How do you guys do it??
 

I am not one to lose motivation because, believe me, there are a lot of things I could get out of losing wieght. But what do you do when you just don't have the energy or the motivation to get your workouts in? I know what I have to do, but when I get home it's in front of the tv I go. There's been times when I actually have my workout gear on and the dvd is ready to go, but I just give up after 1 second of playing it.

How do you gals do it?

First of all, I do my workouts WHILE I watch TV - I know being a TV junkie isn't the best, but it was something I was not willing to give up. So I have a Tivo - and I skip all my favorite shows the night before so I can watch them while I work out the next morning. I don't let myself watch them at night, and if I have nothing on my Tivo to watch during my morning workout, I have another program that I really enjoy that I'll watch instead.

If you work in your workouts AROUND the TV (which you enjoy), you'll enjoy the workouts more. I don't sit on the couch anymore to watch TV - I sit on a stability ball, and do crunches or lift weights for upper body in the commercials.

I have gotten over 30 hours of exercise this month, the vast majority of which occured while watching TV. Try different types of exercise that you can do without a video. I have a rebounder (mini trampoline) which I jog on - it cost about $40 and I use it every day. I also have the stability ball, on which I do a strengthening routine every morning before my cardio, again while watching TV.

My perspective is - I am going to be in front of the TV anyway. Why not make it count by being in front of the TV while exercising? Exercising while you watch TV also distracts you from my other big diet pitfall - eating while watching TV! It eliminates both problems.

I have a very hard time working out at home, even though I have some equipment. So I faithfully go to the gym. Once I'm there, it would be a shame to waste the time (and the membership fee). I get a much better workout, because the equipment is more varied.

Sometimes, at 25 below in the winter, it's difficult to get out of the house. After spending ten minutes putting on all the outerwear, there's no way I won't go.

I find that if I wake up early and do it first thing then I don't think about how much I don't want to do it all day. I also got my own stuff at home, I rented a treadmill and was really good about using that until I got an exercise bike. You can get an exercise bike for like 100$, it doesnt make hardly any noise, I ride that for an hour and watch tv, before I know it I am done and burned 500 calories! I really recommed it! I have all the videos and stuff too, but right the bike is the easiest for me! And like I said, I get up and do it first thing, then it is out of the way!

mandalinn-excellent Idea. i think i mite try it tonite. I know my slim in 6 workout almost by heart so I'll try it in front of the tv tonite. thanks for the tip.

nrthrn belle-I know for a fact if I had a gym membership I would definitely not let it go to waste. I can't afford one right now, though, and the gym in my apt. complex sucks big time.

courtnie-u are way stronger than I am. I can't seem to get out of bed in the a.m if it is still dark outside. seems unnatural to me lol. But i'll definitely look into a bike. that seems totally affordable. I used to use an elliptical but it broke down and died :(

I usually get up about 5:40 - and it is light out here then so it isn't as hard. It was at first but I am getting used to it now. It is just nice to get it out the way. I started doing it because my boyfriend stopped working nights and I wanted to spend time with him but even tho he is going back to nights next month I think I will keep doing it in the morning. Even if I do have to get up an hour earlier at least then I can just come home from work and relax. Or maybe I can get back into my DVD workouts.

Rosario I have had the same problem for the last 3 weeks. I just made me a sign that I am going to put up on the wall in frount of my treadmill....it had a big 25 on it May be if I keep looking at it I will walk my way to my goal...So come on g/f you get up and do some moveing around and we will make it there together!!!!!

Honestly, at times I don't know how I do it. I just tell myself... what do you REALLY want? Do you want to sit home and watch Oprah or do you want to see that 1 or 2 pound loss on the scale that week? It has taken me a long time to finally get to thinking like that.. and I still don't think like that 100% of the time. Just think about what is more important to you down the road.. it will be worth it! Good luck! :)

I have the same problem. I can keep my focus food-wise pretty easily, but exercise? Fuhgeddaboudit! So far, almost all the exercise i've gotten has been first thing in the morning. If I can just get myself up and out of bed by 5:30, I know that i can get my 4 miles done and out of the way. My exercise goal isn't necessarily about sticking to it, it's about learning to really enjoy it and the benefits it brings me.
Just picture yourself getting skinnier while you work. Visualize!

