New and hoping for motivation!! :)

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Raw07
Raw07 Posts: 206
in Introduce Yourself
I have been wanting to lose weight for a while but can never seem to get motivated.
It just seems like I never have the time and I live in a small town so there is not a place to go out and exercise at, which would be great to have a friend to do this with.
I have 3 children,a husband, run a daycare center for children at home, and im taking university classes online, and each one of those things seem to have 50 things attached to that that needs to be done. lol

I am just having a hard time to stay motivated, finding the time. Monday was my start date, I have started watching what I eat but yet I havent found the time to work out. I do have a elliptical, WII fit and WII active, work out DVDs to work with, and once the snow is gone, Im hoping to be able to do some walking.

I guess what I really would like to know is, how do you stay motivated? How do you find the time?
I need all the advice I can get :)

Thank you!!!

Replies

  • ErrataCorrige
    ErrataCorrige Posts: 649 Member
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    MFP and all the friends I have made on here really keep me motivated. When I just think I don't have the energy to work out everyone here encourages me, and when I do work out it's nice to get all the pats on the back. Add me if you like and we can keep each other motivated!
  • christy_frank
    christy_frank Posts: 680 Member
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    I work out with my husband 3 times/week, Zumba 2 times/week and Kickboxing once a week. It is hard but I know that I MUST do this. It really helps that my husband and I are in this together. I work full time, have 4 young children so I understand how busy life can be. I will friend request you.
  • mimivillaruel
    mimivillaruel Posts: 9
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    we're somehow on the same boat. in my case, i have been forever trying to lose this excess weight! i finally found the motivation a month ago. i noticed that what works for me is really scheduling my exercise. we need to really set aside even just 10 minutes daily to do some exercise.

    i still can't say anything about staying motivated, though, because i just started exercising in a gym more than three weeks ago. so far, it's been great.

    i signed up for MFP only today. i wanna track my calorie intake and learn from the other members.
  • jenrobyoung
    jenrobyoung Posts: 37
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    I know when I was working and going to school full time I was having a hard time keeping focused. I tried to manage what I could which was my food intake and choices. I slowing started to work in small streignth training sessions. 10 min here, 15 min there until I could find a time for a long walk or work out of 30 + min. Now that Im not in school it makes it easier, but it is about taking advantage of the little time gaps in your day to take care of yourself. I know you can do it and find something that works for you.
  • marielle06
    marielle06 Posts: 1
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    I LOVE walking! it's great and it doesnt even seem like your exercising. if you can, walk to your kids school and get them if you live near the school. My motivation is that im on my boyfriend's gym membership, so his family pays for it so i have to go with them, and they're all trying to lose weight as well so i do it with them.
  • corblou
    corblou Posts: 4 Member
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    Hi there! It is really difficult to find the time when you have a family. I know first hand. Your workouts don't have to be all at once to start out with. Just take 15 minutes and get some cardio going. The dance games for Wii are very challenging and although I look like an idiot when I'm doing it, no one else is there to see it so it doesn't matter! Your kids can join in the action with something like that. Making it a family affair makes it more fun. If you can find 15 minutes twice a day, you will see that you will start to want more and you will make time in your schedule. You are worth it, aren't you? You want to be healthy for you and your family. For myself, I want to teach my kids about exercise so that when they are out on their own, exercise will be a way of life that they make time for. You can do this and we can do it together!
  • mariasheehan
    mariasheehan Posts: 335
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    Hi Heather and welcome to MFP.

    I have a toddler and 4 stepchildren, so I know exactly where you're coming from, it can be hectic at times. The thing is I don't put too much of an emphasis on 'working out', I'm always on my feet, which I can only imagine you are too?? I use a HRM (heart rate monitor) to track how many calories I burn completing every day activities, like running around after kids, making dinner, walking to the store etc and it's amazing how many calories I actually burn.

    My BP was high last summer so decided to drop some weight, my motivation comes from a fear of having a heart attack and dying like my dad did. The thoughts of leaving my baby daughter, step kids and wonderful husband behind is enough to keep me out of the fridge :-).

    It also helps to have this website, support, advice, articles to read in the forums etc. I also hated how my clothes felt when I was overweight. It actually hurt to relax in jeans, I was still in my maternity jeans 9 months after having my daughter, not a good look!!!

    I'm so happy now, I feel fantastic and I can keep up with the children and have amazing stamina. I never deprive myself, I just eat the things I love in moderation. And it works!!!!!

    Please friend me if you'd like support! or email me if you need anything at all.

    Good luck on your journey!!!!!!! Maria :wink:
  • AngBenM
    AngBenM Posts: 8
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    I am also new and was overwhelmed today by the number of people who responded to my post. This place is awesome and if you can add some friends and make sure to lean on them when you need help, we can all succeed together!
  • MelissaG36
    MelissaG36 Posts: 38
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    I know exactly how you feel. I am a mother of 3, an organizer of a Stay at Home moms group, not doing the school thing but my hubby is, so between him at work or doing homework, Im pretty much a single mother of 4, LOL! I stay so busy during the day that I didnt eat til dinner time, which is the only time we all are together at the same time, & I could eat as much as my husband. Now I set the alarm on my phone to remind me. I started last week, tracked my calories, had a good week, but havent got a chance to work out either due to being sick. Seems like its always something. But just cause we do not get a work out that consists of being in a gym or hopping around the living room to a video, doesnt mean were not excercising. I vaccum, sweep, mop, run up & down stairs at least 30 times a day, I pick up my boys to put them into shopping carts, in & out of the van, I barely get to sit down at all! So who says were not exercising, Im still losing & actually starting to get a little more energy to do everything I do.

    As for my motivation, we are moving to the Beach! Plus none of my summer clothes fit from last year & since I refuse to buy anymore big clothes, thats what keeps me going :O)

    Hope this helps! You can do it, we all can, we just have to tweek out lives & prove to ourselves that we are just as important as the rest of our family :O)
  • MoonMyst3
    MoonMyst3 Posts: 423 Member
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    What has motivated me to start working out is the wonderful people I have met here on MFP and their support. Through them I discovered the message board and a group of ladies doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I have had the DVD since last summer but it was still in the package. :blushing: I decided that I wanted to take the challenge and do this along with umpteen other ladies so I did and now I'm on Day 3 of Level 1. Some ladies are ahead of me and some are behind in their starting dates but most post their results, progress and words of encouragement. These posts are what motivate me when I don't feel like working out. I struggled with getting started on something before but now I feel accountable to these ladies and don't want to let them down - or myself for that matter! You might want to try looking for something like this to motivate you and if you want to join in this with us, just let me know and I will send you the topic info or you can look at my message board. Take care... and you can do this!! :wink:

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