Lost the motivation to workout

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sbostonRN
sbostonRN Posts: 14 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hello! I am new to MFP but not new to weight loss. I lost close to 80 lbs with Weight Watchers Online from January 2013 to October 2014 and have been maintaining since then. I am on the upper end of the BMI range but am happy and have been maintaining within a 5 lb range. I do pretty good with balancing my calorie intake with occasional splurges at baseball games, parties and dinners out with family and friends. Activity hasn't been a problem for me up until now. I am a runner and have been consistently running 15-20 miles a week since I started losing weight. This has gotten me through three half marathons, a couple 10K's and many 5K's.

Right now I'm not training for anything because we have a huge trip planned in the fall and I don't want training to interfere with that vacation. But not having that goal has caused me to lose all motivation to exercise. Being at my goal weight, I don't have a reflection in the mirror that I dislike.

Another challenge I've recently been faced with is a transition to day shift. I am a nurse, and am on my feet for many ours. I used to work 3-11 and would simply run before work when I had a ton of energy. Now, it's a struggle to wake up at 4:30am to run before work and it's a struggle to run after work when I'm tired from working all day. I do both 8-hour and 12-hour shifts, and don't even bother thinking about exercise after a 12-hour shift.

Any advice on how to get myself motivated again? The summer tends to be the most difficult time for me. I kept my mileage at 15-20 miles/week even though our terrible Boston winter, so I really should be relishing in the summer sun right now, but I don't have any desire to do anything but sit on my butt. I don't want to regain all the weight I worked so hard to lose, and the fitness I worked so hard to gain!
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Replies

  • HeatherCrazyCat
    HeatherCrazyCat Posts: 46 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Hi there!
    Wow, congratulations on your amazing achievements - you remind me of a workmate who became addicted to running, like you :)
    If you want to continue running until your vacation, how about if you enter yourself for a few short 5K races? You could treat them as fun-runs and not go mad for training?
    Alternatively, if running isn't turning you on right now, it might be a good time to find something else you enjoy to replace it, until you're ready to return to running?
    One of my friends decided he didn't want to risk damaging his knees, so he started cycling instead of running. Or maybe you could find a new skill to learn, like street dancing, burlesque or pole?
    Perhaps if you're struggling with your shift transition, you need to schedule in your workouts to fit around your days off? Or just do a little tiny bit of something each day like go for a short jog or work out to an exercise DVD for a few minutes, before or after each shift?
    I do hope that you find something to suit you soon!
  • amc29
    amc29 Posts: 27 Member
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    Congrats!

    I was going to say the same thing, if your burnt out on running try cycling. I "run" and bike and I enjoy both very much. I also swim and while you don't feel like your getting a workout you really are. I was at my lowest weight when I was on my city's swim team we practiced 5 times a week and swam for about an hour to an hour and half each practice.

    Good luck in your journey!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Well I'd find time to keep running just so you don't undo some of your progress, but after being on your feet for 8 to 12 hours a day, as long as you're not eating as if you were still training for a half marathon, you're probably getting plenty of activity, honestly.

    How about just cutting your calories by 200-250 a day and just find a couple hours to run on week ends?
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    How about just cutting your calories by 200-250 a day and just find a couple hours to run on week ends?
    This.

    It's a balancing act. If you aren't exercising as much, you can cut back on your calories until you get back into exercising.
  • sbostonRN
    sbostonRN Posts: 14 Member
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    Thank you for the advice! I recently got a bike and have been out riding once but it is still quite intimidating to go so fast and feel kind of out of control. I don't feel welcome on the sidewalks or on the roads but I stick to the sidewalks for now because I'm still so new and wobbly.

    I think I really need to find the motivation to become a morning runner and go out consistently for a half hour before work. Not so much that it will wipe me out, but enough to kick start my day. I think when I procrastinate until after my workday, I find other things to do and it falls to the wayside.

