Why is this so hard...

hotpickles
hotpickles Posts: 639 Member
edited September 24 in Fitness and Exercise
I just want to say I went for a nice long outdoor walk today and absolutely loved it!

Having said that, I'm still really struggling with a lot of things. I for the most part, feel very lazy, demotivated, and out of shape. Part of this reason (okay, most of this reason) is due to the fact I have no set schedule. I am literally bored. I don't work (I'm in the process of trying to find something) and I'm not in school anymore. A lot of you would probably love to have some of my free time, but trust me when I say, it's not that great!

Yes, I go to bed too late and get up too late. I'm actually working on that. Each day, I get up about 15-30 minutes earlier than the day before. While this is all great, I'm up, and then I'm like - okay, NOW what am I supposed to do??

I used to curse my schedule. I'd long for the days when I could sleep in. You know what though? That schedule made me feel so much better! I ate at regular intervals, I was busy for the day, I had my set exercise times. Everything was so lovely.

I should be taking advantage of this, but it's almost like I've fallen into a deep dark hole of perma-lazy. I have a plethora of workout tools at my disposal. As funny/weird/strange as this may sound, I quit a lot of them because they were too long, or I got too bored doing them. That was because I'm so used to being bored, that I got bored! You would think that even having an hour of working out would give me something to do and to look forward to.

I feel lazy and tired and demotivated because I've let myself become this way. Because I don't fill my day with activities. Thankfully I started walking again outdoors, and have audio books to listen too. But I want to do more. It's almost as if when you don't have enough to do, or enough to stimulate you on a regular basis, you just start getting even more bored and demotivated, you know?

So I suppose I'm looking for any sort of encouragement on how to break out of this slump.

Thanks :)

Replies

  • choley222
    choley222 Posts: 57
    I went through this same thing when I got laid off last year. I used to hate my hectic schedule with the kids and work but then when I didn't have it I just laid around. I joined a work out group that motivated me to push myself to get up everyday. The other thing you could do is try something different than your work out DVD's or get a new one that's unlike any of the one's you have. When I finally used my time to my advantage I dropped 20 lbs in two months. Of course now that I working again it isn't coming off that quick. So take full advantage of the time you have.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    Sleep in your workout clothes so you can just wake up and exercise. Doesn't matter what time you wake up, if you get up and get going, it will set a better tone for your whole day.

    Just because you don't have schedule doesn't mean you can't have a schedule. Plan your meals- even pack your lunches the night before to give you a sense of work normalcy.

    I too have felt the boredom of being home all day. My advice, create a schedule- make a to-do list, and plan out how you will do those things.

    Good luck!
  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
    Maybe you can see if there are walking clubs in your area (or maybe if you're very outgoing you could start one!). That way, you'd have other people to answer to and scheduled exercise. I also suspect you might start to feel a little better getting some socialization with people who have similar interests.
  • fantm
    fantm Posts: 87 Member
    Find some volunteer activities and sign up for them. Then you have something to work around, and you can fit in a workout before/after each activity. And then when you find a job, you will be in the habit. The volunteering will give you something worthwhile to look forward to as well.

    if you can afford an exercise class, that's another option. Pay the money and you might feel you HAVE to show up to get your money's worth.
  • hotpickles
    hotpickles Posts: 639 Member
    Thanks for all your wonderful advice!

    I do live outside of the city, so there really isn't any volunteer/exercise groups out here.

    I think what I might do is try a brand new workout program I never have before. The only thing that worries me is I try to be perfect. Even before I begin this workout tomorrow, I will think to myself - oh but I have to drink a gallon of water, and eat perfectly, and do all the moves the people do in the video/all the moves I set out for myself to do. Then I think, oh why bother starting this workout if it involves a lot of jumping around, because if I move one of these days, I won't be able to jump around in a condo with people below.

    Of course, if I don't start having more energy and sleeping better right that day, I'll be discouraged the workout isn't working. Or if I don't notice any results after a week, I'll get discouraged.

    So yeah, I just need to start. I can't start following a schedule and doing good things for me if I don't start.
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