Exercise - How do I make myself??

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TXBelle1174
TXBelle1174 Posts: 615 Member
in Motivation and Support
Not sure if this should be under the Motivation board or Exercise board but here goes.... When I started back up on MFP (I took a several month hiatus), I also started C25K. I hate running but it felt GOOD. I felt GOOD. It was hard, I thought I would die, my legs hurt, my knees hurt, but I did it and I was proud. Then in week 3, I re-injured my foot (old injury) and had to stop. I could barely walk let alone run but I made myself walk. My daughter was taking swim lessons, so I walked while she swam. I take riding lessons (learning Dressage) and I ride at least 2x per week. Well, her swimming lessons stopped so I havent been walking. I had to cut back on the lessons (can we say - EXPENSIVE) a bit so now I am riding maybe once per week. I work hard around the house on weekends - I have BIG yard that I have to take care of and its definitely a workout.
Bottom line is - I HATE conventional exercise. HATE it with every fiber of my being. I am NOT lazy because I like the hard work of cleaning stalls, farm work, house chores, gardening, mowing the lawn, etc. I just HATE the real exercise. You know, the stuff I NEED to do. The weight would come off so much faster. I dont want to do videos cause I feel ridiculous jumping around with my husband and the dogs watching me. I dont have time for the gym. I have an elliptical that beckons me every night but it just sits there collecting dust. How do I break myself of this? I want to start C25K again but the dr. told me to wait for running until I lost another 25 lbs or so. Apparently my foot is still weak and I have to baby it when I go back to running. I need to exercise more. I WANT to but I cant seem to make myself. I really dont stop moving until about 8:30 when the kids are in bed and then, I am so exhausted, I just dont want to do anything. I dont know if there is any helpful advice out there to cure this sort of behavior or to help me but any suggestions as to how I can motivate myself would be great. Come on.... tell me how wonderful I will feel and how it will speed up my weight loss and I will be stronger and all that good stuff.. I need to hear it (or read it) because I just want to curl up on the couch and take a nap!!!

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  • scubachick2287
    scubachick2287 Posts: 57
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    You are sabatoging yourself. I see 100 excuses in your post about how you can't, or don't want to, or don't like to. Blah Blah Blah. Get off the couch and do something. Who cares who is watching? Do you HATE exercise more than you HATE being over weight? Attitude is one of the easiest fixes you can make. Put a smile on your face and say "SO WHAT if I HATE it. SO WHAT if it is hot. SO WHAT if someone is watching or I'm embarrased or (insert excuse here.) I'm going to do this (insert exercise here) because there is no excuse preventing me from being the best I can be."
  • jabberwockgee
    jabberwockgee Posts: 49 Member
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    I don't really like people watching me either, so if you're doing a video inside, try to do it elsewhere. I do them in my room. When I still lived at home, my mom did them in the basement. If you only have one tv (and I have no idea why your family would stay there just to watch you), tell them that it's exercise time and they should go play outside. Or invite them to do it with you.

    But since I've also been doing C25K, and I'm now running 30 minutes at a time, I don't really mind if people watch me. They are being lazy driving by in their cars and I'm losing weight.
  • chayleah
    chayleah Posts: 51 Member
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    If you are an active person formal exercise isn't always necessary. I use a bodybugg to estimate my calorie burn and a good 1.5 hours of cleaning can get me the same calorie burn as steady state cardio. Most of us need formal exercise because we work jobs where we sit all day and even then that 1 hour of activity doesn't begin to make up for all of the inactivity. My highest calorie burn don't happen on days I go to the gym....it's the days where I am shopping and cleaning and running errands.
  • TXBelle1174
    TXBelle1174 Posts: 615 Member
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    If you are an active person formal exercise isn't always necessary. I use a bodybugg to estimate my calorie burn and a good 1.5 hours of cleaning can get me the same calorie burn as steady state cardio. Most of us need formal exercise because we work jobs where we sit all day and even then that 1 hour of activity doesn't begin to make up for all of the inactivity. My highest calorie burn don't happen on days I go to the gym....it's the days where I am shopping and cleaning and running errands.

    ^ This! I have noticed that the days I spend trimming trees and clearing out flower beds, mucking stalls, working horses, etc. That my calorie burn is MUCH higher than when I was doing C25K or when I walk for an hour. I typically dont even log the full amount of time just to be sure I am not overestimating. I enjoy that kind of physical work. I am trying to find a way to feel that way about my elliptical machine. :)
  • LANIECE1
    LANIECE1 Posts: 78 Member
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    Well girl, I hate the gym too, and I use my treadmill to hang my clothes to dry on. But I can tell you this. I LOVE ZUMBA, it is the Best Thang since slice bread for ME!! I take it a small dance studio near my house. The fun I have, the beautiful people I have met!! ZUMBA makes you feel good inside and out!! it Inspires YOU!! When I'm not there I miss it so much, I hear the music in my heard, or my son and my husband are singing the songs. I have all my family and friends going to ZUMBA, I even had a ZUMBA Birthday Party this month.

    I started in Feb 2012, I have lost 10lbs and a gang of energy, and I love the way my body is shaping up!

    Bottom line: ZUMBA MAKES YOU SEXY!!!

    Be Encouraged!
  • Masq
    Masq Posts: 191 Member
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    Your post was like the voices in my head…. I feel the same way. :embarassed:
    Last year I pretty much forced myself to exercise by signing up for Sprint Triathlons. I did three, completed all of them and did not finish last in my age group….. bottom 1/2 , but not last. Lol
    Once the summer tri’s were over…. My exercise routine was non-existent ….. NOW I am back to square one of where I started (weight) last year before training. :cry:
    I have a treadmill in my basement… used it some to train for the tri’s last year when the weather was cold… now it’s a clothes rack. I have exercise tapes and the Wii fit…. I do those sometimes, but it’s hard to get motivated. :yawn:

    You may consider a Fitbit. It will show you and keep track of the things you do and show you approximately how many calories you really are burning each day just doing those ‘normal’ things. I got one on ebay for about $85. It syncs with MFP, so it’s kind of cool.
    I did a 7K trail 'run'.... OK I walked most of it because I lost all of my stamina from last year. The Fitbit kept track of the distance, the hills and calories burned. When it synced to MFP, I had a ton of calories to eat that night. :wink:
    Also, if you are really doing that much 'work' around the house/yard, the Fitbit may show that your calorie deficit is too low.... you may be eating 1600 calories, but your net may be lower than 1200.

    :flowerforyou:
  • tamsinwhitfield
    tamsinwhitfield Posts: 135 Member
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    If you have an elliptical, you're pretty much sorted. My problem with prolonged cardio is mostly boredom, but with anything other than actual running it's pretty easy to entertain yourself at the same time. Book to read, movie to watch? Get on the elliptical simultaneously. Problem solved.

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