Hi ladies, I need a little help / motivation. Can someone please tell me that the more i workout the easyer it will become? lol?
So i never been the active person. Other then running after my 3 lovely children I just don't do much. I have tried of course. Got gym passes.. I even have a eliptical sitting in my livingroom that never gets used by me.

I need to know the best way to approach this so I can keep on it instead of dropping it like I have done so many times in the past. What do you think? I really need help.

First, yes, it gets easier.

Second, my vote is that you start small. I find that most people who give up on exercise start off way too hard core. Then they burn out.

I started with a rebounder like this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...G9JWE8TEBPMNDD I would set up in front of the TV and just jog on there for 20 minutes. Then it was 30 minutes, then 45, then 60. Then I started walking, then I started jogging, etc.

Going slowly meant I never burned out, and I didn't get injured. And I stuck with it.

Something to try, anyway!

I agree with mandalinn, start small, baby steps... put the 30 mins on your calendar and don't let anyone deter you from doing it... You want to be able to run after your kids and still have energy left for life in general... You need to take care of YOU first, it's not selfish, it's self preservation, mentally and physically...

Keep us posted on your progress...

Definitely start small and build up. Stick with it and when it becomes too easy and it's not a challenge anymore, move up to something bigger and keep doing it. Remember what ever you start with, whatever you do exercise wise is better then sitting on the couch.
Also if you make a time to exercise and stick with it, that helps. Find a time when you can do it and stick to it. Ask for help- maybe ask your husband to watch the kids 3x per week so you can exercise. Whatever works for you.

I agree you can start with baby steps. Why don't you go for walks? Lots of people lost lots of pound with walking only. Take your kids along! Play, run, have fun!

If you want, you can also check out C25K (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml) which got me going in a big way. Somehow the accomplishment of doing even the first week gave me such a boost I made it through to the end. Now I am a runner!

Also, check out fitocracy.com (invite code: SARGE if you still need one), there is a 3FC group.

Oh and yes it get's easier! I wouldn't miss my workouts now and I do workout 5-6 a week.

I was in the same boat as you. Yes, it does get easier and remember, it takes weeks to form a habit. Once it becomes a habit, it will be even easier. Good luck to you

I've always had a problem with "pointless" exercise. Of course no exercise is pointless, but what I mean is that if the only purpose of an activity is "working out," I get bored easily.

For me, I had to find exercise that I found fun or had a purpose. I've always loved swimming, so that was easy. Walking, I don't enjoy unless I'm walking to get somewhere or as part of doing something else - for example shopping, visiting museums, geocaching, walking dogs as a volunteer at the humane society... that made walking fun.

Finding fun ways to move was really important for me. It's even starting to make more traditional "work outs" fun.

Our YMCA is sponsoring a "passport to fitness" challenge, and those who complete the challenge (12 different exercises for 30 minutes each, from a list of about 30) get a sweatshirt.

I got so excited about that sweatshirt that I didn't use common sense, and hurt myself on the eliptical machine a couple days ago because I was having so much fun I didn't listen to my body.

It's important to be very careful, because we see so many "Biggest Loser" type shows on television, that push people well past reasonable limits. We see them in pain, vomiting and crying, their faces beet red - and we think it's ok for a workout to do that to us - it's not. So take things slow. I "knew better" and I still got carried away because I got caught up in the fun of trying to accomplish something that was beyond my capabilities.

Just another "start small" voice being added in here.

I was about 330 pounds when I started, and not at all active in the least.

Even beginning with 30 minutes would've been "too much" for me. Not only too much for my non-active body, but too much mentally. I never would've stuck with it!

So six months ago I started with 5 minutes a day. Every day. That was my goal. For about a month I stuck to 5 minutes a day every day. I even missed a day or two during that month, but didn't let it keep me from continuing. It was more important for me to build a routine than to push myself hard. After all, I could always add intensity, but I actually had to be DOING something in order to build it up.

