Absolutely Zero Motivation
 

So I officially haven't exercised in 3 months. Every winter when the cold weather arrives I lose all motivation to work out. I have a gym membership but just don't feel like going to the gym after work when it's dark and cold. I would much rather crank up the heat, turn on my computer and eat lots of comfort food. Unfortunately, that has led to unwanted weight gain that I feel powerless to control. How do I get back the motivation to work out?

I frequently don't have the motivation to get up at, when it's dark & cold, to get to the gym before work/classes. I do it anyway. If I waited for motivation, I'd rarely make it. I always am glad afterwards that I went, and the endorphins are great for combating the winter blahs.

Originally Posted by Nikel1979:
If I waited for motivation, I'd rarely make it.

Exactly!!! I always say, doing something when you are not motivated is when you should feel most proud of yourself as it's very easy to do something when you're motivated.

Don't analyze it, just go. The first workout after you've stopped for a while is always the hardest. Don't think about it, don't make excuses, just go.

It's not about motivation. It about commitment! I like what Nikel said. Same here. If I waited for motivation, I would never go anywhere!

I know, it's so freakin' hard to get up before work, especially when it's cold. I have to get up pretty darned early in the morning, too, because I have to be at work really early. It's even harder to get moving after work when I'm tired, and it's time to get dinner going and stuff.

Here's what worked for me:
- Stay connected to 3FC. Often reading how others did it makes you want to do it too

- Plan to go to a class. It's easier for me to get up in the morning if I've planned on going to a spin class or a yoga glass than it is to get out for a run or go to the gym by myself.

- Plan to go with a friend. My friend and I will go together sometimes and we alert each other by text. "Are you up? Are you going?"

- Put it in your calendar. It's about priority. Make it a priority. In my calendar I'll write "run after work" or "yoga, 7PM". Whatever. Psych yourself up for it. The last thing I wanted to do was run 3 miles yesterday, but I planned it and I knew I wouldn't have a chance to exercise again until Saturday. I felt obligated to myself as if I were obligated to someone else because I planned it.

- Reward yourself after. I love the Jacuzzi and the sauna. I will plan on some time relaxing there after a work out before I go home. Even if just for 10 minutes.

Agreed agreed agreed, motivation is a fickle friend. Over the last 9 and a half months I've been actively losing weight, I've been motivated MAYBE a quarter of the time. But I made a commitment to myself and I really just can't break it.

I definitely have NOT been good about working out, so I completely empathize with that struggle. I've done well for a month here and there, I made it 6 weeks of consistently working out twice, but then I'd take a couple weeks off. I've exercised through maybe about half of those 9 months, MAYBE. I'm JUST NOW getting back into it after not working out, but maybe three times, since the beginning of October.

You DO have the power to control it though, and you know that. It's hard, believe me I know!!! We are the same height and just about the same exact weight. Feel free to PM me if you ever want to chat or vent!

my problem is more of being embarassed to go to the gym...i don't want ppl looking at me, or whispering...and i live in a small town where everyone knows everyone...ughh...so for me its not that i don't have the motivation...its more...i don't want people to see me exersize...totally stupid...i'm aware..lmao

Maybe come up with some stuff you can do at home until you feel more comfortable exercising in front of people?

Thanks for all the replies so far. I know that I just need to do it and stop making excuses. I was doing the Leslie Sansone DVDs for several months and liked them so I can always work out at home. I am making a commitment to start exercising again on Monday and to try to modify my diet also. I will continue to log on here daily to keep myself accountable. :)

Nike pep talk coming....

This is where commitment comes in!!!! It's not about what you feel, it's about commitment. JUST DO IT...even if you don't feel like it. You're so close to goal...don't lose ground now. Come on, you're stronger than a little weather!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, end of commercial...that's the best I got :)

And even if people do look at you or whisper about you, so what? Haters gonna hate. If you let them scare you away, they win. It's much more fun to prove them wrong.

This summer, when I had only been running for a couple of weeks, I passed a couple of women walking. I heard them talking about me. They were all, "Look at that fat girl. Who does she think she's kidding?!?! HAHAHAHA" I'm not kidding anyone. I'm still running. I'm down 20ish lbs, and I'm running my first half marathon next month and a full marathon at the end of the year.

When I run on the indoor track on campus, I'm running with lots of young people, many of them athletes at the university. They're all faster than me. But they usually pop in and do a half mile or so, just a few laps. I do at least 3 miles each time.

I was at the gym tonight...rocking it out on this new elliptical lateral-movement machine..and there was a very heavy woman in the row in front of me on the treadmill.

She walked the whole time. It was awesome. I hope she didn't notice me staring at her, but I was. She motivated me! I was there, but now I'm not. I love seeing people of all shapes and fitness levels, because there are on the journey. And the fact is, once you "arrive" you still have to work and put in the effort.

Last time I was at the gym there were 2 very fit guys thrre and they started making fun of my weight...talking about my belly giggeling....I left in tears and never returned...I also lost my motivation....butthis time is totlly different because I'm ot doingit for anyone but myself...maybe I will give the gym another thought...thanks for the encourgment:)

I'm sad to hear people make fun of others at the gym. :( I've been afraid of that, too, but go anyway. I think it helps me though because where my gym is located there are a lot of retired people so there are always lots of smiling older people happy to talk, lol. I think if you consider people laughing at you the best revenge is to get a hot body so they can't say anything...

