How to stay motivated in the evenings?

awilli20
awilli20 Posts: 10 Member
edited November 26 in Motivation and Support
I'm starting to get back to losing weight again and working out. I spend most of my evenings after work and or my days off sitting on the couch. I have recently bought a fit bit tracker a couple weeks ago. I'm averaging about 18,000 steps on most days. Majority of it is at work, sometimes more if I have some running around to do when my shift is over or if was a particularly busy day.

The past few days since the weather has finally seem to have broke in my area, I've gone on walks during my lunch hour, provided it's warm enough and not raining. I intend to keep doing that. I seem to lack still doing anything at home outside of work. There's been a couple days I have gone on bike rides with my son when the weather was still going back and forth.

I would like to do weekend workouts such as hiking but my two days off typically consist of one day off on weekends and one off during the week. I typically don't have much of a chance to recope much from a strenuous activity or even from a long few days of work.

Wondering if anyone had any advice on how to remain active outside of work due to lack of motiviation or getting motivated to keep going?

Replies

  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    That's fine for cardio but you should be lifting weights too. What about workouts at home a few evenings a week?
  • awilli20
    awilli20 Posts: 10 Member
    Cwolf, I have quite a bit of weight I would like to take off. Despite being as active as I am, I weigh in over 200 pounds. When I had lost about forty pounds a few years ago, I really had to work at it and push myself to do even more. Needless to say I gained most of it back in the last year or two.

    I had a health check up last spring , only thing I had been low on vitamin D, border line for high cholesterol and obese. Despite telling the doctor how active I am, he wanted me to do more outside of work. I think it was partial disbelief on doctor's end being I work in a grocery store and probably thought i stood around most of it even though I told him what I do. I work the floor and dairy department which definitly has some heavy lifting to it. Unlike some positions such as a cashier, I am constantly moving.
  • awilli20
    awilli20 Posts: 10 Member
    Mostly water, I do not have any weights at home to do strength training. What else could i use instead of weights or other strength training activities that use own body weight?
  • Aaa_yyy
    Aaa_yyy Posts: 5 Member
    Personally I like to do a good workout early in the day then I give myself the evenings “off”.... that way I can relax without feeling guilty.

    Otherwise, sometimes I do exercises while watching TV or at least during the commercial breaks... many of the moves used in Jillian Michaels’ Banish Fat Boost Metabolism video work well for this (crunches, squats, planks, as well as HIIT moves like high-knees, mountain climbers, burpees, etc— the best part is that every move she uses does t require ANY equipment)
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    awilli20 wrote: »
    Wondering if anyone had any advice on how to remain active outside of work due to lack of motiviation or getting motivated to keep going?

    I need to go do stuff straight from work BEFORE I get home.. If I go home first after work, then 9 times out of 10 I won't head back out.
  • need2belean
    need2belean Posts: 358 Member
    awilli20 wrote: »
    Mostly water, I do not have any weights at home to do strength training. What else could i use instead of weights or other strength training activities that use own body weight?

    Is there a way to workout before work?
  • awilli20
    awilli20 Posts: 10 Member
    Need2belean, I'm not much of a morning person. Despite having a mostly set day shift schedule of 7:30 am to 4:30 pm the last several years, I struggle with the 6 am wake up. My alarm is set for 5:30, I hit the snooze the entire time. During the time after I actually get up, I have just enough time to shower, make sure my child hasn't fallen back to sleep, have him get dressed, both of us eat breakfast, pack two lunches, drop him off at daycare until the bus arrives for school and get to work.

    I have tried doing a 5 am alarm in hopes of getting out of bed at 5:30. My success rate is hitting more snooze buttons.
  • rj0150684
    rj0150684 Posts: 227 Member
    Is there any particular reason you think you need more activity? Is it just for weight loss? If so, like wolfman said, 18,000 steps/day (especially if you’re also bending, twisting, lifting, carrying all day) is very active. If you just aren’t seeing progress on weight loss, I’d focus a lot more on your diet than your exercise.

    That said, if you’re trying to increase strength or general health and well-being through exercise, you can take 15 minutes and bang out some sit-ups, push-ups, planks, lunges and squats. Can do it anywhere and no equipment required. Modify the exercise as required if it’s too hard starting out (lots of good resources out there on that).
  • awilli20
    awilli20 Posts: 10 Member
    edited May 2018
    It's primarily for weight loss. I do get in bending, lifting, twisting and some carrying/wheeling out products at work. I spend most of my shift on my feet walking to fill products to the shelves such as milk, eggs, butter, etc after I load a cart full of product. Some of whic h is light, maybe thirty pounds or less, and some can be rather heavy, upwards to 500 lbs, depending on the load if it's all milk or if it's a bunch of yogurt, sour cream, shredded cheese.

    I don't feel that I am very active despite the amount of steps I get in during a work day. I do realize I'm not sedentary and actually up moving around most of the day. For me, it seems as if there's not much effort put into it despite how much I am physically doing.

    My fitbit records majority of my active minutes as light and the fairly to very active minutes are minimal, according to the graphing chart. I did come across a site that defined by step count what is to be considered sedentary, lightly active, active and very active. With my steps alone, I'm clearly crushing very active. Intensity, I'm under performing (??) I suppose being quite a bit of it is lightly active?
  • sofchak
    sofchak Posts: 862 Member
    ritzvin wrote: »
    I need to go do stuff straight from work BEFORE I get home.. If I go home first after work, then 9 times out of 10 I won't head back out.

    This exactly - I bring my workout clothes with me to work and change before I leave the office. I found a place to run near work - not ideal, but it keeps me motivated to “just do it” versus going home first and getting distracted.

  • snagra23
    snagra23 Posts: 5 Member
    Make plans with other people! That way you will be more likely not to cancel.
  • stm712015
    stm712015 Posts: 138 Member
    I'm impressed and also with the others that have asked why you feel you need to be more active? I realize you're working when you get most of your activity and it doesn't seem like you're being challenged because it's incidental exercise, but 18,000 steps a day is very active! You lose weight in the kitchen. Exercise is for your heart and health. Have you put much focus on your diet?
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