Ho do you make yourself go to the gym?

Hi everyone,

As a new years resolution I got myself a gym membership. I like going to the gym. But I haven't gone more then 4 times since I got the membership in January. Time I get out of work get home I don't want to move from the spot on the couch. I even tried carrying my gym clothes with me and going right to the gym after work. Most of the time I forgot and went straight home. I'm only a mile from the gym.

Any advise on how to make yourself go to the Gym would be extremely helpful!  

It's a very personal choice....my husband doesn't go to a gym, but works out a lot, usually at home or goes running from the house.  My trick is to go straight from work.  Most of the time, if I go home first, I don't want to go back out.  I consider my gym an extension of my workday.  It does take a while to make that a habit.  You have to make a commitment...take it one week at a time.  Eventually, you'll be going several times a week for several months and you'll never know it.

Good luck!

I don't know about you, but I always feel so great AFTER I go to the gym.  So, I try to focus on that feeling, and that often gets me there for about 4 days a week.  Even though I don't feel like going, I also always tell myself that some sort of workout is better than nothing at all (which thus justifies going even to walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes). 

To add on one more thing -- often, if you can just force yourself to get into the habit of it, it will become second nature.  If you let yourself lag, then you'll always feel like you're "too busy" for the gym.  Which is not true!

Well, for me, I always bring my gym bag with me and go after work - but it's a habit that I've cultivated so I don't forget.  Maybe put your gym bag in the driver seat when you get to work, so you can't get into your car at night without being reminded to go work out?

The other thing that motivates me is I get embarrassed at the idea of paying for my membership and not using it.  I figure if I am going to donate money, it should be to a worthier cause than my gym!  So I use it to make sure I'm not wasting the money. 

Those are my two motivators, such as they are!

I too, feel wonderful after the gym..  it's hard to stay motivated but maybe a workout partner would be helpful??  i bring my 15 year old...   she keeps on my A** all the time!!!

I find it easier to go in the morning. I get myself up, dressed and there before my brain turns on. No thinking about what else I have to do or even about sleeping more. Alarm goes off and it's just the next thing to do, go to the gym. The days when i don't want to go are the best. It's hard to get there, but man, on the way home I am so proud of myself!

Like sarahkyle said, focus on that feeling. Really let yourself be proud of yourself and happy that you did it! It really feels good! I get addicted to that feeling!

I also signed up for the "getting money back from the insurance company." That's a good motivator later in the year when I just don't feel like going! I've been so good, I want ot be BAD! But I only need 10 more visits to get my money!

i often say this to my friends....

i can think of a hundred times that i've not been in the mood to work out or go for a run, but i can't think of a single time that i've finished and regretted having done so.

just do it!  no matter how you feel when you go, you always feel better when you are done!!!!

To be honest with you, I make it a major mental thing for me. I imagine myself smaller and I imagine my pregancy (two) belly gone. Two pregnancies mess you up! I used to be a martial arts instructor. Never been skinny, but was fit, muscles were toned (I'm actually unbelievably strong for a female, I can curl over 20 lb., bench over 200, and leg press way over that... my calves are unbelievably huge... haha) But ya, I just picture myself losing more and more of this weight... That's enough to get me to go.

I'm the same way, I never make it to the gym.  I searched for the cheapest gym in the area and it was still going to set me back about $50 a month.  Instead of a membership, I shelled out the $300 for an elliptical machine.  It sits in my living room, I can see the tv from there, and I can do it any time of day and in my underwear if I want.  $300 is a lot of money for me, it hurt to do it, but I don't regret it.  It was only 6 months worth of gym membership fees and I'll be using it for much longer than that.  If you're afraid that you won't get your money's worth from the gym, just put that money in your sock drawer for a few months and then take the cash to Sears and buy yourself an elliptical.  It's a good workout any time of day. 

Get a personal trainer...sign up for 3 or more sessions. It'll force you to make a commitment. And he/she will help motivate you to make it a habit to come even after the sessions are over.

Hi,  My trick for going to the gym is to go in the morning.  I'm a morning person anyway so I don't have any trouble getting up.  If I had to go in the afternoon, I just would not go.  You feel so much better going in the morning and you are done and over with for the day.  Good Luck

I look at myself naked in the mirror - that helps get my butt into the gym! But seriously I used to go in the morning, but I find sleeping in was much more fun, so now I go straight after work. The crowd is better then too and the ladies there help motivate you into coming back!

Jennifer - you had my rolling on the floor because thats what my husband does! 

