Exercise! Love it or hate it, let's motivate each other to just DO IT!

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Old 01-14-2006, 09:33 AM   #1  
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Default Exercise is just so boreing

I know that I need to get off my butt and get moving but I find that working out is boreing beyond words.

I have tapes DVD's but find they phoney rah rah happy people to be more than I can deal with for more than about 5 minutes. While my treadmill isn't gathering clothes I will get on it and after about 2 minutes I just can't stand it anymore. It isn't hard just dull....watching TV doesn't help.

Going to the gym is too much of an ordeal either trying to get on a piece of equipment that is just as boreing as my treadmill or getting into a class where I am surrounded by walls of mirrors reminding me just how bad I look and how uncoordinated I am.

I don't have any attention span issues it;sjust that exercise is just boreing and I applaude those of you who can deal with it for more than 10 minutes at a time....

Any hints as to what I could try?

PS I live in the north so walking outside isn't am option right now.
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Old 01-14-2006, 09:49 AM   #2  
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I love my MP3 player. If the music gets old, I just change it.

I also had to work on my mindset. I had to learn to weigh the benefits of exercising bored or not exercising at all. If I step off the treadmill because I am bored, am I deciding it's more exciting to stay fat?
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Old 01-14-2006, 10:05 AM   #3  
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it takes approximately 4-6 weeks to get "addicted" to exercise (i think i read that somewhere)...

i take my ipod and run to the beat (all booty music on there, no slow stuff)! or even walk to it if you arent a runner. living in the north shouldnt be a reason not to walk! get moving! i was just up in steamboat on vacation and even though it was snow everywhere and 15 deg outside, i bundled up and did it! YOU CAN TOO!! find the motivation! you too will soon become addicted to the exercise!
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Old 01-14-2006, 11:42 AM   #4  
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How far north are you? If you can't walk outside, what about skating? Sledding is lots of fun and you get a great work out going up the hill over and over again. Snow shovelling is exercise too--suprise your neighbours by shovelling their sidewalk too.

It gets pretty cold here, but I still walk and run outside. As well as taking the kids sledding and skating. I've run in down to -24C this year, colder last year. It's fun coming home covered in frost.

Indoor pools are a nice change from the cold weather.

Do any of the above with a friend and maybe you'll find them less boring.
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Old 01-14-2006, 12:30 PM   #5  
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Have you thought about trying some of the workout dvd's that are divided up into several 10 minute segments?
Quick Fix is one set that does this and they have a count down clock for each 10 minute segment that counts backwards, so you know how much time is left for the segment. Another set that is out is 10 minute soultion whith several different types of workouts (pilates/cardio/toning/kickboxing/etc) and each category tape is then divided up in 4 or 5 10 minute workouts.
I second the skating- its is great and easy on the knees and when great music is played time flies by!
Have you thought about a workout buddy? I love to workout, but have found that having someone workout with me helps to make sure I get in the workout/accountability. If ther is nobody you can workout with, but are interested in having someone workout with you, you might try going to www dot excercisefriends dot com. I signed up late last year and was bale to locate a walking buddy very close to me. YOu set up your profile, and can choose if you want male/female specifically to contact you or both- it is emphasized that it is not a dating site but is exclusively for finding a local workout partner only. (I am not affiliated with the site in any way. I stumbled across it by accident, tried it since it was free and it worked for me.)
Got childrena nd a jumprope or chalk? Try jumping rope either with kids or alon- it is great cardio! Outline a porch/patio with chalk and play hopscotch (this may sound silly, but it has helped me some with balancing/ankle stability and is also good cardio)
Do you like to swim? See if there is a gym close by that has an indoor pool. If there is one, see if they have a policy where you can pay per visit/week or month and have no contract fees so you can go when you choose.
Find some music you like and dance. Try taking some ballroom dancing classes if they are offered near you (I have seen these offered at some local parks, so you might try one in yoiur area.)
Go to your local mall, some have walking clubs that meet in the mornings well in advance of employess or customers coming in, join the walking club and go when it is convenient for you. If this is not an option at your mall, go on to the mall anyway and walk around (if you're like me, leaving your wallet at home is a great idea- so many tempting stores to go in- but keep some change so you can get some water to drink.)
Do you work? Are any of your co-workers wanting to try excercise? If so, try getting together during lunch or after work and go for a walk together or if your workplace offsers a gym, join the gym together and go during lunch/after work and lift weights (spot one another if needed,) take one of the fitness classes offered.
One thing that really helped me was not focusing on just "excerscise" but focus on my body and how it reacted with every movement. When I walk, I engage my mind- are my abs pulled inlike a mattress button?Am I squeezing each glute with everystep- the forward leg should have a small contraction, the back leg will have a slightly larger contraction, the step should roll from the heel to the toe making sure my calves are worked as well, are my hips forward/backward/neutral? Is my posture correct- shoulders up/back/down, what are my arms doing- swinging thoughtlessly, or pushing and pulling with each step to engage the back muscles? The same mental engagement goes into every workout I do, be it walking or a video.
Like challenges? Challenge yourself to something. My challenge- in 4 weeks, I want to have gained flexability in my hips and legs, therefore, to meet this challengs, I must do gentle yoga moves that are desiged to help with just that. It doesn;t mean i have to do 1 hour of yoga a day, just when I wake up I need to stretch, during the day after sitting fo so long I need a good stretch, and before bed, I will do stretches again- just for 3-5 minutes each time. At the end of 4 weeks, I may not be able to place my foot behind my head/bend over backwards and balance on one hand, but I will have losened up a bit in the hips and legs, even if it is only a small bit.
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Old 01-14-2006, 01:02 PM   #6  
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I am extremely motivated by music. Make a list of your favorite songs, you know the ones that you can't possibly sit still during. You don't have to listen to the music or the person talking on the dvd (although I do recommend listening to a new one once to reap the benefits on the proper form tips) just pop in your favorite music and get down with your sexy self!
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Old 01-14-2006, 05:04 PM   #7  
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All good ideas here! The most important thing to work on is your negative self-talk. If you keep telling yourself you're going to be bored - guess what? You'll be bored! You need to work on telling yourself - and at various times during the day, not just when you're exercising - that you are doing this for you and for your health and well-being! To paraphrase Dr. Phil, you can't depend on motivation, you have to plan exercise into your life and just do it.
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Old 01-14-2006, 09:40 PM   #8  
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Thank you to everyone who responded.

