How do you motivate yourself to exercise?

[noahpictures]

Often we need a nudge to get us going so please share your strategies, tricks, routines, music, gadgets, mantras or anything else that you use to motivate yourself to exercise.

I just tell myself "exercise only for twenty minutes". It is easy because everyone has twenty minutes. The big plus is that I often exercise for much longer. If I end up exercising for only twenty minutes I don't feel bad because that was my initial intention.

Please share yours.

 

[seattleshaver]

I only do things that are fun. I go to the climbing gym 3 times a week because it's fun. It's a good workout but it's fun.

I also have an urban lake (park) near my house. To walk around it is about 2.7 miles. I walk around this lake (on a paved walking path) every day that I don't go to the gym. I can even do it at night so there's never really a good excuse to not do it.

My climbing gym also has exercise bikes, treadmills, etc. I never go just to use that equipment but if I get there early (before my belay partner) I get on the treadmill while I wait.

 

[lowcountry_sc]

Find a local Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school in the area. Sign up. Go to class. Problem solved.

FWIW, I hate exercising on its own. It bores me to tears. Jitsu hasn't bored me yet with its high intensity workouts which build core strength and stamina.

 

[Lmarkow]

I look at a couple of old "before" pics.

 

[Uncle Brian]

I no longer go to a gym !

Gave it all up to concentrate on yoga and on the bad days I just say "go sit on the mat and see what happens" sometimes it's nothing and sometimes it's great.

You need to find something you enjoy, I love yoga and riding my mountain bike ... never going into a gym again.

 

[smalltank]

I wait a few days til I get that "antsy" feeling..the gym I go...

 

[rajagra]

As well as looking for a type of exercise you enjoy, you should find something that makes you feel physically good afterwards.
I've always hated anything that left me out of breath, but last year forced myself to do hard sessions on an exercise bike. I was amazed that not only was I able to sustain serious effort for a good time, but I also felt great afterwards.
I've now started doing a bit of jogging - something I really hated before. It's early days, but it feels far less awful than it used to, and I'm hoping to get into it.

Also my home gym gear is in the room next to the kitchen. Makes it easy to pop in and do a quick set when I have a free moment.
And ... you can do pushups just about anywhere, any time. They can be strangely addictive.

 

[Early Morning]

Mine is rebounding and my inspiration is wanting to keep my bones as strong as they ever were.

 

[SIG9]

My motivation usually comes from within. Losing four pant sizes can do that.

But when I need a little more I'll watch The Biggest Loser on TV. If they can do it so can I!

And lastly, I'll bribe myself with ten minutes in the sauna

I've also found that after a hard workout a whey protein shake helps me recover/hydrate more quickly. YMMV.

 

[ricardo9505]

i have a pair of my girlfriend's lingerie hanging in my bedroom. lol. it works for me.
try an exercising pal. motivation helps. or something u really enjoy. I cycle and I love it so its not really exercising as much as "me time".

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

Has to be fun. I'm a cyclist/hiker and can't stand winter trainer time. Living in the north you have to accept some of it. As long as there is snow I xc ski. Mixed in with weights to keep it interesting.

Just ordered Insanity to see if it can help get me in a better aerobic condition before spring. Looks kind of fun too.

 

[rushchairman]

i realize the days i want it the least are the days i need it the most

 

[SlyN]

Another cyclist here, and up in New Hampshire so currently it is impossible to get out and ride. My motivation is simple, there is nothing like the feeling of flying down the road under your own steam when the sun is shining That and it is getting harder to keep up with the young whippersnappers that I ride with during the season. Only tricks I use are a few Sufferfest videos, they are great for a real hard workout, otherwise Hulu and a plan.

 

[SteveWY]

I simply go back to bed until the feeling passes.

 

[gegarrenton]

Lots of good responses here.

One, finding something you enjoy doing is key. It's self motivating. For me, it's cycling. I also sail which requires a lot of fitness. Secondly, I use weight training to connect to my past, from when i played football.

The third is I always get a lot of inspiration from people who never use an excuse, whether they be athletes comign back from devastating injury, vets returning home wounded, or even my buddies dad who's going through cancer and still hitting the gym. They are all huge motivators. If they are doing it, there is no reason an able bodied guy like me can't be other than pure laziness.

 

[Obsessed]

It's a combination of looking in the mirror and looking at my kids.

 

[Doc4]

I see two different types of motivation needed. One is the "get off the couch and start" motivation, and the other is the "work hard not just go through the movements" motivation.

... really, is there any difference?



The "getting started" motivation ... to me, this is the more complex form of motivation. This involves making time in your daily routine for physical activity, and it also involved changing the view you have of yourself in general into "I am someone who exercises regularly and is (getting) fit."

Having a goal or purpose for your exercise also helps with the more abstract "going to the gym" work-out. If you have a sport you love, it's easy to spend a lot of time on that sport and ... assuming we are talking basketball and not golf, tennis and not baseball ... get a lot of exercise there. But a single sport usually needs "crosstraining" or gym exercise or some such thing, which can be harder ... but that's why you need the goal pr purpose ... having a major competition coming up that you need to be in shape for can really help drive you.



