The key is to create a habit. They say it takes 3 weeks. So - bribe yourself. Think of a reward (preferably non-food... a new purse, pair of shoes, book, whatever floats your boat). You get the reward after you earn x points, and 5 mins of exercise is 1 point (would be based on how many times/mins per week you are aiming for).

Some of my tricks are just putting on my workout clothes/shoes, doing an easier workout (walking vs running), or telling myself I only need to do 5 mins.

Someone had excellent advice - find something you enjoy, especially with a friend. (You may not find the friend until after you start!) I would add EASY to fit in your day & schedule. Snowboarding may be great exercise, but you can't do it everyday! So in the beginning keep it SIMPLE and DOABLE.

I'm simple-minded, these mind games help me:

(1) If you AIM for 6 walks a week, you can miss half of them & you've still hit the minimum of 3! Better than aiming for 3 & having zero for the week.

(2) Or the opposite, as someone else mentioned on the forum: do 5 mins. You'd be surprised once you start you'll go on for the full time.

Last, Listen to your body - are you unmotivated? Or REALLY exhausted or ill? If so, get extra rest. Resume the next day.

I'd much rather exercise than cut back food, but others are the opposite.

Someone had excellent advice - find something you enjoy, especially with a friend. (You may not find the friend until after you start!) I would add EASY to fit in your day & schedule. Snowboarding may be great exercise, but you can't do it everyday! So in the beginning keep it SIMPLE and DOABLE.

I'm simple-minded, these mind games help me:

(1) If you AIM for 6 walks a week, you can miss half of them & you've still hit the minimum of 3! Better than aiming for 3 & having zero for the week.

(2) Or the opposite, as someone else mentioned on the forum: do 5 mins. You'd be surprised once you start you'll go on for the full time.

Last, Listen to your body - are you unmotivated? Or REALLY exhausted or ill? If so, get extra rest. Resume the next day.

I'd much rather exercise than cut back food, but others are the opposite.

I think the I just have to find some supplements for more energy and pretty much "fake till I make it". I think I will try a few different activities and see if I can mix it up too so that I don't get bored. Thanks for all the advice!

I've been exercising 5-6 days a week for the past 14 months.. I have a friend that I meet at the local Y every morning.. We motivate each other to go. when one of us doesn't show up, we give the other a hard time about it unless it was planned.

We water walk which is something that we both enjoy. Over the past 14 months we've met a ton of people there so now if you miss a day or two, someone always questions where you've been, etc.. It's great for accountability.

Dh says i'm much less crabby if I go to the Y in the mornings. It's just one of those things that if you want to do it, you will.. But definitely find something you enjoy doing. If I didn't go in the water, I'd never go to the Y.

When I started and absolutely did not feel like I could find something that I loved at that point i found something that I could tolerate. For me, that was walking. I made myself get on the treadmill for at least 30 minutes. It didn't matter the intensity and no pressure of distance. I would tell myself that I could litterally stand on the machine for 30 minutes if I wanted. that would at least get me moving which is the hardest part for me. I tend to crank up the intensity when i get going. I still use this trick on days that I just don't have the motivation.