Making the gym a habit...

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00nick7
00nick7 Posts: 39 Member
in Motivation and Support
I don't know about you guys, but sometimes the gym can be a major hassle. I do have a membership and I know I should be going more often, but what with my crazy work schedule and going back to school on the 1st, it's a major inconvenience :# ...What do you guys do to motivate yourself to attend the gym on a weekly basis and how often do you go? Do you try and find ways to justify not going? Guilt trips? Denial?

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  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
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    Easy, I like going. I'd be more upset if I didn't go.
  • andympanda
    andympanda Posts: 763 Member
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    I enjoy going 90% of the time. I just got same days and time to keep me going the other 10% of the time. On weeks that stuff comes up and i need to change my scheduled, I just remind myself of the progress I made, and don't want to move backwards.,
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
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    I like to go, because I have a point to going: that's where the weights are, to get stronger. It's everything else that's the hassle.
  • suruda
    suruda Posts: 1,233 Member
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    classes help me because it becomes a bit social and others start to acknowledge when you miss. I also can tell myself that I Never regret going but often regret not going.
  • amyshamburg
    amyshamburg Posts: 3 Member
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    You can't let it be an option. Just think of it like work and school. I also work full time and go to school full time and I just think of the gym as something I have to do just like school and work:)
  • kallemann67
    kallemann67 Posts: 92 Member
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    Break it down into small steps/ accomplishments. I open water swim. But my lake is 30 miles away. There's a lot of room in that 30 miles for excuse making. Once I get in the car I'm on my way. Once there my options for bailing diminish - why did I drive 30 miles then? Sometimes my digestive system creates challenges for not getting into the water. I get a nervous stomach as a psychosomatic divergence from having to deal with being out a kilometre from shore. But I deal with that / take a shower and pull the wetsuit on. The water temp is 11C so that's another hurdle. It's not fun entering that at 6:15 am. Once I enter the water and get that icy chill the next step is head in and head out. But once the motion is engaged I'm off. 60 - 90 minutes later I come out a revived man. And I'm glad I came.
  • amelialoveshersnacks
    amelialoveshersnacks Posts: 205 Member
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    Although I have a gym membership, for me it's not a 'be all'. I try to be active in my day to day activities and of course watch what I eat. Having said that, I try to go to the gym 4 days a week mostly to do weights and it's my me time.
  • 00nick7
    00nick7 Posts: 39 Member
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    Thanks for your input you guys! It really helped a great deal! I've been biking a lot and watching what I eat for the past 37+ days and this app has really helped me with that. On the other hand, I have been neglecting the gym for some reason. I need to start heading back. I start school next week and it's going to be extra crazy, but I think I can manage. :)
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    I head to the gym four times a week aswell as working full time and having a house to keep clean and tidy. Of course in an ideal world, I wouldn't go to the gym at all. I'd head straight home, read a good book and eat whatever the hell I want! In this world, the real world, If I do that - I don't see results. If I do that - I LOSE my results.

    It really is the case of 'no excuses' for me. I get myself up and I GO. No matter how much I'd rather stay in bed. You really really need to find that motivation from somewhere.

    Failing that, try and exercise you actually enjoy. It doesn't have to be a hard slog! :)
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    It works for me to go to the gym in the morning before work because I get to do my commute before rush hour hits. I love the gym anyway, but it's just an added bonus that I don't have to deal with all the morning *kitten* head drivers, lol.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    The fact that I feel better for doing it motivates me to go.

    You just need to force yourself to do it until it becomes a habit and you start seeing the benefits.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I get bored out of my mind now if I don't go, lol.
  • ColwellCat
    ColwellCat Posts: 84 Member
    edited August 2015
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    My gym time is getting up at ye-gods o'clock and going before work, and the biggest hurdle is getting every possible minute of sleep and still getting out the door on time. So for me it is absolutely crucial the night before to have my bag packed with everything I need for work, and workout clothes all laid out to throw myself into. At which point it's almost more effort not to go, and I'm out the door ten minutes after the alarm goes.

    Like other people have said, once it's a routine, it's just what you do those times in your week, like work, it's no longer so much about willpower. Make appointments with yourself. If you wouldn't cancel on someone else, don't cancel on yourself!

    My personal rule is that the night before I am able to make any necessary judgement call with a clear head - am I not well enough, do I need to go into work early - but I am not qualified to make that call at 5am when the alarm goes off and I'm tired and the house is cold.
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    ColwellCat wrote: »
    My gym time is getting up at ye-gods o'clock and going before work, and the biggest hurdle is getting every possible minute of sleep and still getting out the door on time. So for me it is absolutely crucial the night before to have my bag packed with everything I need for work, and workout clothes all laid out to throw myself into. At which point it's almost more effort not to go, and I'm out the door ten minutes after the alarm goes.

    Like other people have said, once it's a routine, it's just what you do those times in your week, like work, it's no longer so much about willpower. Make appointments with yourself. If you wouldn't cancel on someone else, don't cancel on yourself!

    This is so true for me too, lol. If I don't go, that means, I have to take a shower BEFORE my coffee. No.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    One thing I do us put it on my calendar like any other appointment. I see it on my schedule and I go.
  • 00nick7
    00nick7 Posts: 39 Member
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    rosebarnalice wrote: »
    One thing I do us put it on my calendar like any other appointment. I see it on my schedule and I go.

    Smart!
  • ForeverMagnolia
    ForeverMagnolia Posts: 2 Member
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    My lunch hour is ALWAYS free so I go then, and I eat my lunch at a different time throughout the day. I've started eating 5 smaller "meals" a day so that my workout is right between meal 2 and 3.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Maybe the gym is not for you? Try some other form of exercise? It does not need to happen in a weight room to be effective, maybe a sport would keep you more interested? Unless you actually want to do it, and are looking forward to it, it is hard to stick to exercise with a busy schedule, so focus on something you enjoy.
  • 00nick7
    00nick7 Posts: 39 Member
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    aggelikik wrote: »
    Maybe the gym is not for you? Try some other form of exercise? It does not need to happen in a weight room to be effective, maybe a sport would keep you more interested? Unless you actually want to do it, and are looking forward to it, it is hard to stick to exercise with a busy schedule, so focus on something you enjoy.

    You know...you're probably right. There was a time when I would go to the gym three days a week (every other day) for 12 weeks and I did it. And then, I stopped for a while. I went again, but then stopped for a while. The thing I have a problem with, is the fact that I need to work around the gyms hours rather them work around mine. The hours for that place is 6am to 10pm on weekdays and it closes earlier on the weekends. I have school and I don't get out of class until after 9 and I work and don't get off until after 11 on some days. So, if it was 24 hours that would probably make the best difference. I go to YMCA.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    My schedule also keeps me from the gym. I do other exercises and workouts. You can do something else for exercise until your life settles down a little and you have time to make it to the gym. It seems like your reasons are pretty legit. If I could get out of class, and make it easily over to the gym and get a workout in before they closed, I'd put that in my schedule as a great way to end the day. If it was a frantic dash to get there, with ten minutes of work out and angry staff staring at me hoping I'd leave soon, I'd probably not be too eager for that work out and all the stress.

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