Exercise! Love it or hate it, let's motivate each other to just DO IT!

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Old 03-20-2008, 09:25 AM   #1  
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Default Anyone else an "I'll get to it when I get to it"?

....kinda person as far as the gym? I'd love to have a "routine" but pre-planning 4-5 days of my week is painful. Ideally I'd go 5 days a week but as much as I hate to say it...if I have a gym day planned for say a Wednesday and one of my friends asked me to go out...sayonara gym!!! Somedays this happens and I go to the gym for an abbreviated workout and one of the trainers will say something dumb like "thats it??" as I'm leaving and I'll have to explain. Mind your own beeswax first of all! And that's it? I just jogged 30 minutes on the treadmill....better than nothing!! I have things to do! .......Sorry that was just a little side rant Anyway....anyone else just go when they have some time, or does everyone seem to have some kinda of set in stone plan? I'll go minimum 2 days a week and max 5 anywhere from 30-90 minutes....so I'm not a complete slacker and it's definitely more than I was doing a month ago (before I joined)....so I think I deserve at least a smidgen of credit


However once I started working out, my weight jumped up a few pounds and I've stopped losing. I know you can't gain muscle that fast...so what the heck?!?! This sucks!!
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Old 03-20-2008, 11:50 AM   #2  
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I set my workouts in stone...it takes a lot more than a friend asking me to go somewhere to get me to cancel. I usually find a way to fit both in, but have no problems saying "I'd love to go out to dinner, but I won't be ready until 8 because I need to go to the gym first". Usually people are very receptive.

I really only cancel if I'm sick or injured. I consider it a must-keep appointment.
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Old 03-20-2008, 11:52 AM   #3  
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For me, working out is like a drug.. I feel physically run down if I don't get there...

Better than street drugs huh?
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Old 03-20-2008, 12:02 PM   #4  
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I have just been going this month. So, I go 3-4 days a week. I go on M-W-F and sometimes Sat. If I miss a morning (I go at 5:45am) then I really feel guilty all day then I go in the evening. I am not allowing myself to slip up even once. If I miss then I make up that day no fail. It is how I have to be or I would slack off.
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Old 03-20-2008, 02:39 PM   #5  
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I put exercise at the top of my list every day. I can't afford to get slack as I believe exercise, just as much as what and how I eat, is what is keeping me where I want to be. It took a lot to get here and I'm not going back, so I have to treat it as a priority every day.

Plus I agree with those who mention the other effects - it calms me down, keeps me in better mental shape, too. I really can see the difference in my overall attitudes from before I started to exercise. And if I have to miss, I do notice it in how I approach my day.

I will say I adjust my activities to fit how I am feeling (today I swam instead of doing a weights class, since I really felt stiff and sore, just couldn't face it!) Belonging to a gym makes it easier to stay on track since it is flexible and has many offerings, so I don't skip it when I'm not feeling tops, just do something else. I do have a certain amount of cardio and weights I want to do in a week, so I can give myself some flexibility and not get annoyed with myself if I move things around due to physical reasons or just plain "I don't feel like a class today" kind of day. This works well as long as I am honest about what I need to be doing to stay in shape.

I personally think that if you just go when you feel like it or can get to it, it soon becomes something you used to do and don't do anymore. Then...you know what happens, it's easier to let it all slide. It's not just the activity and the calories, it's also taking seriously the commitment you have to make to stay where you want to be. At least that's how it is for me.
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Old 03-20-2008, 04:42 PM   #6  
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Yes! I'm just like you. I can't always plan a day ahead, let alone a whole week. I do all my workouts from home right now (exercise videos, strength training with dumbbells, or running outside near home) so I don't need to plan travel time or anything -- just shower time once I get done.

This works better for me, even though I know it wouldn't for everyone. I manage to get 5-6 workouts in a week, with a good balance of strength & cardio. And I don't feel restricted! My friends (and husband's friends) are too spontaneous, and I would hate to say "I'm sorry, we can't hang out this week, I have to run at that time" or "no honey, you can't have friends over to play video games until an hour later, I have to do a video." I'm moving away in 6 months so I'll hardly see these people anymore, and I want to make the most of it.