Oh girl..I feel your pain!! Its hard to get motivated to working out when your tired and all. Lucky for me, Im a SAHM so I can work out all day if I wanna (which I dont) Im with Mandalinn , I workout in front of the T.V. Ive tried doing my stepper with music, I even made a exercise cd, but Its not the same was watching tv. It goes so much faster watching my fav shows! And when I do sit and watch tv, im on my ball also. I also sit on my ball when im on the puter.

Im sure you will find something that works for you! If not, let me know and we will figure it out together!!!

They say if you stick to something for 2 weeks, it becomes a habit. I find that these days it's not even a question. I feel so guilty if I have no real reason not to go. I am trying to work out in the mornings, because once you work out, you forget about it the rest of the day and you can just go home and chill out. Also, last week I didn't work out every day, and I felt like crap. Once you get yourself into a habit, it's harder to not work out than to skip it.

I don't think anyone HATED exercise as much as I did! I joined a aerobics class and didn't go. I bought expensive sneakers for walking and didn't go. I bought exercise tapes that got dusty in the boxes :lol: Then I joined a Curves gym and I LOVE it! I've been going 3x a week for 2-1/2 years and have only missed a few times when I've been sick.

I've gained a lot of strength in my arms and have firmed up my legs a lot.

What's great is that my gym is open from 6:30am to 7:30pm so I can go whenever I get a chance. It's much easier to fit into my schedule. I've made some nice friends there and you see every shape, size and age group of women there.

I hope you have a Curves in your town. If you do, I'd recommend you check them out. They let you try it for a week free. It costs $29 per month and sometimes they waive the sign up fee if you wait for a 'special'.

My first "reward" was an mp3 player. I listen to audio books while I work out. I don't let myself listen to them any other time...if I want to find out what happened, I have to work out lol And sometimes I work out longer, so I can listen to the next part! My library has a program where you can down load books to your computer. Very cool!

Thanks guys for the awesome tips. I will try to use some of them.

Courtnie-I tried waking up at 5:30 this morning to get a workout in. But for some reason my alarm didn't go off. I blamed it on the bf because I thot he changed the time. Turns out I did, I just don't remember. LOL

I do the exact same thing. It really helps and keeps your mind off of what you are doing!

I have been looking for a place that will rent out exercise equipment. I cannot find one here in ga or either I'm looking in the wrong places. What city do you live in and what company did you rent your treadmill from. I'm looking for an elliptical and I will be so happy once I find on. Thanks.

At least you tried!!! Try again tomorrow - you can do it :) I give myself lots of time and wake up in time to watch the end of saved by the bell and dawsons creek! Not that I like those shows, but that's all that's on at 6am! lol

I live in Nanaimo, BC, Canada. I rented from:
http://www.advantagehealthandfitness.com/

I'm with the TV watchers ;) I get on my elliptical and watch TV, it's much easier. I tried listening to music, but after a while you don't wanna listen to the same songs over and over.

I HATE exercising, believe me, I have wasted money on gym memberships.. I even had a month to month I was paying.. and didn't go. I finally put that money towards an elliptical. If I don't feel like exercising, I peek in the other room and know I have no excuse not to. I also have "before" photos, those really help. :o

I have a hard time exercising sometimes too. When I get really lazy and just don't want to use my treadmill, I come here. I find inspirational people that will give me that much needed kick in the butt. I then feel guilty and get my butt in gear. The support here is so great and I always think if everyone else can exercise, so can I.

