I'm having a really hard time "starting" to exercise. Help!

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  • Freyja2023
    Freyja2023 Posts: 158 Member
    pinterest is a good place to find slow cooker recipes and freezer meal recipes. You could also get your active three year old to work out with you when you have time in the evenings. When my boys were little I made them dumbbells outs of cardboard tubes and construction paper so that they could work out with me. Youtube is also a great place to find quick 10 minute workouts. You don't have to do a full hour in one sitting, but 10 minutes a day can help you lead up to longer workouts eventually.
  • carroyo1986
    carroyo1986 Posts: 16
    DanaHerro wrote: »
    With your schedule you need to get your *kitten* up and do it first thing in the morning.
    MAKE YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE to you and to someone else. Find someone on here that you can check in with and who will give you pure hell for NOT doing it if you say you are going to.

    I wake up at 4:45 and workout at 5am at least 3 out of the 5 weekdays...usually 4.
    Bed is comfy. Bed is nice. It's warm and cozy. But it doesn't burn calories.
    I don't want to get out of bed most days, but I do it because I have to and that's when it fits my schedule. After about 3 weeks, my body was TOTALLY used to getting up.
    I also love that it's DONE for the day by 6am and I only need one shower...

    No one said that this was going to be easy. It's not. If it was, everyone would be doing it. But you are awesome. Awesome people get their *kitten* up and work for what they want. DO IT! ;)

    Thank you! I love the "Bed is comfy..." quote. I blew it up and posted it up on my wall so it's the first thing I see when I get up. =)

    Now to find someone who will make me accountable for my morning workouts. =)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »
    carroyo1986 wrote: »
    4. I have tried waking up in the morning an hour before to try an exercise, but my energy level is still very low and I just get lazy and don't get up.


    On this point, just do it. It may be tough at first, but make it a habit - you'll get used to it.

    OR ....wake up 10 minutes early and do a 10 minute workout. Then after a week or two, make that a 20 minute workout, then 30 minutes, etc. Google 10 minute workouts....there are a bunch. They make 10 Minute Solution DVDs too.

    Aim for some kind of progress. Even baby steps are progress.
  • ohpiper
    ohpiper Posts: 697 Member
    For me, it came to doing my workouts at 5:30 a.m. That was the only time of the day I could get them in due to a heavy work/travel schedule. As for starting, it helped me to have event goals, such as a run or a tri as a target. That gave me incentive. To me, routine is also important. Once you get started, keep going. Momentum helps.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    You have an insane work schedule. Can you squeeze extra activity in your day, like taking the stairs? I wear a Fitbit and track my steps daily. I met some warehouse ladies who with their step counters found out that they were getting in more than the Canada Health guidelines every day just running around the warehouse. Your body adapts to the new norm pretty quickly, and you will get to a place where exercise is invigorating.
  • TossaBeanBag
    TossaBeanBag Posts: 458 Member
    Don’t be upset by the results you didn’t get with the work you didn’t do.
  • dramaqueen45
    dramaqueen45 Posts: 1,009 Member
    Do you have an hour lunch? If so use 25 minutes of it and spend the rest of it walking, jogging, go to the gym to lift, etc. If you really want it you will find the time to do it. You need to also find something that you really enjoy so you will look forward to it and really miss it when you can't do it for a day. I cannot exercise in the morning either- I am half asleep, but now I am walking thirty minutes after work. And my husband has picked up on helping more around the house. Tonight he actually made dinner. Hmmmm.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    When you cook double the recipe and put half in the freezer for another day. Most things freeze okay.
    Use a slow cooker.
    Make a large pot of soup once a week. Have leftovers.
    Trade off cooking duties with your spouse.
    Eat low prep items like eggs, sandwiches, or pasta.

    Exercise doesn't have to take hours every day. You could do short workouts. You can combine exercise with other tasks. Dance or walk while your food cooks for example.
    If you work in an office you could do some exercises at your desk. Look up chair workouts.
  • shani_fitness
    shani_fitness Posts: 7
    Try bodybuilding.com - they have plans , for beginners too, and for busy people. I'm using it (: I recently started the plan called "Rewired", but there is one especially for busy people.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    It's 20-30 minutes of your day.