I would guess that you did build some muscle, and some of the weight gain is increased water retention as your muscles recover from exercise. Have you been keeping track of your food intake? Sometimes when I first start working out (that's right, I've stopped and started MANY times in the past ) I get extra hungry for a while and have to either try very hard not to eat more, or just be happy with maintaining until it all works itself out.
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Old 03-20-2008, 05:29 PM   #7  
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I have a schedule that I allow a fair amount of wiggle room in, the plan is to go to the gym at work during my lunch hour monday wednesday and friday, with tuesday or thursday being an optional short day (I'm only allowed a 90 minute lunch to work out 3 times a week, so any other times I go to the gym on my lunch its gotta be 60 minutes), and I try to do at least an hour on either Saturday or Sunday at my apartment complex gym or the trails next to the apartment.

Of course things come up, I have to run an errand on my lunch break or have to go to my boyfriends family event, whatever. I'm ok with things happening, so long as I stick to that schedule for the most part and make up the exercise when its more convenient if I can. I wouldn't just let myself go more than a few days without working out in some way though, its a slippery slope, gotta keep it going! I agree with others, I actually really like how exercising makes me feel, its not really a chore anymore, its an escape from the stresses of my life. I still have those days where I'm tired and lazy, but usually I feel a lot better once I've finished my workout. And I agree, if you can only get a half hour on the treadmill in, its nothing to scoff at, anything you can do is good and it all counts!
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Old 03-21-2008, 08:34 PM   #8  
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1/2 hour on the treadmill is nothing to scoff at. I suspect the trainers are either flirting with you or trying to drum up some business.

Some days are set in stone, some days are not. I work out with a trainer three days a week and those days are absolutely set in stone. I lose $65 if I don't cancel at least 24 hours in advance. (Well, not really. I've been with my trainer so long he would never charge me for a missed session, but it's rude to cancel without sufficient notice for him to fill the spot so I only do it in a dire emergency.) I will turn down invitations if they interfere with my training sessions. If I'm going out with friends, I insist that we schedule around my training sessions.

But on other days, I just fit my workouts in when I can. I've gotten into a routine on most days, but if something comes up, I vary it. For example, normally I take a 7 PM circuit training class on Thursdays, but if my friends want to go out on Thursday, I work out earlier and skip the class. But I workout every day; absolutely no excuses! So although some days are flexible, I make it a priority to hit the gym every day, no matter what else is on the agenda, and I also never cut my workout short. Exercise is one of my top priorities.
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Old 03-21-2008, 08:58 PM   #9  
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The pretty one

Credit is what you get from your credit card and you know what, it always cost more than you think it will in interest lol. It is always good to get the body moving and you should be proud that you do things that are good for you. A little is better than nothing BUT weight loss and getting fit is like everything else in life. You get out of it what you put into it. No matter if it is a clean house, a job or losing weight and getting fit it takes commitment and planning to a point. Planning and commitment is the answer. I don't go to the gym so I don't have that kind of restriction but I do 2 three mile walking/aerobic videos each day Monday to Friday unless a health issue stops me. I do 40 min 3 times a week of resistance training and same thing unless a health issue stops me nothing stops me. I don't want to be looking back 3, 6 or 9 months from now and find I have little results because I couldn't put getting healthy into the priority it deserved.

I have not seen any more weight loss with the exercise than I did when I wasn't exercising. Still about 1 lb a week. BUT my body is in so much better shape with the exercise. The toning that is going on, the muscles that are showing where they should be showing. A person is not going to get all that with weight loss alone.

Last edited by Shy Moment; 03-24-2008 at 04:49 PM.
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Old 03-22-2008, 12:25 AM   #10  
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If I made exercise a 'fly by the seat of your pants' thing, my pants would remain large. I plan 6 days/wk that includes cardio, strength, yoga and pilates. I usually w/o in the morning but have learned to be very, very flexible. Life happens; work around it. If 'something better' comes along, I get the w/o in b/4 or after. I won't just blow it off. I've made exercise just another part of my day, like brushing my teeth or feeding the dog. It needs to be done so I do it. Other things are important, but so am I. I'm my priority. Like ShyMoment said, you get out of things what you put into them.
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Old 03-22-2008, 10:19 PM   #11  
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I hate to say it...if I have a gym day planned for say a Wednesday and one of my friends asked me to go out...sayonara gym!!!
That's a choice you make. I choose to make my workouts a priority ... over and above socializing. That's not judgmental, just factual. I used to make every excuse in the book for not going to the gym and the next thing I know, I weighed 237 lbs and wore a size 24. Now I make the gym and my health a priority and I weigh1 173 and wear a size 12 - and still losing.

