How Do You Stay Motivated?

[Michael]

Just curious what some of you do to keep yourselves motivated. Unless you have an exercise partner it can be kind of difficult to push yourself. So not just motivated to keep going but motivated to move forward and do something more difficult.

[slynny]

I think it is important to have goals, and then once you decide on a goal make yourself accountable for completing the goal by telling people about it. It really helps to join a group to accomplish this. It could be a class, or an exercise partner(s), or a support group like the Hamsters. I know if it weren’t for the Hamsters I would have never run my first marathon. Next month I will run my 4th along with another VBer.
Set a goal….let supportive people know….stick to it. :hamster:

[Vicky]

if we're talking about working out, then i would love to find that out too. I, personally, last a couple of weeks and then laziness consumes me with all my guts ...

[Shadowlee]

Like Slynny said - goals are good. I entered in a 10km fun run, so that I had a date to aim for. It kept me exercising regularly because I didn't want to have to pull out.

I also find that when I exercise regularly, I feel so much better - I have more energy, I feel happier, I sleep better etc. I find I'm motivated by wanting to keep feeling fitter and healthier.

[rainbowmoon]

Goals are good. I started doing something better though...lol...I took a "before" picture of myself. Oh, its quite hideous. So everytime I don't want to go to the gym, I have to look at it for 15 seconds, and if I still don't want to go, then I don't have to. Its only been like, a day..LOL...but I think its gonna work.

[goettling]

Just curious what some of you do to keep yourselves motivated. Unless you have an exercise partner it can be kind of difficult to push yourself. So not just motivated to keep going but motivated to move forward and do something more difficult.

My motivation has been horrible latley. Since the VB, lol. But I was so into it and working out 6 days a week. Now, I wonder why I lost that. I still work out. One week is good and the other is on my butt. I am working on this also. Just to try to stay consistent. It's like everyday, I feel different.

I think before, that was my main goal was to get real lean, and just went for it. Now that I am older, I want to do it for me and for the health reasons, but slacking.

Exercise partners never helped me. I found them to hinder me. When I went to the gym all the time, I was gald to see the same faces, and we formed a bond. But for me, it was not about that. I rather just be alone. Depression got to me for awhile and caused me to not focus on myself. I am better now, and the only thing that can motivate me, is me only. No one else can even, if they try. I have to do it for me and not the world. So that is the only reason that keeps me going. Plus, I like the good "high" after a good work-out.

[CaptainSwab]

Yep, goals are good.

If you want to run or add more cardio, sign up for a 5k right now for a race in a few months. Or sign up for a fun bike ride or something. If you sign up for something in advance, you have no choice but to train for it or crash and burn. That is how I have to do it anyways. I always have a goal marathon in mind.

That or watch ironman on tv. That always motivates me to get my butt out the door. :D

[Brandon]

I enjoy moving about, whether it be running, walking or biking. I try to do so for 30-45 minutes each day, though I do take a day or two a week off to rest my muscles. I quit posting in the Hamster thread because I am not trying to best my times, or my distances. I'm just trying to keep healthy. I was starting to push too hard this past summer and my knees and muscles were starting to suffer from it, so now I do what feels best for me and my body.
I guess to answer the question, life being mine keeps me motivated.
This is my body, my vehicle to navigate through this life and I want to keep it in a state where it not only functions properly but also one that I'm happy with.

[epski]

I do it for fun. I remind myself how much my body actually enjoys working out, or at least the after-effects, and how crappy I feel when I don't work out. That incentivizes me to carve out time for the gym.

When I'm at the gym, I don't focus on being too overly disciplined. I'm not trying to be a bodybuilder, but I do want to enhance strength, endurance, and overall health. I find that simple to do with a relatively easy routine that puts the emphasis on form and reps (while cranking loud and fast music on my iPod) rather than on trying to lift my maximum weight two times, or what have you. I do three sets for each muscle group (and three sets of additional exercises for the bigger groups, like pectorals), trying to achieve a weight by the third set that doesn't cause failure before 6-8 reps. If I push myself too hard, I get burnt out and don't enjoy it as much.

Then I go down to the cardio machines and do 20-30 minutes with a fairly high heart rate (usually mid-160s), again playing tunes the whole time. I don't think I could stay in one spot and do cardio without my 4-star and 5-star playlist. With it, I actually enjoy what I'm doing, feeling the music, getting focused (I often close my eyes), and feeling my form, breathing, and heart as I try to perfect the movement of my body. It's probably the closest I come to meditation.

After that workout -- which lasts 60-75 minutes, depending on what kind of day I'm having -- I feel awesome and look forward to doing it again soon. I dwell on that thought for a while, and visualize the next session.

All that seems to be more conducive to getting in the gym. I used to dread it.

I can't say enough about having an iPod with your favorite tunes on it. The gym playlists (radio stations) usually suck, and only sap your energy, IMHO.

[Poppy]

I guess to answer the question, life being mine keeps me motivated.
This is my body, my vehicle to navigate through this life and I want to keep it in a state where it not only functions properly but also one that I'm happy with.

Nicely put! I exercise nearly every day. I've been doing it for twenty years, and so it's just a part of my routine. I'm an artist and work out of my house, so it's easy to fit in a run or an exercise tape or a stop at the gym. I do it frankly because old age and illness scare me to death, and I'm trying to make this journey through life as physically painless as possible.

[KulaShaker]

I workout at home, and im motivated cuz i used to be bigger and now im not. I wanna stay healthy and feel good about myself. Thats about it.

