Ok. So I have a love hate relationship with exercise. I love how I feel physically and mentally after I exercise, but I just cant seem to get my but up and do it. I have a tredmill and a bike and I get on for like 2 min and then I just get off or sometimes I think about getting on and I dont. I dont understand if it makes me feel so much better why I cant do even a half hour on the tredmill. It is so frusterating....

I can relate to this. I often think about how much fun I used to have exercising, and how much I enjoyed how I felt afterwards but when it comes to actually doing it I always have some ridiculous excuse (well I'm not letting that happen anymore!). What I tell myself in order to get motivated to exercise is that everytime I engage in any form of physical activity it is a big step forward towards my goal, and everytime I sit on my butt watching television it's a big step backwards. It has been quite useful to me thus far.

Oh I know what you mean. Luckily, I've been able to overcome that most days (and it's a fight every day ) due to the convience of the gym at work.

Even though it has become a routine for me, I find that at least once a day one voice in my head says "Idonwanna!!!!! Don't make me! I'm fragile & tired boo hoo". The other side goes, "Don't make me laugh, you are tougher than you think, and you're acting like a child. Just because you are whining doesn't mean I'm going to let you off the hook. You're going... so there " So then the first side replies "*SIGH*... fine. *pout*"

Hrm. I hope that doesn't seem too weird!

LOL. No that sounds like something that I would say. And then my family would look at me like I was crazy so Im glad that there is someone else out there that does the same thing. LOL..... Thanks. I guess I do just have to make myself do it even if "IDONTWANNA"...... LOL

My first 50 lbs. came off pretty easy in the grand scheme of things, but I know the NEXT 50 will only come off with some blood sweat & tears -- I'm NOT into sweating, I'm NOT into feeling the burn LOL, I can barely get up for my walk each day ugh I hate it so much!!! I'm toying with the idea of a treadmill so I don't have to get dressed and go outside, but for now I'll stick with the WATP videos *****sigh*****

yah i'm absolutely NO help to you...I'm all for making some tea and cuddling on the couch instead of exercising LOL

can laughing be considered exercise???? if so, I'll make the Olympic team!

You just do it. I have made a commitment to myself to exercise every day so I do. I don't always feel like it and more often than not, I definitely don't feel like it when I first start. I just do it.

Have you tried doing the treadmill while watching something on TV that you really like? I walk while watching my shows in the evening, and I have a rule now that i cannot watch unless I walk through at least half of every show I watch...that's all day long, I don't want TV without "paying" for it. I don't even realize I am exercising a lot of times because I get so into what I am watching. A really good movie could turn out an awesome workout!

I also do weights and other things while watching TV, so the treadmill is not the only way to get in a workout. You can use your own body weight and work yourself real good.

I love working out to the Biggest Loser, I do it every week...the full 2 hours it's on, and feel so pumped the entire time.

Yeah, that's basically it.

I hate paying the bills, doing the laundry, scrubbing the toilets, and a bunch of other tasks that need to be done on a daily basis, this is no exception - you just do it.

Purplefly, how do you work out during BL? Do you have a treadmill nearby or do you do other things?

We don't have any space for a treadmill unfortunately -- unless they sell on that we can store under the couch.

I go to the YMCA in the colder months (most days), though, and try to get there by 10:00 -- because the View is on and it is a show I don't normally watch -- and when I do watch it, I always disagree with at least one person and that gets my legs moving. I wish I were with it enough to get the the Y in time for Oprah, but it's hard with the kids.

Hey Dek, is it possible you just haven't found the right thing for you yet? I really have discovered that i prefer outdoor exercise so I work-out outdoors all summer long and then now try and get at least 1 frigid outdoor work-out in during the colder months. Maybe you could try and mix things up a bit and see if there is something you might enjoy more than what you are doing now? Maybe you could find a work-out buddy? The nice thing about the Y, besides the fact that they will not turn people away for financial reasons, is that they offer a variety of free programs for motivation.

Good luck and thanks for the reminder. I was seriously thinking about blowing off my work-out today because I worked-out so much last week (to counter-act T-day), but your post reminded me how I have to do it no matter what (barring gushing blood or the like, of course).

