What do u tell urself during a workout??

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Replies

  • Crafty_camper123
    Crafty_camper123 Posts: 1,440 Member
    I watch the clock and tell myself I can go just 30 more seconds... or just one more rep. With my asthma, I really have to watch out and decide if this is just breathlessness from being out of shape, or an asthma attack coming on. So I have to remember it's okay to slow it down, and listen to my body. As far as staying motivated?? I'm still working on that one myself. I don't particularly like working out in the first place, but training myself to do something I enjoy this spring and summer is what's keeping me going so far this year. I want to hike the mountain and not die this year. So I suppose having a solid goal in mind is a good thing.
  • BitofaState
    BitofaState Posts: 75 Member
    Break it into small steps.

    I will go to the gym.
    I'm here now so I might as well get on the machine
    OK now I'm on I'll set it up for the hour, but I can stop when I want.
    Feeling a bit tired, five minute more.
    That wasn't so bad, five minutes more
    and so on.

    The other thing is to take time to sit down and ask why you're doing any of this. The GW is just a number, why that number? what is it you want to be able to do? With who? When? Have that clear in your head and focus on that goal when you're feeling weak.

    "I'm doing this because" is the thing that will keep us going through the times when we feel tired and stressed. Knowing the answer, internalizing it and keeping it as part of who we are is what will help us get to that goal.
  • l4ur4j4d4
    l4ur4j4d4 Posts: 19 Member
    That’s why I do a lot of classes, because I know after half an hour I’ll probably walk out of the gym either through boredom or I’ll feel like I can’t do anymore, even though realistically I can! If you do a class you have to stay there the duration and you get lots more out of your workout. Plus there’s so many to choose from (depending on your gym) and I’ll mix them up so I don’t get bored of the classes!
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Well, this morning it was mostly about "Why the hell would a Russian curler dope????"
    Like, for reaaaallll.

  • BitofaState
    BitofaState Posts: 75 Member
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Well, this morning it was mostly about "Why the hell would a Russian curler dope????"

    Maybe the question is "Why would a Russian Curler test positive?"

    I believe Ben Johnston later admitted that he was taking steroids but not stanozolol which he was caught for. Someone slip our Russian friend a little mickey perhaps? Someone unhappy to have been dropped from the Russian, sorry OAR, team?
  • lauraesh0384
    lauraesh0384 Posts: 463 Member
    Aside from walking I'm not into conventional forms of exercise so I play Dance Dance Revolution. It's very addicting and hard to only play for an hour, but I don't want to do it too much. I don't feel like I'm exercising.
  • rainingribbons
    rainingribbons Posts: 1,051 Member
    When I'm having a hard time motivating myself for my weightlifting routine I remind myself of a mental picture of where I want to be, and that the upcoming workout is another step for that goal. During the weight workout it's a lot of "just one more time", "I don't think the form was quite correct, let's do it again". For cardio there's a lot of "lets get to this number of calories", "only x more minutes, that's y minute(s) z times", and a lot of empowering music to keep me going.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I usually have a plan and if I'm really not feeling a workout I set myself little time goals, like this five minutes and then the next few and so on. For cardio I take my iPad to the gym and watch TV shows, it really helps with the boredom so I'm not focused on every little discomfort and my mind isn't wandering to other things I need to do today and tempting me to cut my time short.
  • takemetosingapore19
    takemetosingapore19 Posts: 86 Member
    I use my long cardio sessions as a time to reflect and plan out my day. If I don’t want to think, I just listen to podcasts and watch tv
  • cbstewart88
    cbstewart88 Posts: 453 Member
    "You got this Bonnie".
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    kelly_e_montana wrote: »
    Honestly I don't have to tell myself anything because I've learned to choose things that I actually enjoy. I hike. I compete in powerlifting. I like ice skating. I enjoy swimming and Pole Fitness. I love yoga. Basically just do things like get you moving that don't make you dread doing them. If you do something that you find fun, it will never seem like a chore.

    I enjoy the things I do too. You never have an internal monologue though?

    I enjoy the things I do too and still have an inner monologue to push myself that last little bit. Last lifting session I was telling myself "You can do this....it's light as a feather. You can do it!" I'm totally going to have to use the waffle fry power next time however. LOL Except for me it would be "You ate a Belgian waffle yesterday. Use the waffle!" Bwahaha
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    Livgetfit wrote: »
    genaquino wrote: »
    I'm mostly on the treadmill. I tell myself:

    "You're fat and you're ugly. Lose the weight!"
    "...run for a minute, then take a 30 second break."
    "If you want to see her again, then you better keep running!"
    "Why do you suck?"

    *calories burned shows at 536cal.* "Go to 550!"

    *calories burned shows at 551cal.* "You missed the mark. Go to 600!"

    Hi - I'm nobody to you and you can always ignore me but you are not ugly and you do not deserve this negative self talk. Be kind to yourself x

    Agreed. Good post.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    Good posts. I always stick with the "You feel SO much better after just get it done" Cause its true my entire day is beter when i know im active and its done and out of the way and i killed my workout. Im more likely to feel confident and happy and accomplished leading to me being more likely to make good choices and actually be even more active. Domino effect.

