How do you motivate yourself to exercise consistently?
 

Last week I did pretty good and did my 3 days of exercise. This week is looking like it will be a different story. I've exercised once so far and I got up this morning with that intent but cannot for the life of me muster the strength/motivation to do it right now. I'm tired and unmotivated.

What tips/tricks do you use to motivate yourself to push through the tiredness, laziness, etc and get up off your butt consistently to exercise??

I know how hard it can be in the beginning but keep going, just keep thinking about why you want to do it........for me its for alot of reasons but im also getting married so thats gave me a tighter deadline.

keep going and in time you will get the feel good factor and you wont want to miss a session i promise thats what happens may take a few weeks but you will get it x

i convinced myself that i dont HAVE to exercise.
i wanna do it cause it feels good. Even the days i feel lazy i just stop thinking about it. I get up go to gym and since i m there i do the best i can.

For me it is an appointment/meeting. I wouldn't miss a professional appointment and this is a very important one - FOR ME!

If you dont enjoy it than dont do it,just adjust your calories.

I usually walk in the mornings and sometimes on an afternoon. On the days that I feel less than enthusiastic about it I tell my "Just 5 mins. Just get out there for 5 minutes and if you hate it, you can stop." So I put on my shoes and head out the door. I never want to stop after just 5 minutes though.:carrot: But presenting the idea to myself that I could stop if I wanted to is enough.

I take the appointment idea a little further by setting up an actual appointment with a trainer. I figure the workout programme has been written and the time set , so I will go. If personal training isn't an option you could try finding someone who will workout with you. I've found that I'm less likely to cancel if someone is waiting on me.

And after a while, if you're consistent, you may find that you don't need the extra push. You will want to exercise because it feels odd not to exercise.

Best of luck on your journey:hug:

Find one that you enjoy! And a partner if possible. I walk/jogg with a small group and we have grown to enjoy it. Walking doesnt take much and you can do it anywhere:)

another great way to go!!

Thank you for the replies everyone! I guess it has always been drilled in my head that I had to exercise to lose weight so I haven't gotten beyond that mindset. I do like zumba its just the getting my butt out of bed before work thats the problem and then no time or energy after work if I wanted to.

I use gold stars on a calendar to motivate me.

I personally exercise/work out for fitness and to avoid the saggy/loose skin issue. I don't wanna be skinny fat, I wanna be skinny fit. What also helps is that I keep thinking about the swimsuit I really want.

Working out also helps me to be able to eat a little more, not all of the calories that I burned though, just a little more.

It's not for everyone but the best kind of exercise is the kind you love.

1) Find something that you enjoy

2) Remember something is better than nothing. On the days you don't feel like Zumba try something else (i.e.- a longer walk).

3) Someone on here told me once that actions don't come from feelings. Feelings come from actions. The motivation comes and goes but commitment is something that extends beyond what I feel like doing. Make exercise non-negotiable :)

All the best!

The beginning is always the hardest because it's not a routine yet. I work out in the mornings also (this is the only way I'll do it) and try to think of it like brushing my teeth... just a necessity, something I do before work. It took me a good 6 months to get there, though.

Give yourself permission if you're absolutely exhausted to skip it on the condition that you meet your minimum weekly requirement/exercise tomorrow, etc. But in my experience, I can only do this one one workday per week without it becoming a habit.

This is true...you can lose weight without exercise.

However, it is good for everyone and even people who don't need to lose any weight (healthy BMI) have to exercise if they want to be healthy and have maximum longevity.

There is so much science that backs that exercise will make you live longer and healthier. It is also a mood booster.

For me, it took finding something that I really love. Not just like. The first time I picked up a barbell, I fell in :love:LOVE.:love: Now I get twitchy when I haven't been in the gym for a couple of days, and I really look forward to getting in for a workout.

Try a bunch of different things and find out what really gets you hooked. It might not be anything at the gym at all. Maybe you'll love biking, rock climbing, skating, etc.