[ChelsRm007]

If I feel really unmotivated.. tired, grumpy, etc. than I take a day off. If one day is not enough, than I'll take two, but this is pretty rare. If I don't think I need rest, but I feel like I'm not getting anywhere, than I'll make some goals.. buy some fitness magazines (like Runner's World and Bicycling Magazine) and when I look at those glistening, air brushed bodies, I remember, "ohh.. that's why I'm doing this." :rolleyes:

[zoebird]

i simply do what i love. i do not set goals, although i achieve many extraordinary things, and i do not usually work out with a partner or anything else--though i like teamwork.

the easiest way to stay motivated is to do something that brings you joy. if it brings you joy, you want to do it and nothing will be able to stop you. if you are doing somehting that doens't bring you joy, eventually you will abandon it in search of something that does. this is why it seems that people do not stay motivated.

[Christy]

The milestones are motivating to me (though I do tend to slack sometimes). Like when I realize I need to up the weigh on my bicep curls, or that I finished that 3 miles on the treadmill faster than before and/or without pain in my shins, etc.

[peace_writer]

i just keep thinking about the health benefits, i like the feeling of knowing im stronger then i was when i started out.

[IamJen]

I enjoy moving about, whether it be running, walking or biking. I try to do so for 30-45 minutes each day, though I do take a day or two a week off to rest my muscles. I quit posting in the Hamster thread because I am not trying to best my times, or my distances. I'm just trying to keep healthy. I was starting to push too hard this past summer and my knees and muscles were starting to suffer from it, so now I do what feels best for me and my body.
I guess to answer the question, life being mine keeps me motivated.
This is my body, my vehicle to navigate through this life and I want to keep it in a state where it not only functions properly but also one that I'm happy with.

:up:

[Gnome Chomsky]

find a type of exercise that you'd do even if it hadn't any health benefits.

ebola

[Cassiel]

It has really helped me to have an "exercise role model" in my life. My brother started running before I did (he's also 16 years older than me) so when I wanted to start working out and getting in shape, I guess I saw what he was doing and it looked cool to me. He ran a marathon, so a year later I wanted to run one (and did - and this year we ran another one). Now we run together often, and just completed a half marathon together. He's fairly competitive and likes to push himself, where I don't as much - but seeing what he does makes me want to push myself more. He was doing 70 mpw running this last marathon training season, and getting great gains from it, which made me want to do that as well. My new goal is to keep up with him during a marathon, someday. So if you can find someone to keep up with/compete with, that can work too.

[zoebird]

epski:

like the glasses. look good. ;)

[CaptainSwab]

It has really helped me to have an "exercise role model" in my life. My brother started running before I did (he's also 16 years older than me) so when I wanted to start working out and getting in shape, I guess I saw what he was doing and it looked cool to me. He ran a marathon, so a year later I wanted to run one (and did - and this year we ran another one). Now we run together often, and just completed a half marathon together. He's fairly competitive and likes to push himself, where I don't as much - but seeing what he does makes me want to push myself more. He was doing 70 mpw running this last marathon training season, and getting great gains from it, which made me want to do that as well. My new goal is to keep up with him during a marathon, someday. So if you can find someone to keep up with/compete with, that can work too.


This is sort of how it worked in my household too. My dad lost 100 pounds, ran a marathon, and then I decided I wanted to do one.

A few marathons later and one of my brothers decided to come to the start line of the LA marathon this past year.

After seeing all the different type of people who were running and all the crowds and stuff he now wants to run the next one with us.

Even my husband who is a bit on the lazy side has gotten caught up in all this and deicded he wanted to do the bike tour this year at LAM.

Look at what my dad started. :)

[epski]

epski:

like the glasses. look good. ;)

Thank you.

[Walter]

find a type of exercise that you'd do even if it hadn't any health benefits.

ebola
I agree. For instance, I ride my bike everywhere I go. It's extremely healthy and keeps me fit and I started doing it none-what-so-ever for my health. I average nine miles a day going to and from work, errands, and traveling to and from friends' homes.

Also, my friend facilitates dance aerobics at her house on Thursday nights and it's really just me and a bunch of friends learning dance moves from old Michael Jackson videos. It's great fun. :)

[*Star*Lass*]

Eat healthy, listen to music that will give me drive, and try to remember how good i feel when i actually do it and see the changes in my body.

[toadstool]

Different motivations for different days.

Depending on the day, I exercise because:

- It's the only way to improve my performance (when training for something specific, like running a 5k or karate drills)

- It'll help me reshape my body, keep the fat off, and build muscle. (All for vanity's sake.)

- It'll keep me healthier and help prevent disease.

- It makes me feel great about myself.

- It relieves stress.

- I scheduled it, and I'll feel guilty if I skip it.

- DH wants a workout buddy.

- My dog needs to burn off some energy on a brisk walk.

- A Modern Girl's Guide to Life that I haven't seen is on the Style network, and I only watch TV during daytime if I exercise at the same time.

- I'm grateful. Grateful that I can use my legs, my arms, my lungs... and in honor of that blessing--and out of respect for all those who can't--I feel obligated to move my body.


Lots of things keep me motivated. It really does depend on the day. I think the key to staying motivated is having a lot of different reasons for wanting to exercise. Just one--health, vanity, performance--isn't always enough.

[eggplant]

I used to go through bouts of exercising a lot (up to 5 or 6 miles running, 7 days a week) for up to a year, and then stopping completely for a few years and getting blubbery. It was like all or nothing.

For the past three years or so I've been able to stay motivated by first of all not getting obsessive over it like I used to. I now exercise 4-5 days a week and try to mix things up. I still run, but I also do weights, take yoga and kickboxing classes and do the elliptical machine occasionally. Secondly, I approach my workouts as if they're a necessary part of my routine like taking a shower or grading my students' papers. I don't opt out of those things because I don't feel like doing them--I just do them!

Now that I'm in really good shape I don't even think about motivation anymore. I actually look forward to my workouts because they make me feel good! I have to prevent myself from exercising on my non-exercise days.