How to find motivation to exercise

[newlywedder]

Hello! I'm glad the forum is back up and am happy to see everyone again.

 

I will get right into my problem, which is losing weight and finding motivation. I was very motivated before I met my husband and was 50-60 lbs less. My motivation was that my mom had said I had to be skinny in order to get a husband.

 

I ate no carbs and exercised 30-40 minutes a day. I was a size 10-12 (small/medium) top and 14 bottom due to my pear shape.

 

After I got married and had a son, I gained so much weight so am now 14 (large) top and 18 (x-large) bottom. I hate how I look but don't know how to find motivation to lose this weight and get in exercise.

 

I joined a gym and got a trainer but I dreaded going so eventually stopped after 7 months. I still get calls about my training contract, but I ignore them. The trainer I had was horribly negative and did not listen to my needs. I tried to walk in the neighborhood but I started making excuses that I was too tired so quit that as well.

 

My diet isn't to blame because I can't eat very much because I had a gastric sleeve done 6 years ago. I do eat lots of carbs but try to stay under 1400 calories a day. My metabolism is probably really low because I don't find time to exercise. My job is a sit-down office job and I do sitting when I get home for my online class.

 

My husband is fine with my weight and says I was too skinny before. I'm 6 feet tall and now weigh 245 lbs. He says I look healthy but I want to be the size I was. I felt more confident.

 

What can I do in order to find some motivation to exercise again?

[Devencianna]

Watch my 600 pound life if that’s isn’t motivation idk what is

[d0nnivain]

Take baby steps & implement life style changes. You won't stick with some thing if you hate it but if you can do little things that you enjoy things will be better. Try taking a walk every day. Find an exercise that you enjoy. I HATE to run but I love to swim so if I set myself up to run every day, I'd never do it. Try using an app on your phone to track your progress. If you see improvement you will want more positive reinforcement.

[Ruby Slippers]

Do something active you LOVE doing, where exercise is just the byproduct. For me, this is mainly tennis. I LOVE playing tennis, am intense and can play for hours, and the killer workout is just a nice byproduct. I have a regular partner and play in a casual league. I also LOVE dancing and can dance all night if the music is good.

 

During summer I love to swim laps in the sun. A poolside summer day is one of life's great pleasures for me. The workout, the iced coffee, the tunes, the suntain oil - delicious.

 

I also do some strength stuff at home. Pushups, even static pushups where you just hold up at the top, engage just about all muscle groups. Crunches and the like are good for core strength. And I do yoga/stretches because it keeps me limber and feeling good. Also, it's a moving meditation, so it clears my head and keeps me grounded.

[clia]

Since you are fairly sedentary, any extra movement is going to help you make progress. If you aren't feeling motivated to "exercise," try doing things where you get exercise but don't feel like you are necessarily exercising. Such as:

 

Walk a few miles around your neighborhood every day.

Go for a bike ride.

Walk to do your errands rather than driving (if feasible).

Do yardwork -- cut the grass, weed, sweep, edge, prune, clear out leaves, etc.

Turn up the music and dance.

Walk/jog in place, do jumping jacks, push ups, or situps while you are watching television.

Play a sport -- tennis, roller skating, volleyball, hiking, etc.

Go to your local mall and walk around for an hour.

Go other places that require a lot of walking -- amusement parks, zoo, festivals, etc.

 

Maybe if you start doing things that are more active, you will start feeling more motivated to exercise.

 

If you are really only eating about 1400 calories a day, you shouldn't have to even do much to hit a deficit. Do you have a Fitbit or other way to track your steps? If so, set a goal of 10,000 steps a day and try to hit it. Or just devote 30 minutes a day to some kind of workout. You can find them on You Tube, lots of free ones on the Internet, DVDs (you can borrow from your library), etc. Whenever I feel a lack of motivation, I remind myself that it's just half an hour, so suck it up and do it.

[ShaniaP96]

I’d start with baby steps like another user posted. Like maybe going for a thirty minute walk every other day. Then building your stamina up until you can go for an hour and then add in other things. Glad i came across this post i need motivation to go to the gym as well!!

[Normm]

I'm a strong believer that motivation has to come from within.

 

 

You won't get it watching movies about other people, you have to want it for yourself. I've been going to the gym steadily for over a year I lost over 30 lbs and I'm close to be where I want and need to be.

 

 

What motivated me?

 

 

3 factors I can think of

 

 

 

1- I was getting disgusted with my appearance, I couldn't fit into my slimmer waist pants most of which were piling up on a shelf in my closet

2- As I get closer to retirement, and my bank account is getting healthier I realize the other half of the equation is my health. I don't want to be one of those people who suffer a heart attack 6 months into retirement, I want to be active right up until I die of very old age if possible and that requires effort- it's work now and play later as I see it.

3- The extra weight on my lower body was causing pains in my joints especially my feet - sort of like a hangover discourages drinking?

4- I see a few of my peers suffering from debilitating health issues such as hypertension and diabetes and I know what can happen down the line- vision problems, loss of limbs, etc and I will do everything to remain pain and medication free.

5- When people see me at work who haven't seen me in a while the first thing they say is how thin I got and it just feels GOOD and continues to motivate me

6- When I engage in some of my physical hobbies I find I can do more for longer without fatigue- a year or so back I'd tire easily and get out of breath, it was clear I was losing the battle

 

 

 

Ok that's 6 reasons. There are probably more that I am not consciously aware of but it's more than enough for me hopefully there's some you can relate to as well.

 

 

 

Sounds like you let yourself go a lot further than I did and you are significantly overweight. I see lots of really fat people at the gym and I give them credit but I also realize that when you have that much to lose the process will be long and slow so you have that much more of an uphill battle but measure your gains- on the scale and how you do with daily activities and work your way up that hill and into a slimmer waistline.

[Happy Lemming]

My motivation was my Doctor telling me to lose 25 pounds, which I did. He also asked me if I wanted to be on cholesterol medication, as I was borderline with my numbers. I hated the idea of taking a pill everyday, so I opted for the alternative. He told me to exercise everyday, watch what I ate and my health would improve.

 

I got up every morning at 5:30am and walked 3-5 miles. I lost the 25 pounds in about 3-4 months.

 

I've recently switched to bicycle riding in the morning for 60-90 minutes. I've included running errands with my bicycle (post office, grocery shopping, banking, etc.) I have to admit I really enjoying going on my morning rides, much more than walking.

 

Like other posters have stated, find a cardio activity that you like and push yourself to do it everyday.

 

Just my two cents...

[CrazyKatLady]

I read recently that if you stick with a routine for a minimum of 21 days, then you are more likely to keep implementing this new behavior into your life on a more permanent basis. I am also going to be doing a make-over on my body soon. After so much negativity in my life this past year, I crave a completely healthy...everything!

I agree with others, find something you enjoy doing...think of it as a treat for yourself, stick with it for 21 days, mark and X on a calendar for each day you exercised and maybe that progress will encourage you?! Healthy=Happier. It will make you feel better to know you are doing something about your problem, I hope! Good luck...I feel ya...its hard to get up that motivation, but thank you for posting here...it motivated me!