[Delphi]

Exercise for me is no different than any other task I do around my house daily, other than the fact that I really enjoy exercise. But that is simply how I look at it. You have to do laundry if you want clean clothes. You have to wash the dishes if you want clean dishes to eat from. Well, you have to exercise to maintain a healthy body. So for me, it is just another task, that I enjoy, that is integrated into my daily activities.

[thinpossible]

I started out H-A-T-I-N-G exercise. Now I don't necessarily like it, but I really miss it if I miss it. When I first started I made a commitment to do it the very first thing in the morning. No debates, no coffee, no nuthin. Just put on my shoes and went. I put a sign by my alarm clock which said:

IF YOU THINK YOU HATE EXERCISE, THINK HOW MUCH MORE YOU'LL HATE RIDING AROUND IN ONE OF THESE.


That worked.

[cfmama]

I used to HATE exercise. HATE HATE HATE it. I could barely get off the couch nevermind get out the door to exert myself.

So I just made myself do it. I started slow... and now I'm down 132 lbs and can walk 4 miles in an hour. I CRAVE exercise now. I NEED to go for my walks, just like I NEED healthy food and enough sleep and enough water.

Just do it. Because you have to. Because your body depends on YOU to keep it healthy. I know you can

[rocketbunny]

My big motivation is the dog I adopted last December. We live in a small apartment and she NEEDS a daily brisk walk. It started with walking, but as I got lighter, I began running. My little beagle is the BEST running buddy around.

I've also started signing up for one 5k race each month. Knowing that I've gotta be ready on race day is really helping get me out there 3 times a week.

I'm having a harder time staying motivated on my weight training workouts. I love how my muscles feel after working out, but really don't enjoy the actual workouts. I've made a goal to do 8 WT workouts each month. It's hard and last month I ended up doing something like 4 workouts in the last 8 days of the month. But I met my goal and that felt great!

[Elladorine]

I took a walk last night, probably the first time I took a walk specifically for exercise in about six months or so.

I didn't last too long though, it stays hot here even after the sun goes down. I can't wait until fall arrives and the weather cools off.

[PinkyPie]

Originally Posted by Delphi

Exercise for me is no different than any other task I do around my house daily, other than the fact that I really enjoy exercise. But that is simply how I look at it. You have to do laundry if you want clean clothes. You have to wash the dishes if you want clean dishes to eat from. Well, you have to exercise to maintain a healthy body. So for me, it is just another task, that I enjoy, that is integrated into my daily activities.

what Delphi said

you brush your teeth, you shower, you get dressed, maybe you go to work, you pay bills, you do all the things you need to do, all of the things a responsible adult does... exercise is just another one of those things that one does.

Originally Posted by thinpossible

I started out H-A-T-I-N-G exercise. Now I don't necessarily like it, but I really miss it if I miss it. When I first started I made a commitment to do it the very first thing in the morning. No debates, no coffee, no nuthin. Just put on my shoes and went. I put a sign by my alarm clock which said:

IF YOU THINK YOU HATE EXERCISE, THINK HOW MUCH MORE YOU'LL HATE RIDING AROUND IN ONE OF THESE.


That worked.

awesome. Agree! My thought is, what is the alternative?

1) Remain fat
2) get fatter
3) have no strength
4) have aches and pains
5) be miserable
6) shorten your life
7) open yourself up to the possibility of diabetes, heart disease, etc
8) die young

I mean, a little exercise every day, building up into something that you love, something that you do because you LOVE YOURSELF can actually wipe out all of those alternatives. How cool is that?

Ever seen this Nike advert? It brings TEARS to my eyes. We HAVE no real excuses!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdd31Q9PqA

[Windchime]

Wow Velveteen, I hadn't seen that before--thanks for sharing! And I really like Thinpossible's little sign by her bedside. I do NOT want to be one of those ladies in Walmart, riding around on a little cart because her poor knees can no longer carry her.

I started exercising because I knew from past experience that I find it very, very difficult to lose weight without increasing my activity. Others may not find this to be true, but it's true for me. So I started on an elliptical that I nicknamed the "b****" and she lives in my dining room. Sometimes she kicks my butt, sometimes I kick hers. Once spring came, I started walking. Between the elliptical, walking, and a little bit of C25K, the fat has pretty much melted off my hips and butt, and my thighs are MUCH less jiggly. I noticed the other day in the shower that my lower legs are looking good, too (she says modestly).

Last time I lost weight, I was doing Yoga and some weight lifting, along with riding my bike. Know what? I was the same weight I am now, but my stomach was smaller and I was much fitter. Anyway, that's how I stay motivated because I do not want to go back to feeling flabby and sad and depressed. I look forward to my walk; it's 3.5 miles of "me" time. I put on my headset and listen to NPR and the time flies by. Once my asthma stops bugging me, I'll go back to learning to run because I want to be a runner. I'm not good at it, I don't love it (yet), but I want to LOOK like the girls who run look. Another motivation!

