what gets you going to the gym?

Hey guys :)

What gets me to the gym every day is the promise of trashy magazines. I NEVER used to  let myself read that kind of stuff, but I find one of those "In Touch" mags will last exactly 45 minutes if I read most of the articles (and stare at the pics). It's awesome cause I finish a nice workout on the elliptical AND I know more about what's going on in Tom and Katie's marriage ;)

Anyway, it got me wondering what the rest of you do to force yourself to the gym on a regulare basis. Maybe I can steal one of those ideas when I get tired of rotting my brain :)

Honestly, it doesn't take much.  I am obsessed with the gym.  I'd say it's that awesome workout high that keeps me going every day.  

When I run is pretty much the only time I watch TV.  I don't have much time, anyway, so I rarely just sit and veg out in front of the television by myself.  The terrible thing is, I watch the food network--hehe.  It would be counterproductive if I went home and made all the junk I see them create, but instead I just drool a little and estimate mentally how many calories is in that particular serving of cream cheese tart topped with caramelized apples.  That usually stops me from making any of the yummy food I see.  The only problem come when other people start running on the treadmills near me, watching the same TV.  I always feel rather guilty--"Here's the remote!" I quickly offer, but they usually pretend not to mind.  LOL.  Whatever, the workout (and veg time) is good for me.

what keeps me going is taking my gym bag with me to work in the morning. if i  let myself go home it just won't happen. i also altered my route home so i drive right by my gym. even if i don't feel like going, it's faster to get to my gym than go home with that new route!

lately with the cold weather the sauna at the gym has kept me interested!

:) packing the gym bag is such a good idea. I sometimes forget sneakers, though. Not good, but I'm getting better.

abbiec85 - I'm jealous. I wish I had a tv at the gym. But to be honest, I watch enough at home anywya :) And don't think for a second that those people are being polite when they say they don't care about the Food Network being on. Everybody loves watching that. I do and I don't even cook. It's just interesting :)

i think trashy magazines would  be a big motivator for me IF people didn't keep stealing the mags :( so just old ones there that i've read 100x

Getting up in the morning is enough for me - I literally live in the gym.

 Yeah, ok, I do all my workouts at home, I haven't moved my bed down to Gold's gym :-P

 Being an endorphin junkie and addicted to the rush of exercise really helps with sticking to any workout plan.

oh, how I envy you guys that love going to the gym!!!!

:)

I hope this doesn't sound too deep but on the days when its hard to get out of bed to go to the gym, I think of my grandmother who was bedridden for the last part of her life and I get up and go for her.  Usually I don't have much trouble as I love how going to the gym makes me feel but on those tough days...I think of her during tough parts of my running to push me through to that next mile also.

i like going there it makes feel good and in addition i have a tournament in 3 mnths so we have to prepare to be ready.

wow therunningmanj, that is deep. and very inspiraional. thanks!

Immediate satisfaction: I read super trashy thrillers (or magazines) while I work out. I started this during college, when I made the gym my only "study free zone." Sometimes I work out longer just to keep reading.

Delayed (slightly) satisfaction: If I go to the gym first thing before work, my whole work day feels shorter, my appetite is lower and my mood is better. Plus I can feel happy and self righteous all day because I already got my workout in.  

I've been lazy lately and I've let myself get out of the morning habit. Hopefully posting this will kick me in the butt and get me back on schedule.  

My gym is also my house- we've got a weight machine and treadmill. My computer is right by there, so if I end up surfing the Internet and goofing around, I feel guilty since immediately in my vision is that blasted treadmill!

Besides that, I tell myself how much I'll be satisfied after I exercise, and how much time I'm saving since it's right there.

I take my gym bag to school with me, and if I go home before the gym, I first bring my bag to the gym and leave it in a locker there with something I'll need the next day. If my step or aerobics class is right after school, the 2 minute walk to the gym is more appealling then the 15 minute walk up hill in the cold to go home. And if I have to go home first, I'll need to go to the gym anyway to get my bag some time that evening, and will work-out since "I'm there anyway".

How sad is it that I have to trick myself almost every day :P

I'm a combination of everything.  Most days it's just because I absolutely love the endorphin rush I get from working out.  On the harder days what gets me there is the satisfaction of being able to log the exercise into CC and knowing that I'll feel less guilty about eating.  Plus, the super hot trainers at my gym don't hurt :)

I go to the gym after work. It's perfect because when I'm done, most of the crowd on public transit has calmed down and I don't have to worry about being crammed in the train!

My gym just installed TVs and I watch Dr. Phil during my workouts sometimes :) But I totally know what you mean about the magazines! I used to never read People until the gym! I also read Fitness magazines and MacLeans too :)

Well when its 6 am..i have class in 3 hours..and i REALLY dont want to go..i go anyway becuz i think of how i feel when i eat horrible or how i feel when i eat and dont exersise...and how i will feel that my routine will be messed up cuz i got lazy!

Well when its 6 am..i have class in 3 hours..and i REALLY dont want to go..i go anyway becuz i think of how i feel when i eat horrible or how i feel when i eat and dont exersise...and how i will feel that my routine will be messed up cuz i got lazy!

When I'm laying there thinking to myself... ughhhh should I go work out ? I don't want to... etc...

I refer to something I think I saw in a nike ad it said:

if you would have started when you thought about starting, you'd be done by now!

That always gets me goin

Seriously!?  Getting away from my lovely family and blaring Rob Zombie in my ears.  I hate trying to read while I do HIIT, cuz it's impossible, but I love to have time away from my teaching job, kid, my man, responsibilites...etc and just listen to trashy loud music.  My fav CD is "Music to Strip By" by Rob Zombie. 

It's a guilty pleasure and no one else can bother me.  Then on my non-HIIT days, I lift weights until my muscles tremble and I can go no further, again, while blaring loud music in my ipod. 

I may go deaf!  But I don't have to talk to anyone and no one NEEDS something from me.   

I'm a gym junkie now, so it really isnt hard to make myself go anymore. Now its like if I dont go something is missing in my life lol. Yesterday I went for the first time in 2 weeks and today I feel great!

I also switched from 30-45 mins on the bike or elliptical (boring!) to weight lifting and HIIT. During these workouts you have to bust it pretty much the whole way through, and there is no time to read or think about how bored you are. The only thing you can do is push yourself to get through your activities, so all this pushing gets rid of the boring factor lol. This rush of pushing myself is amazing. Wouldnt trade it for anything else, and it keeps me going back lol.