What motivates you to exercise?
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Because training is my outlet for all the other stress in my life.
Plus there is something fundamentally cool about being able to do things that a pretty low percentage of people can do.4 -
And also ... I have been active my entire life. It doesn't feel right to be completely sedentary, and the only times I have been completely sedentary have been when I've been sick or injured or recovering from surgery or something.
I love walking/hiking and cycling. I like working out with weights. And I'll dabble in other things like canoeing, swimming, running, making some attempt to do body boarding (boogie boarding?) at the beach, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing ...
Trying including activity throughout your day. Walk to work. Go for a brisk walk at lunch. Walk to run your errands. Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk from there to get your groceries. Take the stairs. If you've got kids, walk or ride bicycles to the park and run around with them. BBQ with friends on the weekend? Cycle there and back.
It also helps to have a goal ... something you want to accomplish.1 -
no motivation. only dedication. only grind.3
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Training is my sanity. I am going though a very dark time in my life right now and training gives me control and focus and the sound of the weights clanging down on the gym floor after you've completed the sets you wanted to do is so satisfying, I'm a few months into the start of a long journey determination is key, and if you look at it as 'oh I'll exercise/diet for a few months and I'll be where I want to be' which so many people do, you will fail every single time. It's a lifestyle change forever, a way of life.2
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donnagaunt31 wrote: »Training is my sanity. I am going though a very dark time in my life right now and training gives me control and focus and the sound of the weights clanging down on the gym floor after you've completed the sets you wanted to do is so satisfying, I'm a few months into the start of a long journey determination is key, and if you look at it as 'oh I'll exercise/diet for a few months and I'll be where I want to be' which so many people do, you will fail every single time. It's a lifestyle change forever, a way of life.
With the bolded, I agree.
As to the other, it may look dark to you right now, but the sun is still shining down on you.
It is in the depths of our weakness that we find the fullness of our strength.
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Honestly? I still, sometimes, lack motivation. You just gotta embrace the suck and drive on. Accept that you may be uncomfortable for the first couple minutes, or even the entirety of the workout. That's okay. It's part of the process; as someone else mentioned: there is also a mental aspect to consider.
I will reiterate what a lot of individuals are saying: find what you love (or at least don't hate right now) and get to it. If that is ONLY walking right now...then walk with your best effort. Move with a sense of urgency, and maybe one day you'll be decide you're ready to upgrade or add in something else.
And...don't forget to shake off the haters (if any) that may judge whatever it is that brings you joy. For me, that means grinning like a maniac in my rollerblades, scooting up and down the roads, pretending to race the wind... As random cars eyeball me, probably trying to determine my level of sanity as I cackle (or mutter to myself "don't fall, don't die, don't break anything...you're too old for a cast!")1 -
My initial motivation was to shift the excess fat I was carrying around. Started by walking about a mile (because that's all I could manage then) and built it up from there. I can now walk just about any distance I choose, but typically I walk 6-10 miles a day. I also cycle around 30 miles a day.
What motivates me to continue? A sheer love of exercising. I love the feeling it gives me, I love knowing that I'm doing my body some good, I love being outside with my family. I love cycling. I get a real kick out of exercising and long may it continue
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The human body is an amazing thing and I was letting mine just rot to hell. Once the weight started coming off, I am beginning to really like the idea of discovering exactly what I can do. I nearly waited tooooo long so if you are younger than 52 and reading this: take note: The time is now.5
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BrianSharpe wrote: »My motivation.........delaying the meetup with this guy for as long as possible.....
Seriously though, I started because I wanted to have some fun. I joined an old-timers soccer team and was horribly out of shape so I started running (which I had hated in my younger years) and discovered that I actually enjoyed the way it made me feel and the sense of accomplishment running further and faster (it's all relative, I'm a middle of the pack runner and don't expect the Olympic committee to be calling any time soon).
For me it's about quality of life as I age. I feel better now at 60 than I did when I turned 50 and I know it's improved my outlook on life.
that is awesome! and I can relate!2 -
I have enjoyed exercising my entire life. When I was younger it was water skiing, tennis, racquetball, basketball, jogging, etc. I am not as young as I used to be and have had a few injuries lately that required surgery. I wasn't working out to hard or doing things I "shouldn't be". I was just being myself, being active. As these injuries occurred I would tell my surgeon, "I can't sit around and do nothing." He understood. And he said, "for your health, I don't want you to sit around and do nothing." So it all boils down for me, for my health! The more exercise you get, the healthier you are! Best of luck, start slowly, and as time passes you will begin to feel better than you have in a while. Do it for YOU!1
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I needed to lose weight, I needed to not end up with diabetes, HBP, high cholesterol and I especially didn't want to end up like my mother. She has trouble with her knees, heart..you name it.