I don't always like to go and I may drag my feet in there - but boy am I always glad I went!   I always feel better after going and energized - which is why I can't work out at night:)  Plus, I have a pair of pants hanging in my closets just begging me to wear them out!

gang

i know there are all kinds of tricks to getting to the gym. I love how creative you all have been in your stories.

however, this is just like anything else. We cant lose weight just because we wanna look good. We cant go work out cause we wanna look good. We can do mental gymnastics to try to propell us there. But it will not last.

Even if we muster up the will to goto the gym, sooner or later we will stop going. Its like anything else. Most of us do what we ENJOY.

we all enjoyed eating -lol.  We need to find  a joy in a new lifestyle that has to be permanent or it will not last. If we have to 'con' ourselves to goto the gym, we find no pleasure in it at all except the CHORE of losing the weight and this SUPER BOD dancing around in our heads.

There are 100 other ways to get active and keep fit. Which ones do we remember doing? Do that. Do it for the love of it -not the CHORE of losing the blub.

Sadly, i know from personal experience the agony of losing all the weight, all to gain 25 of it back. There is very little point of going thru all this hassle if we are just gonna wait till we look good then revert back to our old habits.

In fact, its better for me just to concentrate how much better i feel from my new diet and lifestyle. Regardless of the other fringe benefits of losing weight are. I want to permanently change so i can live longer and be heathy. I NEVER ever want to carry around this huge 'bag o blub' on my body ever again.

The great bod and the other obvious fringe benefits that go along with this lifestyle will tag along, dont worry.

It's all about striving for that desired self image

i don't.  instead of "making myself" exercise, i find things that i actually want to do.

Original Post by tomdavie:

gang

i know there are all kinds of tricks to getting to the gym. I love how creative you all have been in your stories.

however, this is just like anything else. We cant lose weight just because we wanna look good. We cant go work out cause we wanna look good. We can do mental gymnastics to try to propell us there. But it will not last.

Even if we muster up the will to goto the gym, sooner or later we will stop going. Its like anything else. Most of us do what we ENJOY.

we all enjoyed eating -lol.  We need to find  a joy in a new lifestyle that has to be permanent or it will not last. If we have to 'con' ourselves to goto the gym, we find no pleasure in it at all except the CHORE of losing the weight and this SUPER BOD dancing around in our heads.

There are 100 other ways to get active and keep fit. Which ones do we remember doing? Do that. Do it for the love of it -not the CHORE of losing the blub.

Sadly, i know from personal experience the agony of losing all the weight, all to gain 25 of it back. There is very little point of going thru all this hassle if we are just gonna wait till we look good then revert back to our old habits.

In fact, its better for me just to concentrate how much better i feel from my new diet and lifestyle. Regardless of the other fringe benefits of losing weight are. I want to permanently change so i can live longer and be heathy. I NEVER ever want to carry around this huge 'bag o blub' on my body ever again.

The great bod and the other obvious fringe benefits that go along with this lifestyle will tag along, dont worry.

Well done, tomdavie. This understanding and some other factors was what I was missing and ultimately it has kept me from losing weight. It has to be about a healthier you FIRST...then a great looking you AFTERWARDS. You just have to put the hard work in and it doesn't have to be done in a gym. Gym's are not for everyone anyway. Gym's are for prospectors anyway in my opinion. You have to get in shape just to go to the gym. LOL. There's plenty that you can do on your own and most of all....it's free and you're not so stationary (in so many words) like you would be on the stair stepper at the gym. Mellyjohn, you don't sound all that convinced about the gym anyway. Save your money. Besides...you either want to go to the gym or you don't.

I agree with the posts that say find something you ENJOY or learn to enjoy what you don't enjoy now.  My trainer says "Embrace what sucks" because that's what's getting me the results.  I expect to work now to get that feeling of "this is really tough, gotta hang in one more second, this is the feeling I want." 

The first habit to establish though is to get in your gym clothes and in the gym.  Stick to just that.  Showing up in your gym clothes.  You can leave after that.  Then show up in your gym clothes and spend 10 minutes there and let yourself leave if you want ( you won't).  My baseline is 20 minutes of something/anything but show up.  I almost always do more but sometimes I really don't.

Baby steps.

The OP said "I like going to the gym", so it's not that she doesn't enjoy it....I can relate to this. I actually LOVE being at the gym, working out, but for some reason it's the getting there that's really hard!

I used to go straight from work, that worked out well, until I stopped taking my car and started biking to work. So now, going to the gym means going after dinner in the evening, and most times I just don't. Watching x-weighted or Biggest Loser sometimes gets me going though!

I think if you have the option to go straight from work, that's the best choice...write a sticky note that is somewhere you can't miss, like on your steering wheel, to remind you. Once it gets to be a habit, it's so much easier.

I should take my own advice and go straight from work too. No one says I can't bike there.