Student lacking motivation!

alininja1991
alininja1991 Posts: 60 Member
in Motivation and Support
Ok, my names Ali, i'm 21 years old I am 5"3 and I am 175lbs. The ideal weight I want to be is 140lbs, my goal weight is 125lbs.

Basically I woke up this morning thinking, I was a size 10 when I was 16, and I loved it, been the same height since i was 14. So why am I the size I am? And then it occurred to me, I no longer have an active life style. When I was in school I was on the running and rowing team (I didn't like it all that much but I did it), I used to have a boyfriend in the army who I used to go running with and was very active, then it all went down hill, i got a new boyfriend who sat infront of a PS3 all night... I have never eaten any different to when I was a size 10... I like junk food like anybody but I know how to cook and I know how to keep the fat out of foods, I know which foods are good and bad, and generally over the years my diet stayed the same, just not my fitness.

So now I need the motivation to get out there and get fit. I'm generally fussy with my foods, but I do know which foods to stay away from, and at the moment I think i'm going to go for the carbs and calorie controlled diet, I know its hard to control both carbs and calories, but as I get fitter I will up the carbs obviously since I need energy.

Well heres my problem, I have no money so I can't get a gym membership. But I know you don't need it, I am too embarrassed to run, as I will run for about 3 minutes and feel the need to pass out (I am seriously unfit, haven't exercised, apart from the odd swim here and there for a year and a half), although I have a bike and I do like cycling. But I don't know where to go!

I just need some help getting that motivation to exercise.

I also want to know when is the best time to exercise, I'm not one of these that do early mornings either!

Replies

  • downinaggieland98
    downinaggieland98 Posts: 224 Member
    You don't need a gym to get started. There are TONS of good home workouts that don't require equipment. I personally love Zuzana. Just go on youtube and search her ZWOW videos. She has 18 of them (she does one per week) and she will give you alternatives for beginners. I think the main thing is start slow - you don't need to do too much, too fast, but the better you feel, the more you will want to do. Her videos are pretty hard but I always get good ideas to design a home workout.

    I am currently low carb as well, I think that's a good starting point. Good luck!
  • Ritzbrit
    Ritzbrit Posts: 211 Member
    I love the couch to 5K program, check it out!! I'm not a morning person either so I work out after work around 4 or after my tv shows around 8 or 9, when ever I can fit it in. And I don't have a gym membership. Looking at success stories/pics on here is very motivating!!
  • violabeatle
    violabeatle Posts: 87 Member
    I second Ritzbrit's C25k suggestion: I Just finished week 5 day 1. I started out having trouble running for 60 seconds and dreading week 2 in which I ran for 90 and last night I ran 8 minutes nonstop...TWICE (About 3/4 mile). I'm also a student and I have a full-time internship sitting at a desk staring at the computer all. day. long.

    Another thing that motivates me is making workout playlists. I seriously sat in front of my computer for HOURS last night working o workout playlists. I like music with a heavy beat for workouts! And, I get so excited when I finally use them!

    See if you can get yourself a cycling/workout buddy. If you are relying on someone else to work out i's more of a commitment-it goes from "I should work out today" to "I'm working out with Fred today."

    Good luck and feel free to add me if you need support!
  • holly2234
    holly2234 Posts: 37
    First things first, get some sleep! I know you run on empty most days. Then end up struggling with what to eat due to money.

    I know just where we both went wrong though, when we were 14 and a size 10, we used to eat chocolate and chips drowned in salt! It didnt seem to catch up with us until now :P

    Alcohol is a big one too. Too much of that seems to go into a lot of students lives yet they're the things with a lot of calories in! Dont forget to log those. Even if it does end up being the morning after!
  • alininja1991
    alininja1991 Posts: 60 Member
    Holly your definately right with the alcohol, for the summer (apart from my house party and maybe one or two nights out spread out over the summer, which is until 17th sept for me im not drinking at all!) and yes all that chocolate and alcohol has caught up with us!

    I definately think i'm going to look at these workout videos! I was looking at success stories earlier and was getting a bit motivated so I went and saw my friend soph who walks everywhere, so we took a random walk and just talked for ages. So that was good, although we eventually went back to hers to have a cuppa tea.

    I know drinking lots of water helps keep the water retention weight off.

    Think I need to keep myself a little online diary of my progress from day to day. I think i'll start off with like I dunno 3 or 4 7 - 10minute work out videos, so then i get like inbetween 25minutes and 40minute work out, then work my way up into the hours and higher intensity levels

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