I have been thinking of giving ballroom dancing a try...I think that my problem is that I need to just accept that it has to be done, enjoyable or not, and do it.

The Quick Fix DVD's suggested by Firmgirl might just be what I need too so I will give them a try.

Good Luck to us all....
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Old 01-14-2006, 10:06 PM   #9  
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Continuing Education classes are definately fun. Unfortunately they don't have any feasible ones here this semester for me. I like my pilates ball though. bouncing up and down on it while watching tv reminds me of a kid with a hop along bouncing ball (the kind with handles on it). It's easy, fun, and quite a workout on your legs. Unfortunately I can't do it because my kids ALWAYS come in and start jumping on my lap just to jump on it (which isn't very calming, nor can I watch TV). I also take my pda/cell with me to the gym that has games on it and play it while I am cycling. I haven't figured out what to do while working out my arms. I just started and it is a bit hard for me to get going too. I WANTED to workout at the YMCA because I figured there would be fun stuff to do (like momma and me excercise) and if I have to take my kids to their classes, I might as well stay. It turned out to be too expensive of an option.

GET A PEDOMETER. If you can afford it, research them and find one more accurate. Just having it on made me MOVE more during the day just to make the numbers go up. My goal was 10k steps per day. My first day, I put in 14k. Mine is cheap so there is a margin of error, but still pretty good. I walked laps during recess (I teach school).

My favorite thing to do at the end of the day though is to toot my horn . I have a friend in another state and I email her several times a day to tell her what I'm doing positive that day. It may be about good food choices, excercise, water, spiritual, family quality time, weight loss, or moods (I'm bipolar). She is my diet buddy. I'm more of her time management/family and spiritual buddy. I also copy any of those emails if I'm having a bad mood/energy day for my doctor. It's my "daily journal."

Next I want to try a Yoga class. It's a bit hard for me to picture though. Supposedly it is relaxing. How relaxing it is going to be straining to look and see what the professor says when they say "close your eyes, and think about...." I'll be thinking about "Did I miss when she said to open your eyes?" Okay, that's my stereotypes setting in.

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Old 01-14-2006, 10:19 PM   #10  
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dead is really boring, I bet! Exercise for life!
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Old 01-15-2006, 12:57 AM   #11  
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I got the same problem which is why I got a gazelle which I find does give me a workout and I don't get bored. WAtch Rocky Movies when working out. Watching Rocky workout in part 3 and esp. 4 even 2 really gets me pumped up. Who can not admit that after watching the movie u feel like u want to start a program right there. That is one thing I can say about Sylvester's movies they are not like others movies. They make me want to get of my butt. If this ain't ur thing try some other movies like FAst and the Furios or some dance based movies like You got served, which I admit is okay overall but the reason I watch this when it comes out on tv is cause of the dancing. It makes me want to move.
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Old 01-16-2006, 03:16 PM   #12  
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Wow Sheri...that was deep.
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Old 01-16-2006, 06:18 PM   #13  
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why don't you try an unconventional kind of workout dvd like latin dancing, belly dancing, hula... these are fun, especially when you do them with a friend you can laugh with because it's not pretty at first! lol
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Old 01-17-2006, 02:52 PM   #14  
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check out cardio coach, you can do it on your treadmil www.cardiocoach.com. Also there are other videos that have a more serious attitude like The Firm, Fitprime, and Cathe Friedreich.
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Old 01-19-2006, 01:34 AM   #15  
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I am out of shape but I personally really kicked it up watching Blade. I am still feeling the burn hours later. Woah.
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