How did you find the motivation..

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Lexicpt
Lexicpt Posts: 209 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone! I've been using MFP on and off for a few years now, but I am brand new to the message boards. I just had a couple questions.

When you were starting out, how did you find the motivation to exercise? This is such a silly question for me because I have a ski machine, stationary bike, and plenty of workout DVDs right in the comfort of my home. I am an insurance agent & single mother of a 4 year old and by the time my work day is over, I am exhausted. There is dinner to make, a child and SO to entertain, laundry to do, etc. I could go on with the excuses (yes, I know they're excuses). I have no problem staying within my calorie goal for the day but when it comes to exercising, I just can't seem to force myself to do it. I feel so dumb because the resources are here, I just don't know how to motivate myself to use them. Looking for some sort of guidance to get my butt back in workout mode. It has been over a year now..

Thanks so much! :)
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  • anothermop
    anothermop Posts: 187 Member
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    I just got up early, worked out, ate well, and complained to my wife. "I'll do everything you say and eat only what you say; but if I don't see any results after 1 week, I'm done." I lost like 9 lbs that week and it was all the motivation I needed to meet all of my goals.

    Good luck!
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    I didn't do much exercising other than walking for the first six months. Lost weight at a steady rate due to a caloric deficit. Eventually I changed my goals to be fitness oriented rather than strictly body weight. Since I had established a habit of regular activity by walking everyday it was relatively easy to add an exercise here and there. In time it turned into a six day a week routine (combination of strength training and cardio).

    Some people start out by jumping right in at full speed. For others smaller steps can help with building habits.
  • jasonp_ritzert
    jasonp_ritzert Posts: 357 Member
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    Maybe you aren't the workout at home type. I know I am not. I like to go to the gym where that is my reason for being there, to work out. Any time I have tried to workout at home, I've failed because I find too many other things to do.

    Planning has been huge for myself. Just plan the time to workout and make that time all about that. When my wife works out, I consider it quality time with my daughter since it's rarely just her and I.

    Also, I noticed you said you have to 'entertain' your SO? Can't he/she do that on their own? Are they contributing their fair share to the workload in the house? Just asking because every persons situation is different and I don't know the details about your household.
  • Lexicpt
    Lexicpt Posts: 209 Member
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    Jason, I guess "spend time" would be a better way to put it than "entertain." Haha! And yes, he also contributes to the household chores. He keeps the house spotless and I make dinner and do laundry. Pretty fair trade to me because I hate cleaning. :wink:

    I used to go to the gym in high school and I loved it! I would love to invest in a membership but unfortunately, I don't have a guarantee that someone is available to watch my daughter 3-4x a week while I go. Everyone in my family has a varying schedule. Once it warms up (I'm in Iowa), I'll be able to take my LO with me for walks and such, but I need to start something now before I lose interest all together. I am a creature of habit, unfortunately. Sigh. Do you guys think it would be easier if I just did something simple to begin with? A pilates DVD, maybe? I would really love to just jump right on the elliptical and go but after a year of laziness, that isn't a reasonable option. I really appreciate all of your input!
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
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    I will admit I had to get a trainer to work with. I know they can be really expensive however it is nice because I have someone to be accountable. I have also set an alarm on my phone daily that says "get your *kitten* to the gym" when it goes off. I see it as an appointment that I have to make with myself.

    Good luck!
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    For me, it's not about motivation. It's about commitment. I commit to my workout, just like I commit to my job. I schedule time and MAKE myself do it. If I relied on being motivated, I'd rarely work out.
  • fvtfan
    fvtfan Posts: 126 Member
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    Why wouldn't just jumping on the elliptical be an option? It doesn't have to be for an hour...get on for 10 minutes today. Tomorrow do 11 minutes...or next week do 11 minutes...just start moving, once you get into the routine it gets a lot easier to keep it up.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    Your SO needs entertaining??!

    Well, really, it's purely down to how much you want it.

    When I started out, I had a one year old baby, 2 older children, worked a 55 hr week, housework, laundry, grocery shopping...blah blah.

    Some evenings I was so tired my eyes would start closing, I could easily have fallen asleep on the sofa. BUT, I didn't want to look like I did anymore, so I got off my butt and worked out...that was back in June 2011.

    How much do you want it?

