Motivational Pointers

kmbweber2014
kmbweber2014 Posts: 680 Member
edited October 4 in Fitness and Exercise
Alright so I am about 40 pounds overweight and am tired of it. I don't fit into a majority of my clothes and I hate shoping and seeing what size I am in. I am pretty sure I have every workout video out therebut I don't have the motivation to do them. I don't have the money to join a gym and outside activity until the snow really starts to fly is not an option (its 30 degrees today and my five year old hates being cold). So workout videos are my best option this time of year, here is the problem: I am a single mom that works full time (most of the time more than full time because my work is quite busy), I get off of work at 5:00 pick up my son and am home around 5:30. I make dinner while helping my son with homework, we eat together, I help him get bathed, I tuck him in and read with him, I clean up the dinner mess organize things for our morning and get laundry in. When all of this is done it is usually around 9:30 or 10:00. Getting motivated at that point is so tough. Can someone tell me how they motivate themselves? I feel like I make excuses for it but am also very tired.

Replies

  • piccolarj
    piccolarj Posts: 488 Member
    Get up 30 mins earlier and exercise in the morning before your son wakes up. After a few weeks it will become a habit but you will have to make yourself do it at first. It's all about how bad you really want to succeed at this.Also remember weight loss is 80% diet so even if you kept to a pretty good diet you should lose.
  • rachelleahsmom
    rachelleahsmom Posts: 442 Member
    I agree with the previous poster. Also, if you just can't find it in yourself to do those exercise videos, try incorporating more activity in your daily routine. I do things like squat every time I take something out of the dryer and jump once after each item is folded or hung. When I take things out of the laundry basket to put away, I put one away at a time to force me to walk more. I park far away at work. I do situps during commercials on tv. You get the idea. Good luck and hang in there!

    P.S. I know what you mean about hating to shop!
  • rachelleahsmom
    rachelleahsmom Posts: 442 Member
    Another idea - play tag with your son.
  • RamblingRo
    RamblingRo Posts: 30 Member
    That schedule is really tough, but it's not impossible. One of my favorite motivational quotes is "If you want something bad enough,you'll find a way...if not, you'll find an excuse." I don't know who said it, but it's right on.

    One thing I do to motivate myself is to make myself workout before doing something I want to do. It's the same trick I use on my kids. No video games until after you've cleaned your room.

    Also, I know that you're tired, but you WILL have more energy once you start exercising. You'll sleep better too, so you'll be more rested. I promise you this.

    I wish you luck!
  • debeyea
    debeyea Posts: 3
    try to incorporate more movement/steps into your day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further away at the store. Get up and move around on your lunch break. Buy a pedometer at Wal-Mart or Target. Cheap ones are $5. Wear it and set goals to reach 10,000 steps in a day. Make it a game with your son. You can both wear one and see who gets more steps at the end of the day. Take advantage of time off on weekends to do something active. Try to just make small lifestyle changes that will make a bigger difference.
  • ymachick
    ymachick Posts: 33 Member
    I agree with the previous poster. Also, if you just can't find it in yourself to do those exercise videos, try incorporating more activity in your daily routine. I do things like squat every time I take something out of the dryer and jump once after each item is folded or hung. When I take things out of the laundry basket to put away, I put one away at a time to force me to walk more. I park far away at work. I do situps during commercials on tv. You get the idea. Good luck and hang in there!

    P.S. I know what you mean about hating to shop!


    I love all these recommendations and wrote them down. Now, I'm going to try to incorporate some similiar ones for work. (I work in an office about 50% of the time and the other half from home). Thanks for the great ideas!

    P.S: I agree with the shopping thing. :) I've lost 50 pounds and have about 45 more to go.
  • debradloff
    debradloff Posts: 4
    Hi Karli-

    I completely hear you on your time crunch, and I applaud you for starting this journey. What's your work schedule like? Do you get an hour for lunch? If so, is there a way for you to maybe do about 15 minutes of either walking around, or some sort of movement? There are lots of posts on the internet about simple exercises you can do with just your body, and a little space. Or, absolutely wake up 30 minutes earlier and get a quick 20 minute work-out in there before your son gets up. If you are worried still about time, have you tried the "walk a mile" workout video/dvd? They are a little dated, but I recall that the workouts are only 15 minutes long. And yes, 80% of weight loss is indeed diet, so you should be able to lose weight this way.

    Best of luck to you!!:wink:
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