[teensie3]

Velveteen, thanks for the Nike commerical. That about says it all...hard to make excuses after seeing that. At first I was like "THIS makes her cry?" LOL. I totally didn't see the end coming for some reason. But I shouldn't have to. Hearing all those excuses is enough of the mirror being held in front of my face!

[foxxy511]

Add me to the list of people hating exercise when they first started! Oh man, was it rough to get to the gym in the mornings! But now, like so many others have said, it's just something I automatically do. Turn off my alarm, throw on my work-out clothes, let the dogs out, eat breakfast, hit the gym. And repeat 6 days a week (and on Sunday, she rested, haha). Often on the drive there I'll think "Man, I really don't want to do this" but then once I'm on the elliptical/treadmill/lifting weights, the time really does go by faster than I thought it would.

I do a lot of self-talk when I'm working out. Telling myself that I can do this and it's helping me achieve my goals really helps me to stay focused. And, if you're a Grey's Anatomy watcher, there's a quote from Meredith that I apply to exercise because it's so true! It goes:

"Maybe we like the pain. Maybe we're wired that way. Because without it, I don't know; maybe we just wouldn't feel real. What's that saying? Why do I keep hitting myself with a hammer? Because it feels so good when I stop."

Where do I find the motivation to exercise and why do I keep working out? Because it feels so good when I stop and I love that feeling of being healthy...and being able to check "work out" off my to-do list for the day, haha!

[jay41]

I too hated exercise.

I had to do something though. I went and picked up Power 90. It was a 90 day commitment -- I told myself I could do anything for 90 days. So far I'm on day 45 without missing even once! I discovered I like the feeling of having muscles (even though they are under my fat). I like the feeling of doing cardio without waiting for a heart attack.

I need to have time limits I guess. I could get to the end of the 90 days and go back to doing nothing,,,but I like the way I feel so I'll probably do the Power 90 Master Series for 90 days with Jillian 30 day shred in between. This way I can tell myself only 90 days or only 30 days LOL

The other thing that got me moving was doing a google on "fat people in airplanes". I do alot of business travel all over the world and United and everybody else is starting to look at extra charges for obese people. I wanted to know what people thought of sitting next to me and how many people are being forced to buy two seats. It is very cruel what people say on the internet -- but it was enough to convince me I never want to be that fat person they bash on those forums. I never want to go on business travel and tell my employer they need to shell out more money for a ticket because I'm too fat for a single seat. I never want to have people give me that "look" when they see me coming down that aisle to sit next to them.

Whenever I lose motivation, I google something on fat people. The mean comments are enough to get me moving again. It's funny, 60% of the US is overweight or obese, but the way the internet is filled with fat-hate-speech you would think that everyone on the internet is super thin.

[time2lose]

Thin hit the nail on the head for me, not only why I started exercising, but why I started on this entire weight loss journey. I started seeing one of those rascal scooters in my not too distant future.

[Thighs Be Gone]

I hated exercise before. When I first began I felt like everyone was looking at me when I went out in my neighborhood. I "told" myself I didn't care back then but I actually really did. Now, I can honestly say I don't care even if they are.

I crave exercise when I don't stay active now. I guess the best way I can describe it is the feeling you get when you first stretch out after being in bed all night--my body just longs for it.

The times I don't want to do it I might shake things up a bit and do something different than normal for my activity.

Making the commitment to get off the couch was hard for me. The "mood" to get active never struck me. I waited and waited and got fatter and fatter until I finally decided to just do it.

[Pita09]

Exercise for me has become a commitment and a routine. I get up in the morning, put on my workout clothes, and drive to the gym. Once I'm there and moving it's great.

It wasn't always so great. In the beginning I despised exercise. I got a membership to Curves, and at least two days a week I would lie about going while I sat in the parking lot of the mall and ate Burger King and hated on myself. I did finally get over that and actually embraced the Curves workout to the point where I would spend a full hour doing the circuit. Once that got too easy I got the membership to the gym I'm at now.

I've had a lot of issues with one of my feet being in constant pain. Finally, a foot doctor and really expensive New Balance shoes have all but cured me. Still have issues but they are bearable. I then pulled my groin muscle in my left leg and that has been a nightmare. Yesterday, I had to finally realize that I can't use the treadmill until it heals. I will stick to the elliptical and bike until this stupid injury heals once and for all.

In the past I would have definitely used these injuries as reasons to stay out of the gym. Heck I would have used a hang nail as an excuse. These days, pain makes me mad and I will do whatever it takes to get my workouts in so that I can feel better and get this hideous fat off me!