The past week i have had little to no motivation to exercise. What do you do when this happens to you?


Help!

I force myself to go. I know it sucks but that is what I do.... I know how good I will feel afterwards!

I do it anyhow. I know that it is a very important part of reaching my goal, and I am 110% invested in meeting my goal NO MATTER WHAT. Doing what it takes to get there is my NUMBER 1 PRIORITY. PERIOD.

Something that helps me is that I *exercise* doing something I like. Which usually means riding a bicycle in my case. Find something you like to do and it is easier to feel like doing it. Exercise doesn't have to mean going to a gym and doing reps on a machine.

Hope that helps.

Barb

I felt like this last week, the only advice I have is to call someone supportive of your goal and tell them how you feel, that usually gets me going. My boyfriend will tell me I look so good and to go for it and keep it up. It really does help You can do it!!

I recently developed the habit of watching something that I absolutely loath like that disgusting "Jerseylicious" on T.V. when I don't want to exercise.
This way I get so distracted by being totally stunned by their disgusting vile behavior that before I know it 30 minutes have gone by and I'm finished with my cardio or whatever I have to do that day. LOL

Also that show makes me so angry that I have plenty of energy to finish my exercises. Hah!

Rebecca Michelle

I just tell myself that It's Not an Option to not exercise and I get myself up and I go. Usually by the time that I get to the gym and start stretching my mindset has changed and I'm ready for to get in a good workout.

Change the workout around if it has grown boring. Trying a new thing.
Or just buckle down and do it anyway. Motivation? Fake it til you can make it.

This is like going to work or school. Some days are "Whee!" kind of awesome, some are "Eh." But we all do it anyway. We want the paycheck or diploma right?

In fitness world, we want the improved fitness, right? It isn't going to come if you don't do the time. So whether it is a "Whee!" or "Eh" sort of day... do it anyway.

A.

I just do it then get into a routine of every morning doing it and every evening before dinner and now its a force o habit i try not to even take days off one leads to 2 leads to 3

All of this is great advice!

But I can still manage to talk myself into not exercising. As soon as I get out of a routine, it's like an internal war to get myself to do it again EVEN THOUGH I KNOW HOW GOOD IT IS FOR ME. I have always just hated exercising that much. I am the queen of avoiding exercise.

Here's some things I have done that I find help

1. Classes. Somehow I can get the momentum up to just drag myself to a class when I can't get the momentum to go to a treadmill. It also helps with planning, as in "5:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go to my class." I find it MUCH easier to break my plans if it's not something offered only at a certain time.
2. Find places to walk *to* - if this works where you live. Then you are getting your exercise while you are actually running an errand. Bonus points if you carry a backpack and fill it up with groceries or library books on the walk home.
3. Find some kind of a program by which you can measure your progress. For example, I did the Couch to 5K last year. It was *awesome* how once I started (after months of dawdling) I HAD to do it three times every week. Otherwise I would be off the schedule. I did take 10 weeks instead of 9, but I really kicked my own butt to get it done. It was just so tangible and measurable. I loved the structure.
4. Have some kind of music player loaded with your favorite *energetic* songs. I have actually canceled scheduled runs when I couldn't find my iPod - I knew I wouldn't last more than a few minutes on the treadmill without my tunes.
5. Buddy up. I don't have this option now, but I used to go to the gym much more when I was meeting a friend there.
6. Hire a personal trainer/fitness coach. I don't have this option now either, but one of the times I was exercising the most is when I had someone to answer to.
7. Plan your eating schedule around exercising. One of my biggest deterrents to exercise is being too hungry/having just eaten. Messes me up all the time. But if it's built into the schedule it's more likely to happen.
8. Join an exercise challenge here. I have dramatically increased my exercise when I have to come post my totals here.

Hope some of that helps. I'm not so good with making myself just do it when I don't feel like it <insert whining here> and I can break a routine at the drop of a hat, apparently. I keep on trying, though, and at least I think about it

I have a rule that I'm not allowed to watch TV unless I'm doing exercise. (I don't have a "real" TV but watch DVDs and iTunes shows on my laptop and iPod, which helps control my watching.)

Normally this means watching shows while I'm on the elliptical at the gym, but even when I'm too pooped to go to the gym I have to do some handweights or jumping jacks or squats or situps during my show. I use the exercises from my Jillian tapes which I have learned pretty well now. It does make you feel a bit better about yourself than lying on the couch, especially if it is a really stupid show like [no I am too embarrassed even to tell you]. Or if it's a show with musical numbers you can count dancing to make the TV keep going.

[That sounds really lame now that I look at it, so I should add that there IS also stuff I do without the TV, like hiking.]

Squats or pushups against the kitchen counter while you are waiting for the coffee to be ready or the microwave to finish also count as exercise, so you if you do those you are not allowed to claim you are not motivated. And if you have started getting motivated, well then you don't have any excuse not to do just a little more then, do you?

Also, this chart may be helpful: Should I Exercise Today by CrankyFitness.

As well as the Motivation section generally of the CrankyFitness web page.

I try not to think about it too much. I try to just start it, before I can talk myself out of it. In the past, this has meant just grabbing my gym bag and heading out the door and trying to distract myself with other thoughts until I am actually IN the gym, at which point I'm usually good to keep going.

It also means that when the bf, the two year old, the dog and I are just hanging out in the house, I might suddenly jump up and declare everyone has to get their shoes on (...except the dog), load us all into the car and go for an impromptu walk. On days when we don't have the kiddo, the bf and I like to try new hiking spots.

Anything to keep it fresh and interesting. I have also been known to do squats and lunges during commercials if I'm feeling too unmotivated to get outside.

Force yourself OR workout at home. Every little bit helps! it's a life changing altercation modification basically. Like Nike says...Just do it~ sometimes rest is the best too. so don't be tooahrd on yourself! Hope you workout today! I know I am!