If my friends are my friends, they'll understand that I need to hit the gym and then go out. If they don't ... well, they're not my friends. And I need to realize that going to the gym is just as important a part of my routine as getting up in the morning and going to the office. I'd never skip going to my office or meeitng a client or shooting a wedding because a friend called and said "hey let's go out instead". So in my mind, the gym and working out and caring for myself has to take the same priority.

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Old 03-24-2008, 09:59 AM   #12  
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It's not about my girlfriends not liking me if I cancel or don't go somewhere...we're all mature (somewhat ) 26-32 years old, not children. I just HATE working out more than anything so if something tastier comes along, I won't do it. All you hear is "once you start you love it" or "once you do it you're glad you did". That is never, ever, the case with me Each time I go it's relunctantly and when I'm finish I thank GOD I can leave. I stare at the clock like a 17 yr old during 8th period on the last day of school I get a good workout while I'm there and pay close attention to heartate and form...it just bores me to tears, even with changing my plan often.

I guess its because I've lost all my 30lbs without exercising....and since I haven't noticed any difference between eating well and working out and eating well and NOT working out, I'm totally unmotivated.
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Old 03-24-2008, 10:24 AM   #13  
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Sounds like you need to rethink your chosen exercise regimen. There are TONS of ways of getting exercise in. Take up tennis or rock climbing or rollerblading or zumba or weight lifting or belly dancing. Instead of jogging on the treadmill for 30 minutes, try intervals. There's no real need to do something that you find unbearable!
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Old 03-24-2008, 10:48 AM   #14  
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just HATE working out more than anything so if something tastier comes along, I won't do it.
I've said this before in other posts - and again this is all about the way I look at it. I am an adult. There are things that I *have* to do as an adult that I HATE. For example: I am *not* a morning person. There are not words to express how very *not* a morning person I am and how much I hate getting up. But I do it. Because I'm an adult and I need to pay my bills. Speaking of which, I hate paying bills. I'd much rather go shopping for camera gear or cute clothes or go get a massage or spend the weekend in New Orleans. But because I'm an adult, I not only pay bills, but I put 12% of my income into savings and 12% into retirement, and set aside 38% for taxes (the joy of being self-employed) . It freakin' HURTS to set that money aside. But I do it becuase I'm an adult and it's what adults do.

Like I said above, I put going to the gym on a priority with meeting clients, paying bills, etc.

And that's how I look at eating right and exercising when I am completely unmotivated. I don't have to like it. I don't have to enjoy it. I don't have to skip to the gym singing happy songs. I just have to get my butt in there and do it. Because I'm 40 and there's a history of osteoperosis, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease in my family and as an adult, I know that excercising is something I *HAVE* to do or face some very negative consequences: not just weight gain, but poor health.

Quote:
I guess its because I've lost all my 30lbs without exercising....and since I haven't noticed any difference between eating well and working out and eating well and NOT working out, I'm totally unmotivated.
I would say that I suspect this is age related! As you get older, you won't be able to lose the weight w/out exercise. Trust me ... been there. And you will notice a difference in your stamina and strength if you stick with it over time.

Also, as I said above, there are many more benefits to working out than just losing weight. For me, realizing that lifting weights will help me not look like my grandmom did at 65, hunched over from osteoperosis. Doing regular cardio will keep me from having the mini-strokes that my other grandmother had at 62 and 64 because he bloodpressure was so high. Losing weight and being in shape will hopefully keep me from getting the diabetes that both my g'mothers, and my father, and my aunt, and my two uncles have/had.

But ... ... I also recognize that in my late 20s, I totally had no concept of any of those things. I was healthy, I could lose weight just by cutting out snacks, and the concept of those illnesses was sort of a hazy distant future. That all changed when my parents died while I was in my 30s. Suddenly 65 seemed awfully young to die.

Dunno. The truth is that no one can motivate you but you. And sometimes something has to happen to motivate you ... sometimes that thing has to be something bad or negative. I wish ... I really really really wish, that I'd known in my late 20s what I know now. I wish I'd never let myself get to the point that I did. I look at my body now and I know that had I been motivated 15 years ago, I'd not be having the struggles - body image, health, and everything else - that I'm having now. And there are times that I bitterly regret that I was not smart enough when I was in my 20s to do what I'm doing today. My life would have been much different, if I had.

FWIW.

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Old 03-24-2008, 03:27 PM   #15  
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Exercise is also pretty crucial to maintaining your loss. It enables us to eat more and stay focused on health and weight.
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