How does anyone get motivated to go to the gym?

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missbutterfly92
missbutterfly92 Posts: 31 Member
edited January 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I used to go to the gym a while ago when I was at college and didn't have a job. I lost 4 stone but I gained most of it back again after starting work, and becoming lazy and eating junk. I am now rethinking my life.. I am at university, I work as a housekeeper (not hardcore enough to lose weight) and I am thinking of rejoining the gym. But the thought of going to the gym after working fills me with dread! How does anyone get that get up and go after work? I am shattered after working, that's my issue!
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Replies

  • ryanhorn
    ryanhorn Posts: 355 Member
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    Until it becomes a habit, just always be thinking about what you're fighting for and why you're doing this.
  • Yurippe
    Yurippe Posts: 850 Member
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    Go before work. Problem solved.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    It's all about habit. You are used to being lazy so your body wants to continue being lazy. You just have to do it. I was determined to create new healthy habits so I just kept going. Now I have tons of friends that I get to see when I go (I always know someone who is there it seems) so the days I'm feeling blah about it, I go to be social. My body also goes crazy if I sit around for a few days without doing anything.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    missbutterfly92 wrote: »
    I used to go to the gym a while ago when I was at college and didn't have a job. I lost 4 stone but I gained most of it back again after starting work, and becoming lazy and eating junk. I am now rethinking my life.. I am at university, I work as a housekeeper (not hardcore enough to lose weight) and I am thinking of rejoining the gym. But the thought of going to the gym after working fills me with dread! How does anyone get that get up and go after work? I am shattered after working, that's my issue!

    Go in the morning ... problem solved? Stop making excuses!!!

  • pscarolina
    pscarolina Posts: 133 Member
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    in the beginning it's nice to have a friend go with you - hold each other accountable & makes you feel bolder to try the big boy weights or something new
  • Yurippe
    Yurippe Posts: 850 Member
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    I've had that backfire. That only lasts as long as that friend is motivated to keep going.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Don't go home first. Change your clothes on your way out of work and head right to the gym!
  • Eire228
    Eire228 Posts: 238 Member
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    It's so hard to motivate yourself... but you can do it! You just have to dig deep to find that motivation that you used to have. I'm the queen of bad excuses, so I understand. But excuses get you nowhere. If you're tired after work, maybe try eating an energy bar or something of that nature to give you a boost at the end of the day. And of course, make sure you're getting plenty of sleep!
  • missbutterfly92
    missbutterfly92 Posts: 31 Member
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    Thanks everyone :smile: I am really bad with excuses, but it is time to stop it now! and Ready2Rock206 I like that idea of getting my gym bag ready so that I can go straight to the gym afterwards!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Personal Trainer
  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
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    You don't have to go to the gym. You can workout at home!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    It doesn't take motivation, it takes decision. And you make it work into your schedule. Get up earlier and go in the morning.
  • pscarolina
    pscarolina Posts: 133 Member
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    lol...true but hopefully by that time you have gotten into the habit of going & met some people & see some results.

    when my daughter was a baby one of my (ex) husband's co-workers invited me to go to Jazzercise with her & her mom. We were new in town & I knew I needed exercise so I got him to commit to keeping our daughter a couple of times a week while I worked out. Needless to say the friends quit almost immediately & I was terribly out of shape & my husband suddenly had to work late & couldn't help me. But...people were nice there & let me bring my daughter. I potty trained her during class! Now she's 20 & I've an instructor for almost 13 years & I have friends I've known the entire time! One of my students now is the lady who sold me my very first ticket!

    In the end we all go it alone. In the beginning it's nice to have company. It's kind of intimidating to walk through the doors the first day. Everyone seems to know everyone else & what they should be doing.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Just think of it as more work. You leave the job and then do the work at the gym. It'll probably be a big chore for a week or two, but soon enough it will just be habit. It'll be what you do.

    I don't like the gym. I really don't. I don't even do cardio there very often. I go in, lift the weights, leave. I do NOT enjoy any of it. Do enjoy knowing I'm healthier because I do it. Sometimes I get a kick out of feeling stronger. At first I noticed little things, like the remote control feeling SO LIGHT and driving the car - holding my arms up wasn't an effort and the wheel just turned. Now, I notice other things are lighter. I feel stronger. That's good.

    But the gym - I still don't like it. I try and try, but it hate it, lol.

    My motivation is that I want to be as healthy as I can. I don't care about looking muscular. I don't even want to look muscular and that's the truth. It's so not a vanity thing. If it were vanity, I'd quit so fast.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    It is cliché, but you have to want to be better, more than you want to sit on your behind. I go in the middle of the day, that works for me. Also, once you get in the groove, you will feel so much better and you wont be shattered after work!
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    I get up early before work and exercise in my living room :)
  • sun_fish
    sun_fish Posts: 864 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I agree with others that it takes creating a habit, however, if you dislike the gym so much why not find a different way to workout? I do a combination of walking and hiking outdoors, yoga classes at a yoga studio, and lifting weights at home. Figure out what you would enjoy, or the least objectionable exercise to do, then make a plan for when and treat it like an appointment or a job.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Until this year fitness as an end to itself did not inspire me in the least. It turns out that fitness goals are just like everything else I do in my life; I have to like it!

    I like Zumba so I go.
    I like entering walks and runs, so I run every other day to prepare.
    My yoga class is so relaxing I won't skip it.

    Perhaps a good sit-down with a piece of paper, writing down what you love do do and why will help you decide if you need a fitness membership or not.

    The "too tired to exercise" cycle perpetuates itself. Once you get used to a certain level of exercise, you will miss it if you skip it.

    I was wondering if you might vary your routine while housekeeping to make it more exercise-friendly. I'm thinking working to lively music, running, skipping, dancing.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Honestly, even though I've had a gym membership and been doing this for a year, it wasn't until the past two months that I started going regularly (three days lifting, two days cardio). You just do it as a part of your day, like everything else. If you're not comfortable there and you live in a warmer climate, take a walk outside every day, or ride a bike.
  • IKnowStuff2
    IKnowStuff2 Posts: 15 Member
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    I don't think about the going, I think about how much better I feel afterward. So even if I am shot before I go I know I will feel better after I do it even for a little while. Something is always more than nothing.

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