    I also go to a spinning class at the gym once a week which I really enjoy. I like how it's low-impact but difficult and it really balances out my quads from my tight hamstrings.
  • HeatherCrazyCat
    HeatherCrazyCat Posts: 46 Member
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    Good luck, sbostonRN!
    It sounds as though you have a great plan in mind for keeping yourself healthy.
    I just bought a bike at the weekend - I have decided it would be really lovely to go out on cycle rides with my other half, but at the age of 35, having never rode a bike before, I am terrified of how it will feel to ride a bike! Like you, I am going to find it intimidating to go so fast and feel out of control off my own two feet eek!
    If you can squeeze some time in the mornings for running - even if it's 20 minutes or half an hour - it will so set you up for the day at work. Don't you feel awesome once you've been working out and the adrenaline is going through you?
    I hope it all goes well, and you really enjoy your vacation in a few months :)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    HeatherCrazyCat wrote: »
    Good luck, sbostonRN!
    It sounds as though you have a great plan in mind for keeping yourself healthy.
    I just bought a bike at the weekend - I have decided it would be really lovely to go out on cycle rides with my other half, but at the age of 35, having never rode a bike before, I am terrified of how it will feel to ride a bike! Like you, I am going to find it intimidating to go so fast and feel out of control off my own two feet eek!
    If you can squeeze some time in the mornings for running - even if it's 20 minutes or half an hour - it will so set you up for the day at work. Don't you feel awesome once you've been working out and the adrenaline is going through you?
    I hope it all goes well, and you really enjoy your vacation in a few months :)

    You got me beat, I don't even know how to ride a bike. I tried when I was 14, kept falling, and gave up...
  • karlsantiago
    karlsantiago Posts: 90 Member
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    Get a running or workout buddy!
  • HeatherCrazyCat
    HeatherCrazyCat Posts: 46 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    You got me beat, I don't even know how to ride a bike. I tried when I was 14, kept falling, and gave up...

    Well... I tried when I was 7, at some point in my teens, and at 28...
    ...My other half is so into cycling, I've bought this bike so I have to learn now heheh!
    If there's one thing I'm really missing about being on a diet, it's spontaneous trips to the pub. If I can learn to ride a bike this time, we can replace an unhealthy hobby with a healthy one :smile:
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    if you have tried the bike etc...think about lifting or resistance training...
  • indyrunning
    indyrunning Posts: 136 Member
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    Does your hospital have a fitness center? Could you do some weight lifting to combine with your cycling?
  • BroscienceTheory
    BroscienceTheory Posts: 24 Member
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    Train for an extreme sport like Iron man or try sprinting instead.
  • stephxo1
    stephxo1 Posts: 191 Member
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    I'd also suggest adding in some weight training. lots of beginners programs out there and a total change might just be what your body is after.
  • 1stplace4health
    1stplace4health Posts: 523 Member
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    Eat less carbs and sugar
  • debtay123
    debtay123 Posts: 1,327 Member
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    You could also do some beginner dvds- like with weight lifting or running or walking dvds or on you-tube. that way you could experiment until you found something that you enjoy.
  • galprincess
    galprincess Posts: 682 Member
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    What about finding 10 minutes and doing circuits 3 times so iget my 30 mins in you dont need anything so can do them anywhere push ups , plank leg lifts, squats lunges reverse crunches. I was and still am a cardio freak but ive found these are easy to fit into a day or a half hour HIIT workout on youtube. How far is it to work could you run or walk/ run there n back or son of the way or pass a park you could do laps around? Thing Is its life long find what works around your life then it becomes habit and part of your day. You did the hard slog getting here you can so do this!
  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
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    I think you should try to learn to live without running as a necessity. I mean you are already walking a lot aren't you? Have you tried wearing a pedometre to see how many steps you take. Ok you will lose fitness but you do not need to gain weight so long as you eat within your calorie expenditure.

    and then you could take up a new sporting activity. Try a team sport like netball or women's soccer or a weekend thing like joining a hiking club. Does it have to be running?
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Is run commuting a possibility? I know some people get their running in that way, either by running to work (if they have a shower at work) or taking transit to work and then running home.

    Cycling is a good exercise, too. You'll gain more confidence as you get better at controlling the bike. I highly recommend John S. Allen's free online pamphlet on Bicycling Street Smarts, which discusses how to bike safely in traffic.

    If you can get in at least one run a week, you'll keep most of your running fitness, whereas if you stop running, major fitness losses begin after 2-3 weeks.

    And summer is hard for runners. The ideal running temperature is around 50°F; the warmer it gets, the harder it is to shed excess heat. Here in New England, I find running is most pleasant in fall, winter, and spring. You can always add a layer, but there's a limit to how many you can remove!
  • itownsend5
    itownsend5 Posts: 2 Member
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    I know the feeling of feeling frustrated I been there, I found out the hard way that your mind could be your worse enemy, don't let it happen when you find yourself wondering what's next is time to start moving. For a long time I was trying to find someone to workout with you know a partner but I never did, so I decided that if I was going to do this I might as well learn how to be on my own. Now I don't have to depend on people or other I do it because I know the benefits I get I the feeling that for ones I am doing something for myself. DO NOT EVER GIVE UP GIRL! I'm here if you need someone to talk to. Take care

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