When are you "motivated" to exercise?

When are you usually motivated to exercise? When you get on the scale and you've dropped some, or when you have gained?

For me these days, when I lose some, I feel that I can get away with missing a day. Then on other days when I have gained a bit, I find myself thinking; why bother anyway if it is going up (like this morning)?  But usually, I succeed in ignoring my feelings and go anyway.

I'm rarely motivated to exercise in the sense of going to a gym or lifting weights because I don't enjoy it in the slightest.  I find it easier to get motivated about being active in other ways.  i.e. taking a walk, doing some ironing, hacking lumps out of the garden, going dancing, visiting the local swimming pool.   It doesn't matter what you do really, as long as you do it every day.  Sporadic exercise isn't very useful.

If you don't enjoy going to a gym enough to go every day, or if your exercise routine is getting boring, find other things you do enjoy.

the scale never plays a part in my motivation..usually it's listening to upbeat/inspirational music, trying to remember how great I feel AFTER exercise, etc. I never feel motivated to exercise in the morning lol. It's usually in the later afternoon/evening that I feel my best. so often I will exercise right before i start getting hungry for dinner.

also if I'm feeling really lazy (which i do a lot) then I will make myself get up and just dance around for a little bit. then once my blood is flowing I'm more open to planning some other sort of exercise like a jog or bike ride.

I don't look for motivation to go to the gym.  I just get up and go.  The feeling afterwards always makes me glad that I did. :)

I get motivated after I have been on the ARC trainer for about 10 minutes.  I always have a list of reasons why I should just sleep in, but I drag myself out to the gym anyway, and am always happy I did.

If I really hate exercise that day, I ask myself if I want to know that I wussed out, or do I want to push it, and feel stronger.  I am self-competitive, so I always go for more.

I'm always motivated to go to the gym, whether or not I've lost weight. It doesn't really matter what the numbers on the scale say each day (whether or not I've lost a pound) because I know I'm steadily losing fat and weight fluctuates, and I feel motivated to keep up that steady fat loss.

I am motivated to exercise when it's warm outside. I haven't been very motivated beacsue of my work schedule and the yucky weather, but it's been great this week. I need to get back on track, but it seems like the hill to lose weight is so huge that it's impossible. I know it's not, but right now that's how i feel about it.

Wow you guys, the scale doesn't determine your motivation. How healthy of you. I exercise because I have to. I'm motivated to be done. :) I don't do it every day though. Usually 4x a week.

I'm very unmotivated to go to the gym.  I just know I need to do it.  I am motivated to go if I had a bad day, just as a way to not think about things.  I really need motivation, and probably a gym buddy.

Well, I don't find motivation from pounds lost or gained. My motivation comes from all the other times I have failed myself. Not only that, but the promise I've made to myself, and my children this time around. That is my motivation not letting my ownself down or my children. I've let myself down time, and time again and after sticking to it for over a year. That has to mean something to me.. So that's my motivation.. How far I've came in this Life Style Change. Not only that.. I've notice that when I don't workout... My whole day is off. It has nothing to do with the weather, there are things you can do within side of your own home to get you going.. My motivation has to be my very own progress ;)

I am never motivated to exercise.  It's now something that I scheduled into my week (at least 5 days a week) or I know I'll never reach my weight loss goals.  I still have over 100 pounds to lose!

I am most motivated when I see results. It makes me eager to get even more results!

