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I am looking for tips/suggestions on how you motivate yourself to exercise. My eating habits are pretty much perfect. I'm very disciplined when it comes to eating healthy, mostly due to its healing effects on a health issue I have. As much as I KNOW I need to work out/exercise (also for health reasons), I am having so much trouble consistently getting motivated to do it. 5-6 years ago I would wake up at 5:20 am almost everyday and go to the gym. I did this routine for a couple years. I don't know what happened to me, but I can't even imagine doing that now. :confused:

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I switch things up. I'll get on a yoga kick, do that consistently for a while, then go back to swimming, then a dance class. If you're feeling resistant to going to the gym (I don't blame you, I don't much care for the environment, changing, going through the motions, etc etc etc), them maybe consider taking a class, something you've always wanted to try. make it fun. And, if all else fails, take walks.

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thefooloftheyear

My advice is to start small....

 

I am a gym nut and a former athlete, but took a long break from it....It was tough to find my groove again, but what I found that was the key was to set small goals in the beginning...If you try to think about all the stuff you did before its just overwhelming you and psyching you out...So you are in the position you are in now..

 

Start small...in a few months, you will probably find that you don't need any external motivation...It will come naturally

 

 

TFY

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Happy Lemming
I am looking for tips/suggestions on how you motivate yourself to exercise.

 

Personally, my doctor told me (last year) lose 25 pounds and exercise or I'm going to have to put you on cholesterol medication. That was all the motivation I needed. I lost the weight and got my cholesterol down.

 

Every 3 months I get my cholesterol checked and its been down. Those numbers are all I need to continue to get up early and exercise.

 

I did switch from walking to riding my bicycle, which I like better. Find something you like, and you'll do it everyday, just for the pleasure of doing it. I like the quiet time (early in the morning) on the bicycle... clears my mind. I'm at peace as the miles go by.

 

Just my two cents... Best of luck.

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I am looking for tips/suggestions on how you motivate yourself to exercise. My eating habits are pretty much perfect. I'm very disciplined when it comes to eating healthy, mostly due to its healing effects on a health issue I have. As much as I KNOW I need to work out/exercise (also for health reasons), I am having so much trouble consistently getting motivated to do it. 5-6 years ago I would wake up at 5:20 am almost everyday and go to the gym. I did this routine for a couple years. I don't know what happened to me, but I can't even imagine doing that now. :confused:

 

Youtube is my go-to for motivation. Try Jessica Smith's workouts. She is fantastic.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/jessicasmithtv

 

Edited by brigit87
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View a Maori haka when you want to start exercise. Most manly thing I ever seen.

 

Or - for me personally, I took up Irish dancing when I started to see Michael Flatley's youtube videos. It felt like I was living under a rock for the past 20 years - where have I been all my life? I never need motivation to go Irish dancing now; great exercise, beautiful women, you get nice dance moves.

Start browsing through all the exercises you can do, and figure out which one you really enjoy.

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View a Maori haka when you want to start exercise. Most manly thing I ever seen.

 

Or - for me personally, I took up Irish dancing when I started to see Michael Flatley's youtube videos. It felt like I was living under a rock for the past 20 years - where have I been all my life? I never need motivation to go Irish dancing now; great exercise, beautiful women, you get nice dance moves.

Start browsing through all the exercises you can do, and figure out which one you really enjoy.

 

Once, I actually tried to put together my own youtube workout channel. But I didn't know what I was doing and it was just a mess. LOL.

 

However, lots of ppl do know what they're doing and there is always new content. Some better than others.

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I used to run when in high school before school and even when I started working I would keep it up until I was just too tired and wanted to sleep in so that ended that.. all I do now is set aside an amount of time on my weekend devoted to working out and the rest of the time usually 3 days a week I go swimming after work. This works out okay for me now, so cold here I cannot do much exercising outside... until it warms up in April.

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It's important not to see exercise as a pass/fail. That's the single biggest reason people lose motivation.

 

If you aim to go to the gym three times a week and miss a session, don't count it as a 'fail' and skip a few weeks. Either make peace with having missed a session, or make up for it with something else. Likewise, some days you really just won't be feeling it. You'll drag yourself to the gym but you just don't have the energy. Accept it wasn't meant to happen, quit the workout early and carry on with your day. The next time will be better. Count your successes, not your failures.

 

The same principle applies to dieting and is why most people fail at that too... if you have a piece of chocolate cake, it does not mean you 'failed' and might as well scoff an entire pack of chocolate biscuits. That just makes things ten times worse. Get back on track straight away and the occasional blip won't even make a difference.

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Thanks everyone!

 

I am planning on working out this evening. I think I’ll start with some videos. Let’s see how this goes :bunny:

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Remember that exercise is good for almost everything EXCEPT weight loss. Heart health, brain health, keeping you looking and feeling younger, building muscle, getting stronger, improving circulation and bone density---I remember an interview with a doctor who said "if the benefits of exercise came in a pill, it would be a miracle cure."