For me I can't workout in the morning, I'm just not a morning person. I usually eat dinner right when I get home from work, and then workout after that before I do anything else. I found I couldn't stick to workouts until I realized they were *too difficult* for me. I put away the Billy Blanks Tae Bo and started with Leslie Sansung's Walk Away the Pounds. After a few weeks of doing that faithfully (my first goal was twice a week, then later on it was 5 days a week) I started to feel much better and much healthier. Working out at home was less of a chore because I didn't feel so exhausted and without energy. When I eat better it helps too, good food gives me the energy I need. I guess it's like a puzzle you have to figure out for yourself, and get all your pieces in place. I'd just say, if you don't like gyms, that won't work (it didn't for me, whether I was paying or not) or if you don't like workout DVDs that won't either. Just got to find something you like, or at least can tolerate. Good luck, I know you'll stick with it! :D

I think there are a lot of tips for getting your workouts in. Here are a few of mine:

~Find exercise that you LIKE to do. I absolutely HATE team sports such as softball, volleyball, basketball...so it would do me no good at all to sign up for a league. I simply would not go. I hate it that much. If there is a particular exercise that you dislike so much that you just don't ever want to do it-then it probably isn't the exercise for you. I also hate step aerobics. ;)
I found that for me-I like walking, yoga, Pilates, strength training, and belly dancing-I ended up like that so much that I eventually joined a troupe and started teaching it myself. :)
Exercise doesn't have to be the treadmill...or an exercise video, if you don't like it. There are classes out there that are FUN-swing dance classes, adult ballet classes, ballroom dancing (if you have a willing partner), clogging/country line dancing, water aerobics-you name it, it is out there. Think outside the box if you absolutely cannot bear to do a Kathy Smith video every day. :lol:

~Think of exercise as something you are "scheduled" to do. I don't buy the "I don't have time" excuse from ANYONE. :lol: You don't have to do an hour at a time-there are short videos with 10 minute segments (the only way I could exercise with a newborn 5 years ago-I just did the segments one at a time inbetween feedings!) and solutions for those who are short on time. Write it in your planner if you need to-just like a nail appointment, or haircut. Tell yourself that you are scheduled to go to the gym after work for 40 minutes, or that you are to do a 20 minute walk on the treadmill when you get home BEFORE you can do anything else. Just make the appointement with yourself-and do it. We often take up more time thinking about how to get out of it, than it would actually take to do it and be done.

~Think of your body. You can get to a smaller weight or a smaller size with diet alone-but, it will be a slower process, and you will not get the body of your dreams. Exercise burns more calories-so you lose FASTER (now there is incentive) as well as making your body BETTER, and not just smaller.
A 150 pound woman with saddlebags and a flat rear-losing without exercise- is going to end up a 135 pound woman with smaller saddlebags and a smaller flat rear. Without exercise, she is never going to have the firmer thighs and the more shapely butt that she wants.
A soft belly can get smaller, but you will never have great looking, defined abs without exercise. The list goes on and on...

Even though I've never done it, I cannot see myself renting a piece of equipment. If you can rent a treadmill at $50/month over 6 months, that's $300...you can buy a really good USED treadmill for $300-$500.

I bought mine for $400 over a year ago (used) from a lady that gets her nails done at the same place i do. She used it ONCE and it was an $800 treadmill brand new. DH and I both use it multiple times a week. Most of the times I run at a pace of 6.0-6.8 on the treadmill for 30-45 min and I've never had an issue with it failing on me.

Go for the used equipment! It's a gold mine out there!

I just logged onto CraigsList in the Atlanta area (from your profile info on your post) - lots of low-price fitness equipment in new or like-new condition. If you need something you can do in front of the TV, it helps to have something you can just get on and go - for me this is an inexpensive rebounder, lots of people use treadmills or bikes.

Our treadmill is out in the garage, but my husband takes his PSP (it is like a mini Playstation that plays either video games, or the UMD tiny dvd movies) and he watches one of his movies while he is on there. It fits right on the "dash" of the treadmill-and he is happy watching Billy Madison, or Dawn Of The Dead-or other guy movies while he exercises.

Hey, maybe you're just not a morning person. I usually work out before or even a couple hours after dinner. (Careful: do it too late and it's hard to get to sleep.)

Ahh...I hate when I do that, and I do it alot! I feel bad enough for not waking up on time, and then even worse when I realize it's my own fault! :dizzy:

If you get up a little earlier you can watch Mama's Family, and that's some quality programming right there!

I have found myself also working out while watching TV instead of just sitting there, whether it be crunches or the thigh master, arm exercise, etc.... Plus getting an ipod shuffle (only $70) was an awesome investment, so much easier to walk longer and keep a steady beat going (I've been walking about 45 minutes a day now)