What are your top one or two strategies for fitting in exercise each week?

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24

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  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    1. set goals so you want to improve
    2. make it part of your routine
    (3. ) sometimes having a workout buddy helps for accoutability
  • flabassmcgee
    flabassmcgee Posts: 659 Member
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    I schedule it. We go around the same time every day.
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
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    i have a pair of mechanical pedals. they got me through the winter, and i'm sure they'll see some use on *kitten* days i don't feel like going swimming throughout the other seasons, too.
  • mzjenn2u
    mzjenn2u Posts: 78 Member
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    Consistency and routine....and after work I do NOT sit down on the couch until after I hit the gym :-)
  • phoenix8633
    phoenix8633 Posts: 137 Member
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    mzjenn2u wrote: »
    Consistency and routine....and after work I do NOT sit down on the couch until after I hit the gym :-)

    Exactly this.

    If I do my workout in the morning which is usually what I do then I don't have to worry about after work, but sometimes I decide my body isn't ready in the morning to be pushed too far so I hold off until about 4pm when I get home from work, because training is just naturally part of me I never feel like I don't want to train I actually enjoy it.
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
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    1. write it down
    2. do it.
  • mhankosk
    mhankosk Posts: 535 Member
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    mzjenn2u wrote: »
    Consistency and routine....and after work I do NOT sit down on the couch until after I hit the gym :-)

    This! When you get home from work, put on your workout clothes. Odds are you will want to do the workout then. When I come home and put on PJs and plop down in front of the TV, it never happens. But, when I lace up those sneeks, I always push play on that workout DVD.

    Good luck!
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
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    My (home) gym workouts are all of an hour and a half when they're long. I think I'm worth taking "me time" for 4.5 hours a week, given I'm out of the house commuting and working 60 hours a week.

    As I've told more than one boss, "My health is my main priority. I won't put it 'on hold' for anyone or anything."
  • mparent25
    mparent25 Posts: 8 Member
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    I work out early in the morning but some days I don't want to get out of bed so I take a preworkout to get me motivated also there is literally no way you can skip a workout after you've taken a preworkout
  • arguablysamson
    arguablysamson Posts: 1,706 Member
    edited March 2015
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    tjostes1 wrote: »
    How do you make exercise a priority in your busy life? How do you get up off the couch when you're tired after work?

    The best way is to kill two birds with one stone--get an ipod and put self-improvement books on it and get up earlier than you need to and walk briskly. Commit to a timeframe (30 minutes, then an hour, etc). You don't have the time, you make the time! This will enhance your health, burn fat, and improve your overall wellbeing. Plus, you get smarter! :-)
  • lauracups
    lauracups Posts: 533 Member
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    Whether I was working or being SAHM, I find it just easier to do first thing. And maybe it's just me, but I find I sweat more (which I like) and have a higher tolerance in the morning.
  • iRun_Butterfly
    iRun_Butterfly Posts: 483 Member
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    I just don't give myself an option. I leave work, go straight to the gym. I get up on Saturday/Sunday morning, to the gym, or out for a walk or run. Done with dinner and stuff around the house, I'll go for a walk. I've found the more active I am, the more active I want to be. I have to force myself to sit still much more often than I have to force myself to exercise or be active.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    I just go and do it, no matter how much I don't feel like it. When I'm really dragging and don't want to, I try to go into robot mode. I don't think about what I'm going, I just put on my workout clothes and shoes, and head to the basement. Total blank, zombie mind. It works for me. Once I'm down there, I'm usually fine with working out. And I always feel more accomplished on those days.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    #1 Commit to it and it becomes one of life's priorities.
    #2 Enjoyment - either from doing it or from the results of doing it.

    love this...
  • justcat206
    justcat206 Posts: 716 Member
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    Tell yourself you have to do 15 minutes of exercize and then you can quit if you REALLY want to. Chances are, once you're warmed up and your heart rate is raised you'll be game to keep on going. If not, at least you've done something.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    I base my life around my workouts....but then I'm training, not just hitting the gym to burn calories.
  • berescga
    berescga Posts: 27 Member
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    I work full time, commute 90 min each day, have a husband and three kids. We're pretty busy. But exercise is a priority for me because it makes me feel better and helps control my stress. So I get up early early during the week to get my workout in, and get up just early on the weekends. It's the only time I can fit it in.

    I never thought I would get up at 5am just to exercise, and thankfully I got hooked on exercise before it became necessary due to moves & job changes to do the 5am thing. But now I can't imagine not doing it.

    After work I usually don't have the time or energy to work out. My body definitely prefers the morning!
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    When I was working at one job, I was able to arrange my lunch hours to get a two-hour window twice a week and went to the gym then (it was close to my work & the two hours gave me enough time for a good workout and shower after). At another, I was able to fit it in on my way home. Now that I am retired, I got my motivation again by putting my gym tote in the car when I needed to go somewhere, and stopped at the Y on my way home. Now that I have established a regular routine, I am addicted & no longer have to resort to "strategies" to make myself go.
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
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    It's part of my daily schedule. I either get up early to get my workout in and start my day feeling energized, or, in the case of run days, go immediately after work before heading home (where it will be harder to leave for a run).

    Examine the excuses you make for yourself and come up with ways to work around them. If you're "too tired" after work, get up early and exercise before work, etc.
  • DvlDwnInGA
    DvlDwnInGA Posts: 368 Member
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    I put it on the same level as any other priority. I make sure I get it done daily. It is really that simple.

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