It works best for me... Good luck! :smile:
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    I've been working out six days a week for years. I have another (my 8th marathon) next year. Working out/going to the gym is like remembering to brush my teeth. Its a healthy habit. If I don't, I feel icky. If you have a problem "remembering" you need to make it a priority on your to do list for the day, like showering. Pack your clothes the night before if need be. Work your schedule around going yo the gym (if you need to be up earlier to get it in, so be it).
  • TiffieLand
    TiffieLand Posts: 159
    If you can't go to the gym then make your home the gym. I hate going to gym because I have to bring clothes,walk,change, don't have time to study blah blah excuses so I don't have to go so I just do it at home.
  • JDearman143
    JDearman143 Posts: 48 Member
    I HAVE to go right after work.. Cause once I'm home, I'm home.. So, I pack my gym clothes with me to work.. Put them on after I clock off and drive myself to the gym to get it done.. And I try not to let myself think about where I'm heading! lol

    Another thing that helps is my 3 year old son.. He LOVES going to the gym daycare and playing.. So, I kiss him good bye when I'm dropping him off at daycare in the morning and get him excited to go the the gym when mama gets done with work so that way mentally I know he's expecting to go and I can't let my boy down.. =)
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
    I just go. I try to make excuses every single morning but I do it anyway.

    I do have a routine though: I shower the night before, lay out my workout clothes and prep my breakfast in advance. This way I can roll out of bed and go in total zombie mode.
  • GDLAZ
    GDLAZ Posts: 3,784 Member
    Easy, I don't do gyms. I work out at home...
  • Muddy_Yogi
    Muddy_Yogi Posts: 1,459 Member
    Get up and do it...stop making excuses...what works for one person will not work for all. If you want it bad enough you will do it.
  • Vincentsz
    Vincentsz Posts: 407 Member
    A car works!
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
    Get up and do it...stop making excuses...what works for one person will not work for all. If you want it bad enough you will do it.

    Yeah this too. Tough love time.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    Make a plan for the week of when you're going to go, and stick to it. It doesn't have to be at any set time of the day, just when you're free. I like to vary things and do different classes so I don't get bored.
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    Treat it like your job.

    Do you always leap out of bed smiling at the thought of going to work? I don't. But I go anyway.

    If you wouldn't call in sick to work, don't skip the gym. "I don't feel like it," isn't a good enough excuse.
  • pplastics
    pplastics Posts: 135 Member
    I remind myself that I never regret working out.

    But, I do regret NOT exercising because then I have fewer calories I can eat!!! I take one day a week off and it is usually my toughest day to get through calorie-wise.
  • Woodspoon
    Woodspoon Posts: 223 Member
    It's quite simple just don't let yourself make excuses. That's it.

    ^^ This
    Unless you're physically unable to go, broken legs, missing eyes, no head, heart removed or something then anything else is just an excuse.
    Excuses are just lies you tell yourself to get out of doing something.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    This is how I do it.

    The night before...
    1) Announce to your MFP friends that you WILL be getting up @ 5:00am to go to the gym the next morning.
    2) Pack you gym bag, complete with body wash, shampoo, facial cleanser, body powder, deodorant, hair mousse, hair spray, comb/brush, 2 large towels, scrubby wash cloth, sweat towel, shower shoes, bra, panties, socks, Sketcher work shoes.
    3) Hang jeans and blouse on hanger.
    4) Lay out sports bra, booty shorts, neon racerback tank, socks & workout shoes (New Balance for cardio days, chucks for lifting days)
    5) Prepare breakfast and lunch, pack in lunch bag and store in the fridge.
    6) Prepare coffee maker and set on auto-brew for 5:00am, prepare gym water bottle.
    7) Make sure iPod is charging.
    8) Get to bed at a reasonalbe hour, lights out by 10:30pm for me.

    The morning of...
    1) The alarm goes off. Hit the snooze once. While laying in bed trying to ignore that fact that I have made a commitment, go through my workout in my head. Remember how awesome I feel getting 3+miles on the treadmill or lifting heavy while most people are still in bed. Remember that I have never once regretted a workout, but I have regretted being a lazy-*kitten* instead.
    2) The alarm goes off again. Log into MFP. Read notes from friends "are you at the gym yet???" Yes, this does happen!!
    3) Get up, get coffee, get dressed, grab gym bag, clothes, lunch bag, water bottle, iPod, earbuds and (this is MOST IMPORTANT) a to-go coffee cup to drink while showering and dressing for work.
    4) Out the door to start a great day.
  • MYhealthyjourney70
    MYhealthyjourney70 Posts: 276 Member
    I go to the gym after work in the afternoons so i go directly there from work.. my gym bag is in the car.. the route i take home i actually pass the gym before my house so no excuses...
  • DvlDwnInGA
    DvlDwnInGA Posts: 368 Member
    I am not a morning person. I decided to not try to confuse myself and convince myself that I was. I found a good workout split that suits me and still allows me to get 5 days in a week. It works for me, you have to find your 45 minutes a day to do it. It is there, you just have to think outside the box.

    You just have to do it. If you want to be healthy and look like the people who actually exercise, you are going to need to exercise. It is really that simple. You are not going to get the body you want by making excuses.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    Put your big girl panties on and do it. Personally, I do sleep in workout clothes. It helps 9 times out of 10.
  • kaspatore
    kaspatore Posts: 95 Member
    how about...don't go to the gym? Go outside and run, or stay inside and do a workout DVD.
  • aimforhealthy
    aimforhealthy Posts: 449 Member
    If you truly feel that the gym is the best place for you to exercise (it's certainly not the ONLY place!) then experiment with going first thing in the morning instead of after work or during lunch. That way you've "gotten it out of the way" first thing. It works for me!
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Pre-log your exercise. I go in the morning at 5:00 a.m. If by 4 I'm trying to talk myself out of it, I pre-log it.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,407 Member
    The hardest part about going to the gym is actually going to the gym.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    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

    You just decide to do that.

    At some point you have to commit.
  • JeriAnne84
    JeriAnne84 Posts: 543 Member
    Nothing motivates me in the morning except to stay in bed. That's why I work out at night. I don't have the money for a gym membership, but I do work out DVDs at home. I motivate myself by how awesome I know I will feel about myself afterwards and to go hard because then I'll get super sweaty and the shower after a really sweaty workout is always the best. Plus I want to be a sexy beast so that's always a motivation.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    I go in the morning before work.

    The only way this works for me is to have all work clothes and toiletries packed and ready to go, lunch made and packed as well. If I stopped to do that in the morning I'd get to work late - or forget something important, like my shoes. Been there, done that.

    The only excuse I allow for not doing my regular routine if I'm healthy is being out of town and not having free weights available. But, I'll still run, even on a holiday. On a treadmill if I have to, outside if I can.

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