After a while I added 5 minutes. And then in another month I added 5 more minutes. Keeping the focus on just getting up on my treadmill for x amount of time a day. I now do about 30 minutes of treadmill walking a day. I added a little intensity by going faster.

But this is 6 months after starting. It never would've happened at all if I hadn't picked a reasonable goal for myself. Everyone is different about what they can manage, but no amount is too small to start with!

I completely understand where you're coming from. Added to never having really been an active person, I'm also a really an indoorsy person- the kind that believes the outdoors is best enjoyed through a nice, clean window preferably shut, whilst in a climate-controlled room.

HOWEVER, I took exercise on as a challenge. I find that starting off with programs worked for me. First I did Walk Away The Pounds and said to myself, you only have to do 30 minutes a day 3 times a week for a month, then you never have to do this again. Then I did 30 Day Shred (Jillian Michaels) and said it's only about 30 minutes a day, it's not going to kill you. Then I started C25K, a running programme, I said to myself "once you can jog 30 minutes, if you REALLY hate it, you never have to do it again." So for me the key was having a programme and a plan for a set period of time, all planned out to do.

I looked at it in the beginning as brushing my teeth. It's not that I love to brush my teeth, I just don't want to get cavities. Same with exercise, not that I love it, I just don't want to stay saggy. NOW, even though I still weird myself out when I say it, I actively like SOME exercise, or at least I'm addicted to the feeling of accomplishment I get when I do it. I've never regretted a work out. I run (on a treadmill- still not a huge fan of the outdoors) pretty regularly (not my favourite thing to do, but each time I do it, I feel really accomplished) but my true love I've discovered this year is kickboxing. I actually WANT to do it everyday.

I think my advice to you is that it DOES get easier. Or you DO get more used to doing it. The best exercise is something you will do. If walking to the park with your kids is it, then that's excellent. If it's doing a 30-minute DVD, great. If it's jogging on a spot during commercials, not bad. Whatever it is, if you can make yourself do it for a while and you don't find it too abhorrent, eventually you DO get used to it and maybe even start to like it. (Also try different things, I wish I'd tried kickboxing a LOT earlier).

I think that this is an excellent point (and strategy). When I first started exercising, I couldn't force myself to go to the gym on the weekends. So I made a deal with myself, if I did something where I was walking around, it counted as exercise. I live in the DC area, and most of the museums in DC are free. So on Saturday and Sunday mornings I'd metro into the city and just wander around the museums. I was doing something fun and educational, but also being somewhat active.

Every little bit counts - even now I'll compromise with myself. TOM was beating me up, so I didn't think I could even do the elliptical, so I went home, did laundry, and swept up/vaccummed my apartment. It wasn't a lot of activity, but it was better than me laying down. And the little bit of blood flow helped my cramps

Nothing wrong with baby steps.

I agree start out slow. I used to crash diet/exercise do all or nothing and be sore and miserable for days and then would have to wait almost a week to be able to exercise again. I thought that was the only way to lose weight and of course made me HATE exercising. I have always loved walking and walked pretty regularly even when I was overweight, but this time I started walking longer times, then once I built up how long I walked I started then walking faster to the point of breathing heavy. I did that for a couple of months and when I was no longer breathing heavy walking fast and swinging those arms I then would start jogging counting to 50, then walk then jog again counting to 50 and so on. Then I could jog ¼ a lap and walk ¾ etc. I hate jogging, bad knees shin splints etc. So then started doing DVD’s at home in the mornings still walking in the evenings and when I finally got to a point I was stuck not losing and I joined my local gym (felt comfortable enough with myself and felt I was in pretty good cardio shape) and from there started doing exercise ball, free weights and the elliptical which I love and still do that helped me get to my goal.

I also make a pact with myself I will never go more than 3 days in between exercising, that way for me I don’t ever feel like I am having to start over or get sore since it keeps my body used to it.