I agree that insisting on it being part of your routine helps...like we go to the gym first thing 3 x week...Monday, Wed, Friday...it's just what we do and we do it before we get involved in anything else. The other thing is having someone to go with you helps a lot...for me that's my dh but a friend or someone would be great too. Just helps to have someone to chat with while you exercise. I love to walk the track (or even better) with someone and walk along talking...if you are a little bit short of breath, making it slightly hard to talk you know you're walking at a just right speed. Having someone with you just makes it more fun. Only trouble with my dh is he prefers to listen to music when exercising, not talking with me.
Tamsin - I agree it is difficult to know why we don't do things we know we need to do! For me it is too often over snacking in the evenings. I know I will be sorry in the morning, but that doesn't always stop me. I'm finally just recently getting to a point where I'm concerned enough about my health that I'm doing much better, but even now I can just forget all that sometimes. Looking better was not enough of a motivator for me, and I was even is sort of denial about my diabetes for a long time.
Kassykid - You are looking really good! Congrats on your weightloss! Yes, I can imagine that picture would motivate you...good luck in maintainance. When I lost once I went back to old habits...had to learn for myself that you can't ever go back to eating like you did before.
BTW, another thing I do is incorporate exercise into everything I do. You know, take the stairs at the mall, park futher away and walk into the store that kind of thing but also around the house when I'm standing in the kitchen, in the bathroom or at the end of our sleigh bed, I do exercises. I march or jog around the house instead of just walking. I do aerobics during commercials, stretches while watching TV. I get emails from online magazines which often give me links to exercises online and I do them here in my office when I have time. None of these seems to help me with weightloss but I'm sure it keeps me more flexible and healthier. I'm 68 years old and I need all the help I can get! LOL
Sometimes I think I must look like a fool the way I prance and gallop around the house but I only do it when I'm alone or it's just my dh and I. ;-)