How to get motivated

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Amjonessea
Amjonessea Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
Exercise is my #1 downfall. I know part of the reason is I have a bad attitude towards it and I am full of excuses. Those are things I am working on changing. What I want to know from people who once hated exercise is: HOW DO I GET AND STAY MOTIVATED. I got up this morning at 5:30, went downstairs to do a Jillian Michaels Yoga video, got 5 mins into it and went back upstairs and went to bed. What the heck?!!!! I know there are people out there who are like me. How do you get past it and start to look forward to and LIKE exercise? In my head, the thought oof it sounds good, but when it comes down to doing it, I fall apart. HELP!!!

My excuses: I'm so tired, I have NO time, I need to do X,Y,Z instead, the gym is far (it isn't really), I will be in pain, I ate bad so I don't feel like working out, I have nothing to wear, it is dark out, it is raining out, it is cold out, people will look at me..... it goes on and on and on....

Replies

  • OLP76
    OLP76 Posts: 768 Member
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    :wink: It will come in time. Do a little day by day. This site is awesome for support and motivation people. :wink:
  • bunnyb11
    bunnyb11 Posts: 65 Member
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    Dont feel bad i am the same way...........But i am trying to get in the mind set of i have to move in order to get healthy and to get that body i so want and deserve to have. But i know in my heart i have to work for it.............NO PAIN NO GAIN as the old saying goes. You can do it but you gotta get it in your mindset before i can be done. i used to use every excuse in the book to and i caught myself doing it again last week but you can let yourself do that.................It is battlefield of the mind & i am still fighting it. you are not alone..........
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    I hate the gym. Hate it. But I still find time to exercise. I also kind of hate Jillian Michaels, but that's a personal taste thing.

    I think tho- you might be coming at fitness from a bit of a skewed perspective that makes it kind of a chore rather than something you enjoy. Rather than trying to find a way to make yourself like the exercises you set out for yourself, why not try starting with choosing exercises you like? A lot of people like Zumba, or swimming- I personally do a hell-ton of walking, and yoga is more of a night time activity (it's too restful to do in the morning for me). I even have come to love running because it is a constant set of challenges and goals. Take a dance class, or a martial art instead of paying gym membership.

    The simple answer is that no one can make you, you just have to decide that it is a priority. That being said- there's no reason you shouldn't be enjoying your exercise to begin with.
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,460 Member
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    For me I came to the realization last March that I was going to turn 40 in another year (now less than 1 month away!) I've already dealt with high blood pressure, couldn't run with my kids at soccer practice and was just miserable in what I saw in the mirror or reflections. It was a breaking point for me that got me motivated.
    Beyond that, when I began to see results, that just encouraged me even more. I did go through a plateau that lasted at least a couple of months, but I kept chugging along until I came across MFP and the Couch to 5K program. About 5 months and 35 pounds later, I'm only 7 pounds away from being at a healthy BMI for the first time since high school.
    It is possible...it might take the right motivation or some type of breaking point, but whatever it is...you just have to do it when it is all said and done.
    God bless!
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
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    You have to do various activities until you find something you like. You cannot just exercise every day to lose weight, you will find too many excuses to not do it. Instead do activities you enjoy that are physical.
    I find that if you wake up and put on your workout clothes immediately and know that you cannot continue your day, or change, until you have done your workout it helps get it in. Trying to do it first thing in the morning helps to "get it over with" and has the added benfit of lifting your mood for the day. On days you get up and exercise you rarely "cheat" with food as you are aware of how much work it is to undo your efforts.

    Exercise also boosts your mood and makes you want it more . . . the first bit you will have to talk yourself into it but the good feelings will come if you keep with it.
  • BuceesNana
    BuceesNana Posts: 302 Member
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    I have been like that that before, and I might get like that again, but right now, I am thinking about me and why I need to exercise. I have made a committment to myself to lose the weight. I am finally going to do this for me. I have been using my blog spot to clear my head about things that have been obstacles for me. It has helped tremendously. In order to do this, you have to find your "happy place" and set on a journey to get there and stay there.

    Having some kind of exercise you can do at home without going to the gym or outside helps too. I am lucky enough to have an elliptical trainer and a wii. Both make it much easier for me. I live in what most would call the boonies, in a town with no type of fitness center, so I am all on my own.

