I saw this in another forum and thought i'd get everyone's opinions from this forum.

I have really been having a problem with not wanting to go to the gym 3 days a week. I love my cardio class, but i go right after work. I am motivated until about 4pm. Then i start thinking about how much i want to go home. But recently i measured myself and had lost another half inch all over. I have a one year anniversary coming up in 6 weeks....so I made myself a challenge. I have a 6 week challenge to go to my cardio class 3 times a week and measure myself at the end of the 6 weeks. My goal is to hopefully drop another 2 inches by that time. Making that decision has really helped me focus on why I AM going to the gym and not why I'm not. I also have a dress hanging on my bedroom door that I want to fit back into from about 8 years ago. I have measured it and know how many inches I need to lose to fit back in it. So....I am hoping to wear that on my anniversary night out to eat. Also...on my calendar at work and home i have each week marked as Challenge week 1, challenge week 2 all the way to the end so I don't forget. Just an idea of what is keeping me motivated this next 6 weeks to keep going.

What motivates me .......... seeing myself in the mirror i have really started walking alot latley not full blown gong ho but baby steps

I second that and old pics of me (cause alot of the mirror thing now is skin)

What motivates me is the effect it has had on my mood and general level of happiness. I struggled with insomnia and anxiety for a good part of my life - the exercise pretty much fixes it.

I read a study that it is easier to motivate yourself to exercise if your motivations aren't weight-loss focused, but health focused or for other reasons. So I'd suggest you think about your non-weight-loss-related gains associated with exercise....better sleep, better mood, more energy, etc.

That is so funny! I was just thinking about gym-motivation last night!! I noticed that if I decide in the morning that I am going to be lazy, odds are I am going to be lazy for the day and not go. But if I, from the moment I wake up have it in my head that I'm going to the gym- the chances are greater that I'll go. I also work out after work- so by 5 pm I am really thinking I want to just call it a day and go home. But if I bring my clothes for the gym with me to work, change at work, I'll go STRAIGHT to the gym from work. If I stop off at home first to change, I wont go. So that's how I motivate myself. I also noticed it's easier for me to go to the gym when my boy friend is goone away for work. If he's home I'd rather just cuddle!! Even though he's a gym goer. Much more than I am. We get into nesting mode.

I am new here, and can't figure out how to do my profile etc...with the weight changes etc...but I wanted to add to this post......my motivation for going to the gym everyday comes the night before. I must set my alarm and lay out the clothes for the gym and decide then that I will be going. otherwise it is too easy to sleep longer!! If someone can help me in fixing up my profile I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!! LOve this site!!

What motivates me is first and formost the way I feel physically/emotionally.
And next would have to be the hundreds of dollars I have been
spending on swimsuits.

My mental health really motivates me, too. I've struggled with depression and anxiety for 10 years, and exercise makes a HUGE difference in my overall mood. I notice differences in my general irritability and happiness level on days when I don't exercise.

Also, getting up and doing it automatically in the morning really helps, too. It took a while to get into this habit, where I don't argue with myself every morning, but now that I'm there, I'm SO GLAD. Since I've started running, if I'm feeling lazy, I sleep in an extra 15 minutes and "only" do the exercise bike that day, instead of going for a run (which is much harder for me).

Exercise has become my #1 priority in life (although I'm now taking classes to boost my GPA in order to get into an after-degree program, and that has to share the top priority) and I love it because it's ME time. I love having that time all to myself in the morning with no other demands being made on me (even if it's just feeling guilty about not doing something).

Exercising regularly has truly changed my life for the better.

Hi there! OK, I figured all that profile stuff out...now I am feeling like a true member of this forum I just wanted to reply to what you said about mental health and irritablilty and anxiety. That is so true for me too. I have been working out for about 4 weeks now and it is amazing how much that has improved my well-being! Thanks for all the good advice. Sometimes it is so hard to stay on track. I am really starting to see changes in my body and I am loving it. Although they are minimal I am so determined to get where I want to be .....also I am getting married in 10 weeks......HELP!!!!!!!

I know the only way for me to continue to lose weight and then sustain it is through proper eating AND exercise. I want to give myself the very best chance at success. Without exercise I don't think I stand a chance.

Building/keeping muscle is VERY important to me, especially as I age. It is the only thing that I know of that can boost our metabolisim.

I don't always love to get up and do it, but when it's done, I feel I've done a great thing. I know I have in fact. I have never been as fit in my life.

Motivated or not - I am COMMITED to good health and therefore - exercise.

I agree with this. The longest diet and exercise program I've ever been on was one on which I focused on health rather than weight loss. In fact, I didn't weigh myself until I was on the program for about 6 months. The only reason it didn't work for me longterm was because as I became thinner, my focus changed from health to an obsession about size. Heck, I was a size 6, for goodness sakes, and I was still wanting to loose "that last 5 pounds." Now, I look at some of the clothes I was wearing, and I think, "I can't believe I wasn't satisfied with myself at this size."

Lumifan4ever, it's seems as if you're focused, and I have no doubt that you'll succeed at your goal. Good luck!

Lynnm39....thank you. I really love when someone has confidence in me like that. I guess I just can't think of myself not reaching my goal. I know I took a break for awhile...lost my gym membership and got in a new relationship....but now i am back at the gym, i love my class and i am on the road to a new, shapely me!!

I agree with robin that it's not so much about motivation as it is about commitment. For me, setting a goal of minutes to exercise/month has really helped keep me accountable.

And, even though I don't like to go ahead of time, I have learned too, that it really helps my mood. I also am trying to focus less on weight and more on my health. I'm not exercising merely because of weight loss, but because it helps me feel better, physically and mentally, and because it's helping me, for the first time in my life, to be more 'fit'. I can do things easily that used to be such a struggle!

What motivates me is completing a 5 mile hike and not feeling tired. I used to get winded just going up stairs. It's a great great feeling!

I lent my book out but ... I think Anne Fletcher says in Thin for Life that 95% of maintainers exercise. If that's what I have to do to stay this size ... I'll do it.