    When you're ready, you'll do it. :)
  • soosun
    soosun Posts: 129 Member
    Exercise during commercial breaks on TV. You can get in about 20 minutes during a one hour show.
  • LabAgility
    LabAgility Posts: 120 Member
    I have been doing videos with my kids - 2 and 3 year old boys. They really enjoy playing with me, even to the cheesy 80's aerobics video I did last night. When they get bored they go play for a bit, but they always come back to join in. :-)
  • carroyo1986
    carroyo1986 Posts: 16
    Thanks everyone for your input! So many great ideas that seriously made me think "how was that not obvious before".

    One of the things was I have always gotten my hour lunch, but being a manager sometimes I would just choose to not take it. Nobody was telling me "don't take lunch", I just chose to. Bad choice. So now i'm choosing to take my morning and afternoon 10-15 minute breaks (with another co-worker) and walk.

    Yesterday was my first "official" workout where I went to a park nearby and walked/run for 30 minutes. Today, my gym bag is packed again and i'm ready for another walk in the park. Going to increase my 30 minutes to 40 minutes today.

    I am feeling a little under the weather today but drinking lots of tea and hoping that can help out a little.

    Again thank you everyone for all the wonderful tips. =)
  • Sugarbeat
    Sugarbeat Posts: 824 Member
    If you have a smart phone look up the Pacer app. Its a pedometer but you can keep track over time and it hooks up to MFP (though I haven't figured out how to make MFP show my steps). I've found this to be really helpful. I started just seeing how many steps I do in a day and have been adding to it a little every week. Now I miss it if I haven't gotten in my steps.
  • cierrashadows
    cierrashadows Posts: 21
    Girl, don't be using that 7-7 thing as an excuse! I have work an academy classes and am gone from 8:30-10:45. You basically just have to force yourself to get up early and workout! (*or after work!) Winter time makes it sooooo much harder to get started in my opinion. I just want to hibernate and stay in bed all day. But if I force myself I will get up and do it! I always think about the disappointing feeling in myself I will have later in the day if I don't work out and it usually get me going!
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    carroyo1986 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for your input! So many great ideas that seriously made me think "how was that not obvious before".

    One of the things was I have always gotten my hour lunch, but being a manager sometimes I would just choose to not take it. Nobody was telling me "don't take lunch", I just chose to. Bad choice. So now i'm choosing to take my morning and afternoon 10-15 minute breaks (with another co-worker) and walk.

    Yesterday was my first "official" workout where I went to a park nearby and walked/run for 30 minutes. Today, my gym bag is packed again and i'm ready for another walk in the park. Going to increase my 30 minutes to 40 minutes today.

    I am feeling a little under the weather today but drinking lots of tea and hoping that can help out a little.

    Again thank you everyone for all the wonderful tips. =)

    Good for you! This is a great start. :D
  • katherine_startrek_fan
    katherine_startrek_fan Posts: 425 Member
    Workout videos can be rented from the library and used any time day or night that you have time. PLUS no excuses for bad weather! :)
  • goddessofawesome
    goddessofawesome Posts: 563 Member
    edited November 2014
    I have tried waking up in the morning an hour before to try an exercise, but my energy level is still very low and I just get lazy and don't get up.


    You just have to do it. Seriously. Yes, it sucks the first few times you do it but after a while you get used to it. You just have to do it.
  • Lalalindaloo
    Lalalindaloo Posts: 204 Member
    I don't know how far you have to travel to work, but for me... if I make it home at the end of the day without exercising, I'm probably dust for the day. I take my gym bag and stop at the gym on the way home. If you aren't using a gym and are exercising at home, change clothes before you leave the office. For me, it just takes some of the excuse away.

    I don't know if you can walk at lunch, but I tend to do that too. I need the mental break from sitting at my computer or training all day and I get that, fresh air and the movement helps focus me for my afternoon.
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