Good luck with finding your groove,
Knits4five

I can relate. When I started exercising going around the block once (1 lap equals 1/2 mile) was about my limit. I had every excuse in the book, and the rest of the fam didn't help much either....they didn't grasp the concept of "MOM TIME" or that I needed to do something so selfish as be totally focused on ME.

A couple approaches that work well now are these:

1. Treat it like you would a shower or brushing your teeth...it's part of your daily routine that you don't skip. No, it's not always fun or always convenient, but it is something that you do because you know you should.

2. I have my elliptical pointed at the tv in the rec room in our basement. The cup holder works well as a holder for the remote control! I don't check to see what's on TV before I begin, I just turn on the tube and hop on. I surf the channels or the tv guide channel or even the "on demand" listings once I'm on the machine. Many times I'm 10 or 15 minutes into my workout before I decide what I'm going to watch, and I didn't even realize it!

3. I enjoy walking now. I don't walk without my iPod, and how I want to work out (fast paced, long and steady, etc.) will determine what I listen to. For a fast paced workout I listen to up beat music, or sometimes will even listen to my DD's dance competition music as it has been sped up considerably. For a longer steady workout I have books on CD from the library loaded onto my pod....I can only listen to the novel if I'm walking. Sometimes I'll walk an extra 20-30 minutes because I want to hear what's going to happen next!

Again, it all boils down to just making yourself do it. It's not always fun, we don't always feel like it, but generally we usually feel much better after we've done it!

I can relate too. I've been off work since last Tuesday for the holiday and family being in town. I've made myself exercise within 1/2 hour of getting up, that way I have less time to talk myself out of it. When I am working, I go to the clubhouse within 1/2 hour of getting home (again, less time for the lazy me to influence the exercising me). I also like how I feel about 20 minutes into the exercise, but those first 20 minutes...

You might try to spice things up a bit to make it more fun, find something you like doing that doesn't make you dread it so much. Maybe find an exercise video you like, grab a buddy and go for a brisk walk a few times a week. Whatever might help to make exercise more fun and less drudgery.

I love exercise that goes by fast because I'm actually engaged in it and liking what I'm doing. It's a great motivator to keep doing it. As always just a suggestion and mileage may vary depending on the individual, but if exercise is about as fun to do as housework hmm yes I'll avoid it like the plague

I used to scoff at people who said "You'll like exercise if you just find something that you love to do," because I didn't think that was possible. Well, get ready to scoff because I'm going to say it! I'm on the other side of the fence now, because I fell in love with running. When I run now, it honestly has nothing to do with burning calories. I do it because I WANT to, because I HAVE to or I'll get restless, because I have goals that have nothing to do with the scale. And trust me, the old me would never in a million years have believed that I would EVER like running. I was one of those people whose feet never left the ground for any reason, and I probably wouldn't have even been able to run if you'd chased me with an ax.

My points is not that you should run, because it's not for everyone, but you really can find something you love to do. If I did, anyone can, because I was the biggest couch potato you've ever seen. And yes, until you find something you love, it's a chore like brushing your teeth and washing the dishes. I just hope for your sake that it doesn't ALWAYS feel like a chore, and that's why I'm suggesting you keep looking around for some activity that makes you feel happy on its own and isn't just for the purpose of burning calories.

I don't love getting myself up to exercise either, but also find I feel better when I do. Put me in the camp of the Committed. I set monthly goals and commit to them and then meet them. Whether I want to or not any particular day. And there are many days when I have the "Idontwanna" conversation too!

I also allow myself some days off... it varies depending on the time of the year, but the past few months I've set goals of 1000 minutes of exercise. If I work oubt 60 min a couple of days a week (which I tend to do), I can then not exercise 2 days a week. It fits in better with my schedule to make monthly goals and commit to that than to commit to exercising every single day.

I think of exercising as like brushing my teeth. It just has to be done, no excuses.
I think also - it helps if you do it every day. Then it becomes a habit after 21 days (so they say), and is much easier to keep up.