The "pushing through" motivation ... this seems the more straightforward motivation ... not that it's easier. At home, I find a workout video (big fan or Rushfit right now) is great for setting out what you should be doing, and giving you a pace to try to follow. Obviously, if you are in a class setting with a trainer it's usually easier to be pushed to keep up with the pace ... see that "join ju-jitsu" comment above ... and sometimes it can be helpful to go to a class like that, or hire a personal trainer if you are more into lifting iron ... but the key is to learn from someone else what that "pushing hard' pace feels like, and eventually that becomes so ingrained that you are able to recreate that intensity in your workouts "from within" rather than relying on someone else to provide that spark.

 

[Pebcak]

Because somewhere there's a little girl warming up with my max.

Stoicism and equanimity take precedence over motivation.
Http://www.Chris Stroud.net/blog/stoicism-and-equanimity-take-precedence-over-motivation/

And also because there's people like this at my gym.

A Coach With A Unique Perspective
by Alena Hakansson

At age 19, Jane Mckeown became paralyzed from the face down.

A very active teen, McKeown first noticed tingling in her hands and feet in her first year of University. She thought she had mononucleosis – until the day her sister had to lift her from the bathtub and help her to the couch. Her breathing went from normal to rapid, and then became hard to control. A local doctor rushed to the house, and then called for an ambulance.

A spinal tap, blood work, and oxygen test confirmed the doctor's fears: Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a paralysis of the central nervous system. McKeown was kept in hospital for four months, and finally sent home on December 23rd.

McKeown was given plasmapheresis treatment, a then-new process that removed her blood plasma, treated it, and returned it to her body. Weeks of lying in bed were required, followed by hard physical therapy to teach her body to move again. She had no feeling in her feet, and during hydrotherapy rehab, she would drag her feet on the bottom of the pool until they were cut open. To her, the scars only showed progress.

Gradually, she regained fine-motor control - learning to hold a pen, make pizza dough, and doing puzzles – but her muscular strength wasn't up to bearing her own weight. Standing up was a distant goal when the simple task of brushing her teeth, holding a fork, or hugging someone with both arms took an enormous effort.

“I always remember thinking, 'Why me?' but I also never felt sorry for myself. Scared? Yes. A little sad, yes, but always positive towards my recovery and what had to be done. At first I thought, 'Okay, a couple of weeks, no problem.’ Then that turned into a couple of months and that turned into a full year of my life,” recalls McKeown.

Now 42, Guillain-Barre Syndrome is still with McKeown and always will be, leaving a form of fatigue in the body constantly and reminding her she must push harder to make it through a workout. Knowing she could have been paralyzed for life fuels McKeown to train in some way every day. “CrossFit wasn’t part of my therapy, but I wish it would have been. I bring my G-BS memories to CrossFit everyday I train. I don’t say that out loud to very many people but it’s true. When I train or compete it’s in the back of my mind, it’s like a mantra,” she says.

As an adult, McKeown became a competitive cyclist. When she discovered CrossFit, the community, the programming, and the modalities resonated. She longed for the feeling of being part of a team again; the team player inside had been dormant since the moment she entered the hospital just out of high school. She immediately knew that she wanted to be a coach.

“Something this life changing stays with you everyday. After recovering it made me realize that I was truly meant to be working with people and helping them become better at attaining their fitness goals, whatever they were. That became my passion in life,” states McKeown.

“I have hit rock bottom with my health so I know what it’s like to recover and I know what it’s like to need to dig deep and be patient. I bring this to CrossFit when I coach.”

At CrossFit Fredericton, McKeown’s coaches - Anthony and Jodi Bainbridge - helped deliver her dream of participating in an Ironman race. The finish line in Lake Placid, New York, in 2011 was more than just an end to a race; it signified a monumental point in a journey that McKeown had battled through every day of her adult life. That same year, McKeown qualified for CrossFit Canada East Regionals.

Now McKeown is coaching members at CrossFit Fredericton toward their own goals. Being the head coach of the CrossFit Kids program at CFF allows McKeown to teach kids the same movements that she had to teach herself as an adult.

“I may have lost a year of my life healing from G-BS, but I learned so much about myself and about life. I am not wasting any time. I wake up, put two feet down and go forward, live, and try new things. I am exactly where I want to be and those who know me will agree with this statement,” says McKeown.

“I came through this experience with the support of my family and my friends. All were by my side daily. But I was there for them too, always making fun of myself and wanting them to know I was going to be just fine.” she says.

Her next goal is to compete at the Canadian Masters Weightlifting Championships in April 2013. McKeown's quiet appreciation for every step, every lift, and every movement has created an environment of positivity throughout CrossFit Fredericton. Her spirit is infectious, encouraging, and inspiring, leading members of the gym to new personal records and goals higher than they thought they could achieve alone.

 

[rajagra]

That reminds me of this:

 

[Katia]

The gym I used to go to had a branch that was on my way home from work. I could stop on the way home, before going home. No excuses not to go.

Much better than when I used to go to a different branch... once you get home... sit down for a sec to check your email or something... pretty soon you don't want to get up again. not giving myself that chance worked well (and saved gas!).

I also would rather do it with other people... it adds not just accountability but camaraderie.

And then, of course, doing something fun. I hate just... lifting weights. Meh. I know it's good for me but heavens it's boring. Would rather do some sort of activity as my exercise-- dance, boxing, skating, martial arts, SOMETHING. Even a video keeps my brain more occupied than just mindlessly picking things up and putting them down (same reason I prefer to listen to music while doing filing and other junk like that at work. Gives my brain slightly more to do than just "pick up piece of paper. Put in folder" or "put piece of paper in scanner. Scan. Save.").