    And, I will admit that today, I didn't even get out of bed at 5:15 when the alarm rang. I slept in and skipped my morning workout. But, I will do something tonight, even if it is just a few minutes on the elliptical or a short yoga workout. :)
  • Amjonessea
    Amjonessea Posts: 8
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    Did you complete the Couch to 5K program? That looks very intriguing to me and I want to do it! Just curious how it went for you?
  • yvonnej1
    yvonnej1 Posts: 904 Member
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    What got me motivated and kept me motivated was signing up with a personal trainer, I still see him once a fortnight. He set me a program and I stuck to it otherwise he would've known I wasn't working at it. Now I've got to enjoy exercise but it was the push I needed in the beginning and best thing I've done for years. If I'm tired or fed up I still know that I will feel better after exercise than before. Recently I have signed up for a circuit class with a colleague in the evenings and I know that if I wasn't signed up and she wasn't counting on me to go I would talk myself out of it as I felt too tired.

    I know personal trainers aren't for everyone but maybe you could work with someone else, either a friend in real life or an mfp friend, set yourself a target or work out plan and stick to it. That way you will be accountable.

    I agree with a previous poster about finding an exercise you enjoy. For years I was so jealous of my friends who could go out to the gym as I was stuck at home as I'm a single mum. Now I can go I am making the most of it and I actually feel lucky I can get there.

    Finally I would say, the more you work out, the more you gain in confidence in your own abilities but it's a bit of a vicious circle to start with i.e. no motivation, no confidence, feel bad etc etc. 18 months into using the gym I just get in there and do my thing. I lift weights and am no longer scared of mixing with the big scary men who dominate the weight section.

    Keep at it and I hope you find what suits you soon
  • sicembears
    sicembears Posts: 77 Member
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    I think we've all been there if we're completely honest. You look very young. I know for alot of us 'older' folks it has as much to do with good health and staving off things like heart disease/diabetes, etc than to look good (although that's huge, too).

    I just finished a book, The Life You Want by Bob Greene, and it deals specifically with staying motivated to lose and keep it off once you reach your goals. One of the barriers that hit me between the eyes that keeps me from reaching my weight goal is an aversion to discomfort. I just don't feel like it... and so on and so on. I recommend the book :)

    You have to picture the life you want and then go for it, because you're worth it. Don't let those excuses get in your way of what you want most. Read an excellent quote by an MFP member the other day, "The reason people fail to achieve their goals is because they trade what they want MOST with what they want at the MOMENT."

    Here's to you and your success... now get up, get to the gym, and do something really great for yourself :)
  • chazspk
    chazspk Posts: 159 Member
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    Well i had a giggle when i was reading u went back to bed ..I HATE exercise so ill be reading to see if i can get any motivation from someone...haha... at least u got up...i would not have got that far..
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
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    Set a small goal like going to the gym 2 days a week. Once you reach that increase it.
  • anewattitude
    anewattitude Posts: 483 Member
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    First of all kudos to you for at least attempting to exercise this morning. Even if it was only five minutes, and even if crawled right back to bed, the fact is you made a nominal effort. If it makes you feel better today I put on my workout clothes and well let's just say I'm still in my workout clothes and didn't even bother going to the gym, like I had planned. In my case, I had a very good reason. I was all set to go, looked at the time and realized I had a pressing matter to attend to. It was nearly 1pm and Days of Our Lives was on! We all have those moments where we just don't feel like it and most of us will come up with crazy excuses to avoid exercise. The trick to overcoming that is simply MAKING yourself do it. Most of us dislike having to go to work each day( if you love your job that is terrific) however on a cold, wet, snowy, rainy,, whatever,,,day, most of us dread getting out of bed and going to work but we do it, Why? because we have to. The same is with exercise. We all HAVE to do it to maintain a healthy body but it doesn't have to be a chore ( like work) that we dread doing. Take an activty you love doing and turn it into your own personal fitness regime. If you enjoy dancing, get a dance workout dvd and shake your groove thang while burning those crazy cals! If you enjoy walking then throw on some warm clothes if its cold where you live and get outside! Start off slowly and work your way. Today you did 5 mins of yoga so tomorrow do 10 mins or more of something. YOU CAN DO THIS! If you are a competitive person then I challenge you to work out tomorrow then you can message me and tel me what you did so I can top it! :) yep.... I am competitive that way.

    All kidding aside.. you just need to put yourself in a positive and determined state of mindl. We all have our days when we are not motivated.... today was yours and mine, Tomorrow or some day soon you will be responding to someone else who is having trouble getting started :)

    best of luck

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