Nothing is wrong with it - my trips to the gym are an hour long. But there's one heck of a difference when you're first starting out and looking for motivation between committing yourself to 2 hours a week and committing yourself to over 4.
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Exercise
- Thread starter MACDRIVE
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Nothing is wrong with it - my trips to the gym are an hour long. But there's one heck of a difference when you're first starting out and looking for motivation between committing yourself to 2 hours a week and committing yourself to over 4.
Do you exercise? How do you get yourself motivated to exercise?
Absolutely - I value my health as paramount. It doesn't matter how much money I have, etc. etc. if I'm not healthy enough to enjoy it now, or later in life!
I exercise at least 5 times a week - this can include weights at the gym, running, hiking or soccer. As for being motivated, I simply look at people around me who are lazy, have no energy, have horrible eating habits, etc. and realize I don't want to be like them. Unhealthy people are my motivation in this case. But besides that, it's a personal thing - I simply motivate myself. I want to be healthy, fit and all that, and I enjoy working out. I feel energized after a workout and feel like I've accomplished something. I set personal goals for myself, and being that I'm competitive by nature, this helps drive me as well.
For motivation,standing in front of a full length mirror naked
Same. You look at what you don't like about your body now, to motivate yourself in the future, and look at what you do like, that you've gotten because of past exercise.
Plus, it helps when you see the sparkle in girls' eyes when you get naked in front of them.
i proudly do! 4 or 5 times a week for 45 minutes of circuit training - polymetrics (jumping), strength training with exercise and medicine balls (don't laugh...it's fn tough), TONS of pushups, various ab exercises... and cardio work.
find a program like this. it's NEVER the same...always something different.
for motivation, i just remember having a tough time bending over to tie my shoes and/or i look at a fat a$$ picture of me from a few years ago.
down to 142 from 158 in wt and almost 8% in body fat (more important than losing 'weight').
and yes, i post a modifiable meal plan (not a DIET) on our pantry, right beside the fridge. It's something to guide me, but not necessarily to live by.
and remember, it's sensible eating that is the absolute key. you can work out all the time, but if you eat like crap, your energy working out is literally useless.
great thread!
find a program like this. it's NEVER the same...always something different.
for motivation, i just remember having a tough time bending over to tie my shoes and/or i look at a fat a$$ picture of me from a few years ago.
down to 142 from 158 in wt and almost 8% in body fat (more important than losing 'weight').
and yes, i post a modifiable meal plan (not a DIET) on our pantry, right beside the fridge. It's something to guide me, but not necessarily to live by.
and remember, it's sensible eating that is the absolute key. you can work out all the time, but if you eat like crap, your energy working out is literally useless.
great thread!
This is very important, excellent point. Your body gets used to certain exercises after a while and the exercises subsequently lose their effect. Constantly change things up, keep your body guessing - this is how to keep progressing and advancing.
Couldn't have said it better myself. Garbage in, garbage out - you have to give your body the proper fuel to do what it needs to do. Running for an hour on the treadmill is absolutely pointless if once you get home you eat McDonald's (or any fast food crap), pizza, ice cream or anything along those lines. Don't get me wrong, I treat myself from time to time (although I NEVER eat the poison they refer to as "fast food") but it's all about a healthy balance - everything in moderation.
I'm a long ways from sexy. I had a construction worker the other day ask me if he could hook a chain up to me and use me for a wrecking ball.
I do body weight exercises and jump rope or jogging/running. Push ups, crunches, lunges, squats, etc. Of course, you have to be honest with yourself on the amounts and set goals. For me, I try to do one more pushup every day or two.
Motivate yourself by pretending you want to join the armed forces and be able to pass their PT tests. Right now, I am thinking about joining Army ROTC, so I've been working towards the Army PT standards. Of course, you can go crazy and do the Navy SEALs workout program (Google it; it's there).