 

Thinking of it that way, exercise is much easier to keep up. You aren't trying to burn calories (realistically, you will never burn enough calories to make a difference in weight loss unless you're already very obese), you're preventing disease and staying young. You don't need to hit a specific target. You just have to move!

 

I am a fitness fanatic because it helps soothe my anxiety and I love to lift weights. But I know people in better shape than me who use tiny dumbbells and do yoga. There is nothing wrong with going for daily walks and doing push-ups and pull-ups at home.

 

If you need workout ideas, Fitness Blender has hundreds of free videos covering everything from HIIT to stretching. The hosts are insufferably dorky but they are positive and film themselves getting tired, taking breaks, and making mistakes, which I think is very important. You can string their shorter videos together or do the long ones.

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Remember that exercise is good for almost everything EXCEPT weight loss. Heart health, brain health, keeping you looking and feeling younger, building muscle, getting stronger, improving circulation and bone density---I remember an interview with a doctor who said "if the benefits of exercise came in a pill, it would be a miracle cure."

 

Thinking of it that way, exercise is much easier to keep up. You aren't trying to burn calories (realistically, you will never burn enough calories to make a difference in weight loss unless you're already very obese), you're preventing disease and staying young. You don't need to hit a specific target. You just have to move!

 

I am a fitness fanatic because it helps soothe my anxiety and I love to lift weights. But I know people in better shape than me who use tiny dumbbells and do yoga. There is nothing wrong with going for daily walks and doing push-ups and pull-ups at home.

 

If you need workout ideas, Fitness Blender has hundreds of free videos covering everything from HIIT to stretching. The hosts are insufferably dorky but they are positive and film themselves getting tired, taking breaks, and making mistakes, which I think is very important. You can string their shorter videos together or do the long ones.

 

Youtube is filled with really great workouts. I'm so happy I don't need to go to the gym anymore.

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I am looking for tips/suggestions on how you motivate yourself to exercise. My eating habits are pretty much perfect. I'm very disciplined when it comes to eating healthy, mostly due to its healing effects on a health issue I have. As much as I KNOW I need to work out/exercise (also for health reasons), I am having so much trouble consistently getting motivated to do it. 5-6 years ago I would wake up at 5:20 am almost everyday and go to the gym. I did this routine for a couple years. I don't know what happened to me, but I can't even imagine doing that now. :confused:

 

A bunch of my girl friends and I formed an accountability group on facebook. For fitness/well being/healthy eating.

 

We help push each other there with various little challenges. We also have small competitions with each other (we wear fitness watches/bands and will use those to track things)

 

It helps.

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A bunch of my girl friends and I formed an accountability group on facebook. For fitness/well being/healthy eating.

 

We help push each other there with various little challenges. We also have small competitions with each other (we wear fitness watches/bands and will use those to track things)

 

It helps.

 

That sounds like a good idea. I got to get one of those fitness bands.

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I take a 30 minute walk everyday. I keep reminding myself that my walk is my #1 priority for the day (rain or shine and even in winter). I feel better and have lost almost 15 lbs and kept it off for 2 years.

 

After I take my walk I feel mentally and emotionally and physically better.

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i use workout videos on YT as well! i try to make my workouts as diverse as possible because that way, i don't get bored. for example, i'll do a cardio kick boxing class one day, do a HIIT workout another day and then a pilates routine the next. i'll do some strength training with weights a couple of times a week too. i also do some gentle stretching and yoga in everyday morning, so my body feels good about working out later that day.

 

when i "treat" myself, i'll either get a nice massage, pedicure or some fun and new workout clothes :)

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I take a 30 minute walk everyday. I keep reminding myself that my walk is my #1 priority for the day (rain or shine and even in winter). I feel better and have lost almost 15 lbs and kept it off for 2 years.

 

After I take my walk I feel mentally and emotionally and physically better.

 

That's a great way to do it. I'm just adding a small tip for those who like it- get a dog. Great excuse for keeping walks schedule consistent.

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  • 2 weeks later...
True gentleman

The key for me was to do it in the morning. I looked at it as if the hardest part was getting up so all I had to do was roll out of bed and stand up and the hardest battle was won.

Plus the gym is more user friendly early in the morning with less people.

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I already belong to a gym, but what's motivating me is I joined a women's only weight lifting group (it's basically a personal training group that you have to pay for). Since I paid for it, I won't miss my sessions.

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You have to find the activity that you truly enjoy. For me, it was Irish dancing. I felt like I had lived under a stone for the past twenty years when I first discovered it, I knew the feeling of freedom for the first time.

 

 

I never needed encouragement to Irish dance.

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