Now, on to motivation: You have the find the motivation that works for you. Something that is so rewarding it keeps you going. For me, it's pictures of myself. I know how I look now and I have past pictures that show how good I can look, too. It's so simply, really. But it works for me. I hope you can find something that works for you. But just go and work out! Just do it! :D

Originally Posted by nichole87:
my problem is more of being embarassed to go to the gym...i don't want ppl looking at me, or whispering...and i live in a small town where everyone knows everyone...ughh...so for me its not that i don't have the motivation...its more...i don't want people to see me exersize...totally stupid...i'm aware..lmao

I live in a small town, my son is a football coach and rad tech, my DIL teaches math at the local high school, my other son is a cop, his wife does sleep studies, my DH works for the city, I work for the local veterinarian. A town of 5000!:dizzy:

Given the above info, I mostly know everyone in one way or another. This does not stop me from slapping the earphones to my mp3, in my ears, and working out. Yes, sometimes I stop to chat, but, not one time has anyone ever even looked at me cross eyed for being there. I've even got nods of "way to go" from off season high school football players.:carrot: Go coaches MOM!

In all reality after being a regular at my gym for more than a year, the people that are working out are focused on their own agenda and could care less what the rest of the people are doing.

Yes to what others here have said about motivation. It is highly overrated. Most of us don't want to work out a lot of the time and would rather come home, build a fire and kick back when it is cold. Motivation is fickle... when it does come it usually won't stick around long. It is about making a *decision* and being committed to doing what we need to do instead of what we want to do.

I just joined a gym a week back. I hadn't joined yet because I was scared what others might think. I was scared if I will make a complete fool of myself out there if I get tired within minutes when people are working out for hours.

But then I thought, at least people will see that I am taking some effort in loosing weight and not just sitting and cribbing about it. That said, I just went ahead and joined the gym.

I had imagined people of all shapes and sizes working out there. To my utter surprise (and disappointment :o) I only saw only fit people working out there. Not a single slightly overweight person. But I had no other option as I had already enrolled. On the first day, I was very conscious about my jiggling belly and bouncy boobs. I could feel people staring at me. Thought of running away to prevent further embarrassment. But I did not. Because, I know I will show everyone of them when I loose weight.

I am 205 lbs. You are 147 lbs. You can show those guys soon. Just a month or a two and you will reach your goal weight!! That will be a tight slap to those jerks!! Think of it this way. The sooner you start, the sooner you can be an eye-opener for the likes of them!!

Go for it girl :cp:

No need to feel embarresed! If you are at the gym at least you are doing something about it! If people want to be *******s let them, you can always throw it back in their face when you shrink more and more! I mean how can anyone expect anybody to get fit without working for it!?

Originally Posted by nichole87:
Last time I was at the gym there were 2 very fit guys thrre and they started making fun of my weight...talking about my belly giggeling....I left in tears and never returned...I also lost my motivation....butthis time is totlly different because I'm ot doingit for anyone but myself...maybe I will give the gym another thought...thanks for the encourgment:)

This is an opportunity to learn how valuable you are. Those people, if they can be called that, are insecure. Making fun of an individual who is struggling with their weight gives them a sense of power that they don't have otherwise, either because they lack self-esteem, they lack ambition, they lack education, a good job who knows. But the common denominator is that they are lacking something that they want and this lack of whatever affects them. They have to focus on others' problems so that no one targets them and finds out how insecure they are.

Think about it, do mature, secure, happy men make fun of women working out at the gym? No. who cares what these non-men think of you, let them laugh all they want.

I don't like small towns, but I say use this as an opportunity to overcome the mental/emotional obstacles, and learn about yourself and learn to value yourself.

I recently received some subtle insults on my weight from relatives, it is not easy to let it not bother you. But I said to myself, I am and will be the bigger person (no pun intended :D). None of these people know the struggles I've had since childhood, they have no idea whatsoever of all that I have had to overcome to get to where I am now personally and professionally. None of these people have experienced the toll that moving so many times, between so many countries, cultures and languages in a short period of time can take on your health, mental and physical. But, I have been lucky to get all these opportunities while they haven't.'

So I continue to be the bigger person in response to their actions because I am kind, while looking at them from up here and continuing to succeed.

I am the same way when it's cold I have a hard time working out,.

I just blast my heat and do my zumba tho, power bill sucks tho lol.

Originally Posted by nichole87:
my problem is more of being embarassed to go to the gym...i don't want ppl looking at me, or whispering...and i live in a small town where everyone knows everyone...ughh...so for me its not that i don't have the motivation...its more...i don't want people to see me exersize...totally stupid...i'm aware..lmao

I certainly understand.... because of a hip problem mostly what I can do is swim and water workouts, which means the pool. I have had to learn to swallow my pride and just keep in mind that at least I am out here trying to do something about my fat! I keep my big shirt on until the last possible moment and then just rip it off and jump in LOL.

Most of us who are fat are embarrassed about it. It just ends up boiling down to whether we want the weight off and to get in shape badly enough to do what it takes to get there. It's not easy but sometimes we just have to grit our teeth and do it. :)

Its about backing yourself up,even when you don't feel like it.

Originally Posted by nichole87:
Last time I was at the gym there were 2 very fit guys thrre and they started making fun of my weight...talking about my belly giggeling....I left in tears and never returned...I also lost my motivation....butthis time is totlly different because I'm ot doingit for anyone but myself...maybe I will give the gym another thought...thanks for the encourgment:)

I am so sorry. People are so thoughtless sometimes.

I'm fortunate. At my anytime fitness, we have women all shapes and sizes. I never worry about it.

Originally Posted by Nikel1979:
And even if people do look at you or whisper about you, so what? Haters gonna hate. If you let them scare you away, they win. It's much more fun to prove them wrong..

I wouldn't go to a gym where that would happen to me. I cry to easy.

I too am embarassed about going to a gym! I already have my gym membership, but it is a 6 month gift card. Once I get more physically able to workout, I will turn in my gift certificate. Not so much embarassed about being so fat, but more about not being able to do anything for any length of time!I'll have to drive 45 min to the gym all to work out for maybe 30 in in four hours time, screw that!