Motivation

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I live in Wisconsin and it has been so cold I have not been able to take my normal walks. Losing all motivation to exercise. I am just trying to maintain current weight and not fall of the healthy eating train. What keeps all of you motivated during the winter months.
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  • Protranser
    Protranser Posts: 517 Member
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    When I start losing motivation to go out for a walk, that's when I know I have to find ways to stay active. If the weather gets terrible where I am, and I can't get as much walking in as I'd like in a day, there are a variety of ways to stay active without having to leave home. I often see people mention youtube videos to stay active with, or fitnessblender.

    If walking is really out of the question right now, maybe look into some bodyweight routines that you can do while you're kept indoors. At the very least, you'll have come out with some physique improvements and a little extra fat to burn away with a manageable deficit when you can include exercise again.
  • toe1226
    toe1226 Posts: 249 Member
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    is there a gym near you? floor exercises can be great too, right at home.
  • tryingtolive1
    tryingtolive1 Posts: 245 Member
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    Yes there but currently not in the budget.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I walk inside at work in long corridors and up and down stairs. You can also walk malls. Lowes and Walmart have lots of long aisles and you can walk for an hour and hit mile.
  • BurnWithBarn2015
    BurnWithBarn2015 Posts: 1,026 Member
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    watch youtube videos and use those to exercise

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  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    I do circuit training on youtube and wrap up warm to walk outdoors as much as possible. I also do alot of running in place around the house to make sure I hit my 15k steps/day.
  • galprincess
    galprincess Posts: 682 Member
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    Ive never used a gym I'm a youtube and fitness blender fan
  • spzjlb
    spzjlb Posts: 599 Member
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    I love home workouts, too, and they were essential in keeping me motivated during my loss. Good luck (from cold Quebec).
  • JinxedyJinx
    JinxedyJinx Posts: 50 Member
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    Check out Jessicasmithtv (YouTube channel) if walking is your thing. She has a good selection of walking style workouts. She has a good selection of any type work out actually - and all completely free.
  • eganita
    eganita Posts: 501 Member
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    It can be tough in the winter!

    I do DVDs at my house (T25 and Tapout XT are my top 2 right now), and that helps considerably. I try to do one when I first get up in the morning. I find I have a lot less motivation after work as well as a bunch of other things I'd rather be doing.

    Running outside in the cold isn't as bad as I thought it would be (depending on exactly how cold it is). I found that even down to 20-25 degrees was comfortable in the right gear (as long as it wasn't super windy or with a lot of snow/ice or anything like that). The body warms up very quickly!

    At work, when I am on a break, I have been taking a lap or two around the inside of the building. One lap gets me about 800 steps!

    I have a Fitbit and have been doing challenges with friends, which motivates me. Some days, when I was a few thousand steps from my goal, I actually jogged in place while watching TV! It wasn't the most fun thing in the world, but I pushed to get my goal for the day! I am a competitive person, so some kind of challenge is always really motivating for me.
  • myfitnesspale3
    myfitnesspale3 Posts: 276 Member
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    more long underwear.
  • danika2point0
    danika2point0 Posts: 197 Member
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    If you like walking, try Leslie Sansone DVDs. You can get them very cheap at Walmart. Alternatively, you can switch on the TV and walk in place in the warmth of your living room!
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
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    If you like walking, try Leslie Sansone DVDs. You can get them very cheap at Walmart. Alternatively, you can switch on the TV and walk in place in the warmth of your living room!

    I love Leslie too. Some of her workouts are on youtube.

    OP - it's smart to simply maintain and not fall off your plan. Calorie intake is the bottom line for weight loss/maintenance - not exercise. It's worth remembering if you're frustrated about not working out.

  • BettyBoles
    BettyBoles Posts: 68 Member
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    In winters, I do most of the workouts at home. Cycling, walking, jogging etc.
    It help you stay motivated and keep tracking.
  • CarlydogsMom
    CarlydogsMom Posts: 645 Member
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    Yeah, I dial back my expectations of any significant weight loss during the winter months. Instead, I change my frame of mind and my goal becomes maintaining my weight. I set my goal to "lose" a half-pound a week, and that generally means I maintain, given that little extra nibble or glass of wine that slides by. Then, I switch up my exercise. Try an app like "You Are Your Own Gym," that focuses on body-weight exercises, or like others have suggested--YouTube videos, whatever. Can you get a used exercise bike or treadmill for your house? Walk at the warmest part of the day (like over a lunch break)? For me, I mix up both cardio and weightlifting all through the year--so in the winter, I focus on weights with a dash of cardio, hitting the gym at least 3x/week.

    Once spring/summer hits, I go on the targeted weight loss plan where I'm more diligent in tracking food, and add mountain biking, pickleball, and increasing my walks, and I'm thrilled if I hit the gym 3x/week for weights, it's usually twice.

    Be flexible--figure out a plan that works and won't drive you to feeling guilty or, worse, to depending on "motivation." Motivation is fleeting and can easily be rationalized away. Don't ever depend on motivation to keep you going; it's short-lived and not a good crutch for the difficult times and for permanent lifestyle changes.

    Realize that winter sucks, in general, for some exercises. Give yourself room to figure something else out, and commit to it. Also, food intake is more important in terms of maintaining or losing weight; exercise is for overall fitness and to gain a couple hundred calories that you can then consume. Good luck!
  • BernieMBurke
    BernieMBurke Posts: 206 Member
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    @CarlydogsMom What is pickleball? Just curious.
  • CarlydogsMom
    CarlydogsMom Posts: 645 Member
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    @CarlydogsMom What is pickleball? Just curious.

    It's a court game with a net and you generally play doubles (not always). The court is about half the size of a tennis court. You have a paddle and you hit essentially a whiffle ball back and forth. It's a good physical activity for all ages. The ball moves slower due to it being a whiffle ball, and I often get my a** kicked by people in their 70's, simply because the ball doesn't fly around so fast, and there is actually some strategy involved. You can play for hours and not get wiped out; or you play hard and have an incredible workout. It's surprisingly addictive.

    Do a search for pickleball on YouTube, you can see some young dudes play it amazingly well and fast in matches.

    Pickleball enthusiasts say that it is the "fastest growing sport in the U.S." I'm not verifying that, but I do know that a lot of folks, when looking for a retirement area, won't move to a place that does NOT have an active pickleball league. I'm flabbergasted that after only playing it for 2 summers, I may be one of them when the time comes.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
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    It's been a great winter in the cold white north! I walked today wearing a sweatshirt with no jacket, boots, gloves & a light scarf (it was 30F). I don't think it's that much colder in Wisconsin, we only had a couple truly brutal days this year (so far). Even those days I just dressed up pretty warm and off I went.

    I bring my camera on every walk, and I get excited every day about what I might photograph. Turkey, mink, deer, fox, hoar frost, sun dogs, a spectacular sunset, an interesting tree, my dog in mid-air while he jumps after a Frisbee... between the dog & the photography there's always motivation.

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  • CarlydogsMom
    CarlydogsMom Posts: 645 Member
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    @tomteboda those are beautiful pictures!
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
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    @tomteboda those are beautiful pictures!

    Thank you!