Okay, so maybe working out with friends and setting goals might be better ideas
Time constraints were the biggest problems for me, but doing body weight exercises and jump rope indoors definitely saves any trips to the gym. Of course, you might eventually need to get to free weights and machines, so work your way up.
Motivate yourself by pretending you want to join the armed forces and be able to pass their PT tests.
Right now, I am thinking about joining Army ROTC, so I've been working towards the Army PT standards. Of course, you can go crazy and do the Navy SEALs workout program (Google it; it's there).Okay, so maybe working out with friends and setting goals might be better ideas
Time constraints were the biggest problems for me, but doing body weight exercises and jump rope indoors definitely saves any trips to the gym. Of course, you might eventually need to get to free weights and machines, so work your way up.
My motivation is thinking of how much I ate then I hit the gym and keep thinking of it. I've kind of hit my goal weight I just want to maintain. (Getting rid of my unchanging flabby gut would be good too)
I wouldn't say its entirely useless. I maintain my weight by giving myself a 'bad' day to get out my urges (not really trash just more food) and eat a well balanced diet end of the week but I'd say the excercise definitely helps keep it off.
Totally agree. I attend a health club where I can work out at the gym, I can go to aerobics classes, go swimming, or just skip the sport and relax in the sauna
... settling with the same routine is a first step to think of sports as a chore instead of leisure time.
I look in the bathroom mirror only because I have to if I want to shave or comb my hair, but I avoid mirrors like the plague. If I'm walking along a store front that has reflective windows, I keep my head down so I don't see myself.
Back when I was working out regularly I ate horrifically. A large pizza for dinner. The supersized value meals for lunch. I was a regular at the never ending buffets.
Thing is that I walked 2-3 miles a day and worked out at the gym for an hour.
Thing is that I walked 2-3 miles a day and worked out at the gym for an hour.
MACDRIVE
Your comments make me so sad. I remember being right where you are until I said "f*** the laziness, f*** what people think, f*** the tightbodies at the gym, f*** being this way anymore," and I bought a prepaid gym membership (3 years--it was way cheaper than monthly anyway!) and found a similarly fat (but motivated) workout partner. About 30% of the time, I'd not want to work out, but they didn't accept no for an answer, and 30% of the time, they didn't want to work out, but I didn't accept no for an answer. And that's what partners are for.
You can get healthier, stronger, fitter, thinner, buffer, fit into those old pants, jog across a parking lot without getting winded, and/or any other number of goals in a reasonable amount of time if you just put out effort and spent 3 months to see some progress.
They say that 2-3lbs of fat per week is the "healthy" fat loss speed, but I know some weeks I lost as much as 10 (I was over 300lbs). I've lost over 100lbs (actually more but I've gained some back in both fat and muscle lately) by just making some changes. I work out at least 5 days a week, even if it's just dragging myself to the gym to do a single bodypart split and 20 minutes of cardio and then some crunches and sitting in the jacuzzi and steam room to treat myself. 3 of those days a week I really hit it with heavy weights. I eat a lot of chicken breasts and milk and tuna and make my protein shakes with fresh fruit in the blender. I drink water or tea instead of pop, or even bring diet pop with Splenda if I feel left out at work. It's not terribly hard to completely transform your body in 6-10 months. By next year you could have the body that you want, and just for an hour or 1.5 per weekday and by making some better choices. Make the unhealthy stuff a rare treat--and before you eat it, think about how many hours of cardio you'd have to do to burn that off (is it worth it now?).
You can do it, man.
Your comments make me so sad. I remember being right where you are until I said "f*** the laziness, f*** what people think, f*** the tightbodies at the gym, f*** being this way anymore," and I bought a prepaid gym membership (3 years--it was way cheaper than monthly anyway!) and found a similarly fat (but motivated) workout partner. About 30% of the time, I'd not want to work out, but they didn't accept no for an answer, and 30% of the time, they didn't want to work out, but I didn't accept no for an answer. And that's what partners are for.