Samantha

Honestly most days, kinda sad but my gym time is the highlight of my day at work...

the scale doesn't motivate me to go to the gym, at this point its the opposite effect... regardless what the scale says, if i dont go to the gym, pyschologically i feel "less fit" and miss the post-gym endorphins :)  the most important thing when committing to a fitness program is finding the workout that you enjoy most... so there is no struggle to go, you go because you love it.

i had a gym membership that was rarely used for 6 years before i "discovered" classes like step aerobics, kickboxing, pilates & muscle conditioning...  my body has changed dramatically since making this my sole form of excercise, plus the bonus of feeling group motivation, and having a "personal trainer" (the instructor) to push you harder when you feel like slacking.  with all the different workouts there to choose from, whether u go to a gym, are active outdoors, or do excercise tapes at home.. chose what you love and the "going" will be the easiest part :)

I meet my friend almost everyday for a hike. Every day we start off slow and slugish and both complaining that we don't want to go. After about 10 minutes we get into it and challenge each other to find new trails, go on steeper paths or hike further and more intensely than the day before. When we exit the park we are always disappointed that the hike is over and we reconfirm that we will go the next day. After the hike I feel like I can do anything and I usually end up at the gym or the fitness class or taking another walk.

I get super motivated when I see a weight loss, like all of my effort is paying off. When I don't have a weight loss, I get disapointed for about a day then I suck it up and start over. It helps that my family and friends are in a weight loss group and the winner (by %) gets like 350 dollars. So far I am like double the % of the nearest person to me. I can't wait to get some new clothes for summer!

I'm motivated to go to the gym, due to the fact I have to sign up for certin classes @ 5:00 am and 48 hours in advance.  My SPIN class is so, so popular that w/in 5- 10 minutes of trying to call, the class is filled.  Even the waiting list is filled.   So if I am getting up this early and make an effort to get a bike in class, that's all the motivation I need to get to the gym.  

BTW did I mention, this process of signing up at 5:00 am (waking up an hour early) is so annoying to me.  But it is all worth it for an hour of SPIN 3x's per week.  

I'm motivated when I feel like eating extra. Lately, instead of denying myself something because I can't work it into the day's calories, I exercise extra, then get to eat it. 

 

Also, I just know after about twenty minutes of semi-intense exercise I'll get a killer endorphin rush. It's hard to get going but after twenty minutes I'm happy.

i get motivated just knowing i am feeling a little healthier! and the more i workout, the better i feel. i think tomorrow i will take a day off, tomorrow comes and i try to not workout and i feel like i am cheating my body cause it is getting use to a workout.... i feel motivated because i taking control of my life again!

A friend of mine made a really good point about the gym.... a lot of people have a hard time going but once they've been they never regret going.

I try really hard to think about how I will feel after I go to the gym. Typically I feel less bloated and generally happier so I will make time to get to the gym so I can feel that way again.

Just going to the gym and doing fitness activity for xx minutes is boring and not motivating to me.

I'm motivated by fitness goals. I've been getting back into shape for the last year or so, and have had a long series of goals in running, cycling, yoga, and weights. My current/ next goals are:
* build competence at intermediate yoga poses like standing half moon and headstand/shoulderstand

* build strength with free weights, having just taken lessons from a trainer
* get to the top of the coast range on routes other than the easiest one
* get pack into practice with swimming
* build up to doing a triathlon in the fall

These goals are independent of scale weight, and I expect to be pursuing some fitness goal or another long after I'm at a weight I like.

I am new to exercise!  I made some SMART goals to focus myeslf on some habits that i wanted to form and made up a four week progress chart.  My goal is to do 20 half-hour walks with intervals of jogging throughout.  At first, i could only jog for a minute at a time - after a fortnight, now i do 2 minutes at a time. 

So far, I'm on track with my goals and I am finding that getting up in the early morning and putting on my joggers is becoming a habit.  My kids have been great - I always have at least one of the three coming along with me.  I hate being lonely so they are a good motivation.

For me, i am lucky that I live in a small beach town so I can walk around blocks of houses, along a beach front or through bushland.  I don't thinnk that I'd be very good at jogging on a treadmill inside!  But I've decided that on rainy mornings, I am gooing to do skipping when i can't go for my walk.  This is because my little girl will join in and having her company is so entertaining that I won't be staring at a wall - I'll be giggling with her.

I've also been popping a foam mat on the floor at night and doing some tummy exercises while watching TV...