Tips to stay motivated

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Replies

  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,534 Member
    I agree that it's discipline over motivation. Things I do that help especially when I don't feel like going is to do it at the same time each day. Even if I'm not feeling it I get changed, fill my water bottle, and get ready. I have a few playlists I'll put on especially if I'm dragging, they usually psych me up. I also know if I don't work out daily I don't sleep as well. Once I'm actually doing it if I'm feeling like quitting early I'll think about how bad my mobility used to be, how I've been able to stop medication, and how I'd feel losing the muscle/stamina I've gained if I let myself quit. I usually get mad and tough it out!
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    I use a treadmill and have never been a public type of person(severely introverted here) but to do my 2 miles 2x a day, sometimes it's all I can do to tell myself 'ok, just get on it for 5 minutes and see what happens'. I always find myself finishing the whole time. And yes, the guilt I'd feel afterwards would be terrible. :( I've been walking for only a month and did miss 1 day because I thought eh, what's 1 day, right? But the feeling I had at the end of that day was depressing.
    Plus I've found I *have* to listen to music while doing to keep a brisk pace. It's a mind game sometimes. I can drift off and fantasize about places I want to go, things I need to do, go shopping at the stores this weekend and try on clothes....whatever it takes to get me through the time. And it's got to be an exercise I can enjoy(for the most part). I like walking and do walk outdoors too.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    alexandravictoria88 wrote: »
    I love how everyone has such different ways of achieving their goals and how to keep consistent! Reading through these help me to find the courage and motivation to give myself a goal and stay consistent with it. I work in an SEN school where consistency is a must, i can do it 100% but why do i struggle to do it for myself .. :| amazing community o:)

    It is human nature to draw a balance between order and chaos. If you work in a highly structured discipline it is natural for you to seek a chaotic balance outside of this. The trick is implementing chaos in a disciplined manner. Personally I seek chaos by sparring in MMA and competing in OCRs and other sports.
  • frksfrau
    frksfrau Posts: 108 Member
    I workout before work, which means getting up and out before 5am. I don't think of my workout as optional, but in the same category as my job. I may not want to go one day, but I don't have the option to not go. I'm not allowed to negotiate or try to get out of it. It's just part of my day.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,886 Member
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    I use a treadmill and have never been a public type of person(severely introverted here) but to do my 2 miles 2x a day, sometimes it's all I can do to tell myself 'ok, just get on it for 5 minutes and see what happens'. I always find myself finishing the whole time. And yes, the guilt I'd feel afterwards would be terrible. :( I've been walking for only a month and did miss 1 day because I thought eh, what's 1 day, right? But the feeling I had at the end of that day was depressing.
    Plus I've found I *have* to listen to music while doing to keep a brisk pace. It's a mind game sometimes. I can drift off and fantasize about places I want to go, things I need to do, go shopping at the stores this weekend and try on clothes....whatever it takes to get me through the time. And it's got to be an exercise I can enjoy(for the most part). I like walking and do walk outdoors too.

    Yes, if I'm really not feeling it I give myself permission to stop after 10 minutes if I need to, but I never need to stop.

    I've created a habit of exercising at lunch time, which I can take whenever I want. I start feeling really anxious if I put off my lunch time exercise, which motivates me to exercise, as I know exercise helps me with anxiety (and depression.)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    alexandravictoria88 wrote: »
    Hello beautiful people

    What tips do you have to stay motivated to get your bum to the gym especially on these dreary dark and cold mornings? :)

    Motivation is a fleeting emotion...it's pretty much only good enough to get you started with something. After that it's discipline...discipline leads to consistency and consistency leads to habit/routine.

    That said, you might also have to evaluate what is realistic and sustainable. Exercise comes in many forms and doesn't have to take place in a gym. If the bulk of my exercise was gym dependent, it would be a tough road to ho and frankly, it wouldn't ultimately get done at all.

    I hit the gym to lift weights twice per week and that's it. I'm definitely not a gym rat...and lifting isn't on the top of my list of things I love to do...but I like the results and I think it's important to at least meet minimum recommendations from health organizations for resistance training. I train on Tuesday after work on my own and on Friday with my wife and our trainer. Having a trainer helps me a lot because I have an appointment and it makes things more interesting and fun and the time goes by a lot faster...it helps that she's also really good friends with my wife and I, so it's workout and visit friend at the same time.

    Beyond that, most of my exercise consists of cycling...with the time change now I usually ride during my lunch break on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I usually go mountain biking on Saturday and then Sunday is usually a family activity day like hiking or rock climbing or a family ride or whatever. This Sunday we're hiking tent rocks which will be really cool since I've never been. I love riding my bike and hitting the trails on my mountain bike on the weekend...it's good exercise, but it's also hobby and recreational activity...I don't ever really think about it as a "workout."
  • threewins
    threewins Posts: 1,455 Member
    I have to go to the gym every day. That's my challenge. If I don't have to go every day, then I go zero days a week
  • foreverblissful
    foreverblissful Posts: 50 Member
    edited November 2019
    On those days my main motivating factor is not thinking too much about it! Personally if I give myself time to think about how "demotivated" I feel on a particular day, or how much I dread going to the gym, I won't go. I just mindlessly put on my shoes, my clothes, and get my butt out the door and focus on my steps on the way(my gym is walking distance). By the time im thinking about how much I would rather be in my bed, I'm too lazy to turn back around, so I might as well just go!

    TLDR: Just focus on the moment you're in(if you're lacing up your running sneakers, focus on lacing them up) and not the fact that you "are going" to the gym. By the time you get there you might as well stay there!
  • weight3049
    weight3049 Posts: 72 Member
    edited November 2019
    I use my calendar to motivate me, I put it right above my desk so I see it all the time. I mark everyday I do what I am suppose to exercise/eating-wise. I am pretty "OCD" when I see inconsistencies in something so it really helps me to make sure I do what I am suppose to everyday.

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