You can get healthier, stronger, fitter, thinner, buffer, fit into those old pants, jog across a parking lot without getting winded, and/or any other number of goals in a reasonable amount of time if you just put out effort and spent 3 months to see some progress.
They say that 2-3lbs of fat per week is the "healthy" fat loss speed, but I know some weeks I lost as much as 10 (I was over 300lbs). I've lost over 100lbs (actually more but I've gained some back in both fat and muscle lately) by just making some changes. I work out at least 5 days a week, even if it's just dragging myself to the gym to do a single bodypart split and 20 minutes of cardio and then some crunches and sitting in the jacuzzi and steam room to treat myself. 3 of those days a week I really hit it with heavy weights. I eat a lot of chicken breasts and milk and tuna and make my protein shakes with fresh fruit in the blender. I drink water or tea instead of pop, or even bring diet pop with Splenda if I feel left out at work. It's not terribly hard to completely transform your body in 6-10 months. By next year you could have the body that you want, and just for an hour or 1.5 per weekday and by making some better choices. Make the unhealthy stuff a rare treat--and before you eat it, think about how many hours of cardio you'd have to do to burn that off (is it worth it now?).
You can do it, man.
That's what worked for me. I've been athletic most of my life and fell out of the habit in college. Got back into it in my late 20s. I honestly look better at 40 than I did in my 20s. Do it, you'll be glad you did.
How do you get yourself motivated to exercise?
i thought the 'trying to get motivated' part was the exercise?!
Do you exercise? How do you get yourself motivated to exercise?
yes I do and my motivation is a "once a year" test
Well for me what got me excising was the fact it was for a grade. As long as I show for the class (this semester it is weight lifting) I get an A. That kind of my motivation to get up and do that 2 days a week. I know if I skip it I do not get my easy A. But then again I am in college so I can do that.
Another thing I started doing was getting back into mountain biking. It was something I used to enjoying doing in High school and I missed doing since I been at college. Bought a good entry level bike from a bike shop and now on weekends I try to beat it to hell on the trails in the area. I found that I really enjoy it and it is one hard work out. Plus it motives me to do other works out to make me better at the biking.
I kind of want a road bike now so I can just for the speed and enjoy just biking around. For me it was find something I like to do and just do it. For me that was biking and more to the point Mtn biking.
I would say if you are thinking about getting into biking go to a local bike shop to get your bike. It will fit you better and be of a higher quality and you will get more enjoyment out of. yes it may cost 4 times as much but the bike also that much better and if you really enjoy it you can upgrade the parts on it. If you hate it you can always sell the bike and be out about the same amount of money if you went and got it from like walmart. Just you chances of enjoying the sport more are greater when you have better equipment.
Another thing I started doing was getting back into mountain biking. It was something I used to enjoying doing in High school and I missed doing since I been at college. Bought a good entry level bike from a bike shop and now on weekends I try to beat it to hell on the trails in the area. I found that I really enjoy it and it is one hard work out. Plus it motives me to do other works out to make me better at the biking.
I kind of want a road bike now so I can just for the speed and enjoy just biking around. For me it was find something I like to do and just do it. For me that was biking and more to the point Mtn biking.
I would say if you are thinking about getting into biking go to a local bike shop to get your bike. It will fit you better and be of a higher quality and you will get more enjoyment out of. yes it may cost 4 times as much but the bike also that much better and if you really enjoy it you can upgrade the parts on it. If you hate it you can always sell the bike and be out about the same amount of money if you went and got it from like walmart. Just you chances of enjoying the sport more are greater when you have better equipment.
I signed up for dance lessons. It is pretty much a two hour aerobic workout twice a week, plus the night we actually go to clubs to dance (at least once a week). It is a lot of fun, I've been taking the classes for about 8 months now.
It is a great exercise, and as a bonus, now I can dance salsa, merengue and bolero all night long.
It is a great exercise, and as a bonus, now I can dance salsa, merengue and bolero all night long.