Motivation

Once upon a time, when I was thin, I loved playing sports and going jogging. Then I got lazy (and fat) and now I HATE exercising. I hate feeling like a fat sweaty heiffer and worrying that people are judging me when I do actually do some exercise. What motivates people to get started? What helps people keep that motivation? What form of exercise do you actually have fun doing?

 

I really appreciate everyone's suggestions. Please keep them coming! I think the hardest part is just getting of my fanny and moving. Once I actually get started I don't mind going at it longer than I planned.

One thing I do when i really really really don't feel like excersizing, is a kind of mini-workout. I take a brisk walk around the block, maybe 5 minutes, and when i get home i do crunches, push-ups, jumping jacks, and a couple laps up and down the stairs. You'll be surprised how good you feel after something like that, and it only has to be 15 or 20 minutes! you're burning calories withouut getting burned out and you really feel better about yourself knowing you've done SOMETHING for your body, even if it's not a full workout. Try doing one of those a day for a while to help you settle back into excersize mode. i hope that works for you!

You know if I cant be botehred exercising I just do 10mins on the wii fit or my pilates DVD, find yourself a fun fitness DVD like turbo jam.

Get a wii fit. They are ace!!!

Exercise hard and remember the feeling of accomplishment you have. Don't worry what other people think cos you are the only one that matters

Good luck

I know exactly what you mean.  Although I'm not sure I ever loved sports or excercising.  I did cross country in High School but I was so bad (slow) at it that I finished the year just to say I was the first girl in the history of my school to actually stay with it for the whole season!  But enjoy it - I did enjoy jogging but I hated competition!  I am loving it now!  I don't compete with anyone but myself.  I set goals for myself.  For instance if I do the elliptic trainer my goal might be I will try to do 2.0 miles each time and go for 30 minutes or I might try to burn so many calories.  I absolutely love swimming.  I do 30 minutes of elliptic and 2 days a week weight training (not my favorite but I guess it's necessary)  The swimming I do at least 5 times a week after my other work out.  I feel like it is a reward for getting the other done.  I am loving the way it makes me feel.  I am gaining energy every day.  (That wasn't true the first month)  I love walking.  I will walk in the woods or around town 1-2 times a week doing between 2-5 miles sometimes 6 or more though not very often because that may give me blisters!  Any way some suggestions, to get started find a buddy who wants to either lose weight or tone up, too.  If you can't find that get a cd player or mp3 player and load it with the most upbeat music that you love.  Take it with you one a walk or to work out.  It so helps me.  Sometimes when I get there I don't think I'm gonna have a great workout.  I feel slow and lethargic but once I get going and I'm listening to my music it will get me going!   By the way, just so you don't think I'm some kind of 24 year old with a model body!  My stats are 5'3" 203, and 45 years old, female.  I've only been doing the excercise since the end of April and Calorie count for 1 week. 

When I really don't want to work out because of stress or whatever, I try to meditate a little while I am doing my cardio.  I just tell myself that all of the negative energy and toxins are dripping out of my body as I sweat and tell myself over and over that when I walk out of the gym, I'll feel wonderful and refreshed.  This almost always works for me and does make me feel better on crappy days.

However, if I am just really feeling totally low energy, I will give myself a day off.  I try to take 1-2 days off of the gym each week to relax and re-energize, which makes my on days much better and my weight loss much more progressive!

Also, you should note that while there are probably people at the gym that may be judgmental, there are also people who look at others and think, "good for them".  This is the case with me.  I used to be morbidly obese and felt very self conscious working out in public.  Now, when I see someone who is as big as I used to be, I smile at them and think, "good for her/him for overcoming it and getting out here....if I can do it so can she/he!". 

I started exercising for mental health and I was doing it 5 weeks before I joined CC. However, I found frequenting the fitness forum got me really excited about learning new exercises, getting new fitness goals and learning to prevent injury.

But at the very start, I began powerwalking. No more and no less. That got my heart and lungs in good enough shape for Billy Blanks workout dvds. Then I joined this place and got excited about Learn to Run, which I'm about to start week 4.

I love exercising now. I just got my bike fixed and use it for fun, exercise and transportation. I'm swimming (you'd be surprised how many calories you burn having fun in water) too.

I encourage you to hang out at the fitness forum and see what people are doing over there. And start walking. My favorite walk is at this park with lots of greenery and other people doing the same thing.

Here's a link to Turbo Jam.  WWW.BEACHBODY.COM/TURBOJAM

BEACHBODY.COM

Has all these other DVD's that might get you going..

Power90
P90X I have it.. I'm not really into it. Makes you work, and there is no fun in it.
Kathy Smith's Project YOU! I got that at a of E-BAY
Slim in 6- Girl friend rates that one as a winner.. She loves it.
Yoga Booty Ballet LIVE.. The DVD is poor. I sent that back, and went for Turbo Jam.