  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    Anything is better than nothing, so try something. Worrying about all the possible failures just gets in the way of success. Try different things -- everybody has different likes and dislikes when it comes to exercise. Nice thing about working out at home is that you can pop off a quick 30 minute workout (which often will actually wake you up). Heck, pop in a Sesame Street video and jump around with your toddler and sing some songs...it doesn't have to be some structured workout to do some good. If you enjoyed the gym at one time, you could try it again. Many gyms have an in-house toddler area...if your little one doesn't mind those sorts of things, that might be an option...only one way to find out.
  • tephanies1234
    tephanies1234 Posts: 299 Member
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    Start working out on the weekends when you're not tired from working all day ;) Do 30 minutes when you wake up and then you have the rest of the day to entertain your SO and child.
  • tonijustine
    tonijustine Posts: 1
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    I am in insurance too, and 4th quarter almost killed me! I work in employee benefits and there were days when I would go to a client for day of meetings leaving at 5 am and not getting back until 9 pm. So now that things have slowed down, I have decided that I need to get up and moving. Motivation? I just got off a 40 minute treadmill walk and as I was walking I realized that it was much more fun walking to music that I loved. I never did that before. I had fun putting together a playlist of songs that I enjoyed in the range of 120-138 bpm, right in my walking speed range. Getting a chance to move to music is great. A few other things that I think about doing is standing while working (I have a special play list for this too, so that I can kind of dance to the music). I work at home three days a week, so I take my "lunch break" to walk and can stand at my desk and dance without worrying about embarrassing myself. While at work, I am going to try to bring my lunch more often so I can use my lunch break for a nice walk, too.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    a lot of gyms provide childcare, look into that. fortunately my kids dont need me (HA!) so i can leave without worry :P other than that.... its all up to you. I"ve been walking. When that gets easier for me, I plan to try the C25K to vary it up... after that... who knows. My main problem is movement, so my goal since restarting a couple of weeks ago is just to MOVE more. I take a least one walk a day. sometimes 2, if the weather is decent and my neighbor wants to go when she gets home (but walks with her are slower and not as far).

    if you 'fail' you're not disappointing us, or your friends or family. you're disappointing YOURSELF. I got tired of that and decided I wanted a change.
  • millerdelorme
    millerdelorme Posts: 14
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    Lexicpt, find something you ENJOY!!!! I have many days where I feel like cozying up on the couch with a movie or a good book, but I have found some things that help me make an effort to exercise. I found that I really love to do Zumba. It is so much fun that I forget I'm working out. Another thing I do now is create a really fun playlist of songs for a workout in the evenings. One more thing I do to be motivated is to tell myself to do just 10 minutes. If after 10 minutes, I still can't get the motivation then I'll stop. I would say about 99% of the time, I want to keep going! If not, that's okay. Sometimes my body is just too tired.
  • BeastField
    BeastField Posts: 463 Member
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    Lexicpt wrote: »
    I don't have a guarantee that someone is available to watch my daughter 3-4x a week while I go. Everyone in my family has a varying schedule

    I would look at some different gyms in your area... a lot of them now offer child care as part of their membership. Might be worth looking into.
  • jodielarms
    jodielarms Posts: 51 Member
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    I'm not going to be a ton of help but the 2 small things that come to my mind would be make quick dinners a couple times a week and use that extra 20 minutes and include your daughter. 1st Maybe use the crocpot on Monday and Thursday? Something simple. The 2nd thing would be will your daughter do a workout with you? I have a son that is 4 and he likes to do some of the moves with me and if there's something he doesn't like he takes a rest and is my cheerleader or holds the stop watch.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Simply, I wanted to be fit and I wanted to look hot. The best way to do it was what I questioned; motivation has never been the issue but then I like to challenge myself and appreciate not everybody gets fulfillment from that.

    I'd ask your SO to watch your little one for an hour or so you can workout. Quite often the biggest obstacle is starting.
  • kimmywilliams1110
    kimmywilliams1110 Posts: 13
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    Do you have a ymca in your area? They're fairly inexpensive to join and they offer childcare as well as various exercise activities for you. Most have weight rooms, coordinated classes like Zumba, yoga, and even karate and tai chi classes. Heck even swimming is great exercise and every YMCA I know of has a pool.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    1.) motivation isn't the answer- it's a fleeting trick that makes you think it is... and the problem is when it fails you- you feel like YOU failed- and you'll never make it.

    2.) habit's and "just doing it" like it or not- much like going to the doctor- no one likes to do it- but sometimes even on your worst days- you just have to get up and go- same principle. Don't give yourself time to talk your way out of it- just GO. and do the thing.

    3.) This confuses me
    single mother of a 4 year old and by the time my work day is over, I am exhausted. There is dinner to make, a child and SO to entertain

    you aren't a single mother if you have an SO. You're SO should be a support and a help to you. You at no point- if you consider them your Significant Other, should feel like you are single and doing this alone. They should be helping- and you are not the kindergarten teacher- you shouldn't be entertaining them.

    You can do it- you just have to realize motivation won't get you there. sheer force of will is what you can use.
  • xMrBunglex
    xMrBunglex Posts: 1,121 Member
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    Take a "before" pic, print it out & put it on the fridge. That's what I did; i said "This doesn't come down until I'm under 200 pounds."

    My wife hated it, but it stayed up. 3 months later I weighed 198.5 & took that thing DOWN! And I got the addiciton too, so now I'm down to 171.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
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    Diabetes and being overweight. Knowing that if I did not make permanent changes to diet and weight that I would eventually waste away.

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