    -Currently trying that one on myself to get me out to walk the 30 mins to gym in the rain its not going well though-
  • lois1231
    lois1231 Posts: 330 Member
    edited February 2018
    I do the elliptical almost every day. At first my legs are really stiff. About 10 minutes in to it they start feeling better. I listen to music and faster tempos help me work harder. I usually tell myself to keep at it, I can do this, it is going to pay off in the long run. Sometimes I talk negative because I really hate my stomach and calves. It is learned behavior which is hard to break. I also tell myself you only have so many minutes to go. I try and look at the whole picture and where i want to be.
  • JaiRocket
    JaiRocket Posts: 25 Member
    I've taught myself to stop looking at the clock/time- the machine will tell me when I'm done. Instead I try and beat calories or distance that I did previously. I also like to make up backstories for the other people working out in the gym (in my head). And good music... something with a driving beat.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited February 2018
    I don't tell myself anything...I mostly cycle and I love to cycle...I lift 2x per week and I enjoy it.

    IMO, it's important to find something you enjoy doing...regular exercise should be a life long thing and if you have to tell yourself something to go, you're probably not going to stick with it too long.

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  • spzjlb
    spzjlb Posts: 602 Member
    My tips to get me through:

    1) When I was not so fit, my goal was to do whatever exercise (e.g. video, 20 min of cardio, 10 pushups - whatever) at least 5X over a week or two before throwing in the towel. I just mustered the grit to make it though 5X. Every time, I would see a bit of progress and become more motivated to do the workout again. Eventually, you will get fit enough to find your workouts more motivating than discouraging. Then, I just keep making it tougher by adding weights, going faster or longer, etc. But the hardest part is those first, discouraging workouts. I never want to re-live that discomfort, which I why I keep myself fit.

    2) It took me years to get to this point, but now, I never skip a workout because I feel crappier about myself than if I struggle through a hard one. In the end, making it through a tough workout makes me feel confident all day. As I struggle, I remind myself about how great I will feel when I finish the exercise.

    I hope this perspective can be helpful.
  • silverblaze55
    silverblaze55 Posts: 14 Member
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  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    JaiRocket wrote: »
    I've taught myself to stop looking at the clock/time- the machine will tell me when I'm done. Instead I try and beat calories or distance that I did previously. I also like to make up backstories for the other people working out in the gym (in my head). And good music... something with a driving beat.

    I used to totally do this when I would bike commute to work. I would make up stories about the homeless people I passed day in and day out as well as guessing what the regular commuters I would pass each day did for a living. There was a really pretty young girl living in a tent under the underpass in the Medical center and I imagined she was either a poor medical student who couldn't afford a place to live or that she had a loved one going through treatment and was camping out to stay close by. My homeless friend Reggie that never moved from the same bench for 2 years...he was a sociology professor doing a long term study on the way homeless are treated. My husband would joke that he probably reported on the "young boy" that would bring him breakfast every morning (because with my hair up under my helmet I look like a 12yr old boy) LOL.
  • jdwils14
    jdwils14 Posts: 154 Member
    Just keep swimming....just keep swimming...just keep swimming swimming swimming.
  • brittyn3
    brittyn3 Posts: 481 Member
    It depends on the day. Some days I can't do it and quit after 20 minutes, other days, I power through for an extra 4 miles.

    Usually, I try to focus on the moment vs. how much longer I have. I listen to music on a treadmill, or watch a tv. show on an elliptical. Unless it's running outside, my brain struggles. I've realized how mental it is for me, and I'm most successful when I'm able to distract myself from focusing on the minutes/miles going by.

    I guess my take away is, unless it's running outside (which it isn't, for 4 months during winter), I really struggle and have to use willpower. Sure, it would be great to give up and go home, but how is that helping me reach my goals?

    At some point, you just have to make yourself do it. If it's important to you, and the outcome matters - you just need to do it.
  • Lizardybits
    Lizardybits Posts: 10 Member
    I am trying to get back into a beloved sport after injury many years ago. I had to work myself up to get on the stationary bike at all, and once I was there I told myself "just spin for 15 minutes. Low resistance, high RPMs." and put on headphones. I increased the time by 5 minutes a week until I got up to 45 minutes. . .and then lost momentum over the summer because I felt stupid doing a stationary bike in beautiful weather instead of getting my good bike out and doing "real" riding on the roads.

    The mind F, it is a thing. But my therapist says to keep trying, and eventually I'll get there.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    I’m also in the no internal workout monologue camp. I exercise first thing in the AM, and although there is sometimes some mental grumbling for the first 10-20 minutes after my alarm while I’m dressing and taking care of the pets, by the time I’m starting a workout I’m usually ready to go. During my workouts I’m either focusing on form, or if I’m running, just blissing out and concentrating on the road. Sometimes my anxious brain pops up stressing about work or money or whatever, and I have to focus extra hard on the workout to get it to shut up. But I genuinely do enjoy working out, and the fact that it quiets my brain is a big plus. To be extra honest, fitness is probably the best thing I have going for me right now.
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