Then you got the Dancing with the star's.. I don't think Beach Body, has anything to do with that one. I'm not sure.. That one is a great one too. Anything that is fun is good. If you are not having fun like you was during your sports in school, you are not going to love it. I love fun.. That's what get's me going.. I get up every morning, and I am ready to have fun, and play with my children. That's what you do.. Have fun to lose the weight, and don't sweat it.. Just sweat it off. Take baby steps into your program.. Give yourself 15 mins. per day, and build yourself up to do more each week. Walking, Resistance training, a little of a DVD workout program. Just build yourself up. That's what I did.

Take your time, and find your fit.. I do a 30/30/30 program, and it's going to change at the end of this month. I do 30 mins of cardio, 30 mins of yoga or pilates, and 30 mins of weight training. This is my program 3 days a week, and then 2 days.. I do light cardio, no mix up for 1hr. This is what works for me. Just find your fit. In time you will get your program to where you want it to be. Oh, and the weekends is my rest time.

Good Luck, and I hope you find your fit.

Take it one day at a time. Make yourself a small easy daily goal like: Today I will walk for 20 minutes and tomorrow add another 5. After taking a walk notice how you feel when you get back and write it down. Keep a log of what you do. Another thing is that you can't worry about what other people think. Most people that look great at the gym probably have had their own issues with weight and body image. Most people are into theirselves anyway to be worried about what everone else is doing.  Losing weight takes tons of work and when your in enough pain you'll find a way to deal with the changes in routine you have to make. Working out also gives you a natural high and that helps with sleep, weight loss and depression. Once you start working out you'll realize how hard it is to burn calories and you'll think twice about what you eat. That's just how it's working for me.    And one more thing once you start it gets easier and much better than what you will put yourself through mentally because you not doing it.  Where do you think Nike got the quote "Just do it"

Like someone said above, do a mini-workout.   I absolutely hate the gym, and I'm even in ok physical shape (5'3'', 140 lbs) but I cannot get motivated at all to get off my butt and exercise unless my fiance practically drags me there.   What I've been doing for the past 2 weeks, that seems to work for me so far, is set a time to go to the gym everyday (for me it's between 6:30 and 7 - before dinner, and before my favorite TV shows) and I try to run for 30 minutes each time.  However, on the days I just really don't want to run, I still go (it's like the pill, you've got to stay on a schedule!)  and just do a brisk 30 minute walk so I don't feel like the lazy bum I really am at heart.  When it comes to feeling self concious, well, remember that you are there!  You're not sitting at home on the couch with a big bag of chips and a beer gaining more weight.  You are out there trying to lose weight and I think people do realize that and don't look at you in the way you think they do.  I know when I go to the gym and I see someone working out who is more out of shape than I am, I'm inspired.  I'm thinking, damn, if they can do it, there's no reason why I can't keep up with this.   I think people would rather see you there than on your couch.  Try to shake off those bad thoughts because people don't always look at you in a bad way. 

Everyone has such great suggestions. My focus for the next month or so will be 1. "Find your fit!"

2. Small goals each day

3. Log how I feel after I work out - this is great. I record my food intake which can often make me feel guilty, but recording good feelings may keep me positive. On days when I have no motivation I can thumb through the log and remember how good it feels after.

Thank you everyone!

Also, Kathy Smith fans - I'm with you. There is something about her that keeps me going without being too terribly cheesy.

Another trick I use - is to start out my run with "well, I'll only go 20 minutes..." if if I go 20 minutes then I have made my goal... but more often than not I will say , "well, i could go 10 minutes further..." and so on until I have completed my 60 minutes of cardio - I just kind of fool myself.

It probably sounds stupid but hey it seems to work.

If you once loved sports, you could consider joining a club or team that plays your sport. We have a women's soccer club where I live, and I joined even though I was a.) extremely overweight and b.) had never played soccer. I used to be very athletic, however, and I figured I'd love the game b/c I loved running. The club was open to anyone, even those with no experience, and when I started, I found lots of women like myself--and frankly, nothing but admiration among all the women that big girls would come out and play, making more teams and competition possible. Sure enough, the desire to play and to play better has gotten me here at CC and serious about losing weight. I want to run again, too, and was doing it but the combo of soccer and running seems a bit much at my age and weight, so I'm hiking for now instead of doing much running; getting back to it will have to be my reward for losing weight! (cause I ain't going to get any younger!!)

I think you have a good plan and encourage you to consider your old favorites when searching for that "fit." One thing though--playing a sport one day/week can be pretty hard on your body, so consider joining a team in conjunction with the other steps.

Best of luck. Please let us know what you find works for you.

I have discovered that there is no chance you will suddenly "love" the workouts that you usually hate. This is also the reason why many people break up and don't succeed in changing their lifestyle - because they try to do something they don't like and an average person can't force himself for a long period of time.

You really should start doing something that you like NOW, not something that you loved many years ago. Try various activities until you find something that suites you. There are so many different sports and occupations in the world, forget about the classic jogging or whatever else that makes you feel uncomfortable.