I like the way cardio and lifting weights make me feel. It's addicting. I have committed for the past 2 years faithfully and now I plan my life around exercise instead of the other way around. If I have to miss a workout I get irritated. Most of all I love how I can move more freely with 113lbs less on my body Everything is so much easier! 3 -
i love resistance training - i have since i first hit a gym in the late '80s. and now, after years of physical issues and being overweight, doing what i love can help me feel better and be healthier.1
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I have gained so much in the last year...feel so heavy. I have no motivation these days...So how did you get yourself out there exercising? What types of exercises do you do, especially when weighing around 263lbs. When did you start to see the benefits? When I was lighter I used to jog lots....its been a while. I would lo email to be slimmer and fitter like before. Thanks in advance
I started because I was done being fat. I've been fat my entire life.
When I first started, I wasn't much lighter than you (about 250lbs). I started by walking on the treadmill 3x a week, and I would attempt to run - I could only do about 30 seconds to a minute at a time of running back then.
Now, I can run 8 miles
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I discovered a couple of weeks ago that when I do 30 minutes of hard cardio in the evening after I eat everything on my plan, I tend to weigh about 1 lb less the next morning than I did on the morning of the day. This is not a guarantee, of course. However, I've some remaining water weight from an excessive calorie day last Friday which I want to release and the hard cardio helps do it.0
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In the beginning, I forced myself every day. I literally gave myself gold stars (on a little calendar).
i did this thing where i calculated (conservatively) that every time i biked to work and home i was using up at least 120 calories. and 120 calories is one tablespoon of human fat.
so got a clear jar that was about half a litre, and every time i rode to work i'd let myself add another tablespoonful of raw rice to it. i really got to look forward to my little ceremony, and it was comforting to know that the jar would fill up, and to have an actual visual representation of how much me i had rid myself of.
and yes, i know exercise calories doesn't necessarily equal your daily deficit, but after a while i gave myself a new arbitrary rule that every time i emptied the jar i could weigh myself, and i can attest the results were quite validating.
the whole thing was still really satisfying, and by the time i'd filled and emptied and refilled the jar a few times, i was long past the 'habit forming' part of exercising.
with lifting it's more simple. if you don't do your lift at x weight this week, you don't get to add more weight next week. the numbers are very visible and very satisfying. in fact, even the deloads are satisfying because it's just 'step back and start right in on trucking forwards again.'
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"No man(woman) has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his(her) body is capable"
-Socrates2 -
For a guy like me who is a bit too heavy, my main motivation is looking at old photos of me from my fit days. I know it's just a matter of getting on the right track and make it a routine to do my workouts. The hard thing is of course to begin working out. But I'm on the other side of that now!
When I began a month ago I would really have to push myself out the door - now I don't even think about it. I just do it. The thing is, that it also motivates me that things are getting easier every day 0 -
My motivation is that like the way I feel after, and I do it to keep healthy and do something for myself. I have put a little weight on as I was not motivated enough and bored with the gym. I have found a new class called Skinny Pigs, it is designed for woman. I love it I am hoping that I with the help of my fitness pal and back to writing things down what I ate, still allowing myself a few vodka's and soda on a Sat. I will have lost the 7.1BS that I have put on since January.0
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I have gained so much in the last year...feel so heavy. I have no motivation these days...So how did you get yourself out there exercising? What types of exercises do you do, especially when weighing around 263lbs. When did you start to see the benefits? When I was lighter I used to jog lots....its been a while. I would love to be slimmer and fitter like before.
Your last sentence that I bolded should be motivation enough.
The main motivation: to live longer with an improved quality of life.
Start small with a routine you can successfully complete (both diet and exercise), then after you achieve some success you can up your game and adjust goals. You didn't gain it all in a short period of time, so you have to have patience that it will take a long time via lifestyle change to get back to that slimmer and fitter condition you were in before.
You have to want it. So here's to that want increasing enough to get you motivated!
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I want to look fit, not thin.0
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