Guys i have a hard time staying motivated. How are some ways you say motivated? I travel alot (meaning I am gone 2-weeks at a time) once i get to my job and get settled in, 2 or 3 days have passed. When i get home the same thing happens 2 or 3 days have passed before i get motivated enough to work out and it just keeps getting harder and harder until i lose interest and quit. I had lost 20 lbs but have since gained it plus 10 more. I have really noticed a change in me here lately. I have never been over weight until recently. I stand at 6'4 240 lbs most of my weight has come rom height but now my gut is starting to show, i find it harder to tie my shoes, climbing flights of stairs is a tough now. What i'm asking here is, what made you stick at it, what was your motivation to stay fit?
What's my motivation?
- Thread starter Walker
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Darn Bill . . . it is almost Christmas. . . . sheesh.
I'm in the same boat. What has worked for me is getting a few weeks in. . . for me the first few weeks is the hard bit. After the momentum is going I can feel strongly about not wasting the effort and pain of the first few weeks by skipping a work out.
I'm in the same boat. What has worked for me is getting a few weeks in. . . for me the first few weeks is the hard bit. After the momentum is going I can feel strongly about not wasting the effort and pain of the first few weeks by skipping a work out.
Gotta keep your eyes on the prize!
I travel a fair amount for work, lots of short trips and it throws my training schedule out but only if I let it. Sometimes I get lazy and think "I'll just have a rest today..." but most of the time I will find a way of burning off whatever landed in my stomach that day - ie a walk around the block. If there is a gym in my hotel or nearby I will have a proper workout.
Back to motivation though, I want to be here for a good time AND a long time - that is my motivation.
I travel a fair amount for work, lots of short trips and it throws my training schedule out but only if I let it. Sometimes I get lazy and think "I'll just have a rest today..." but most of the time I will find a way of burning off whatever landed in my stomach that day - ie a walk around the block. If there is a gym in my hotel or nearby I will have a proper workout.
Back to motivation though, I want to be here for a good time AND a long time - that is my motivation.
For my running, I have time goals that I am striving to meet. For my lifting, it's about appearance not weight, so I have a goal of what I want to look like that keeps me going.
A huge part of it is habit, make a schedule and stick to it. If you are supposed to work out on Thursday for example, don't skip it and wait to Friday, get to the gym on Thursday.
A huge part of it is habit, make a schedule and stick to it. If you are supposed to work out on Thursday for example, don't skip it and wait to Friday, get to the gym on Thursday.
Goals dude. Set some goals and track it. 2-3 days of missed Gym time is OK. If your cardio is bad that you're starting to get red faced from regular tasks, go for a brisk walk every night.
I find having goals and people to aspire to be(realistically) I have been able to keep myself motivated to go to the gym.
I find having goals and people to aspire to be(realistically) I have been able to keep myself motivated to go to the gym.
someone told me that to have fun you've got to be fit. i used to be competitive and hated to lose. it got me into the routine. now guys want to test me to see if i have anything left. so i'm motivated to not hear them laugh behind my back........they still do though. hahaha
I need events to keep me motivated. It can be a race every few months. But knowing its out there--and that I've told people I'm doing it so I can't back out--keeps me on track.
Sounds like gym workouts don't engage you enough - try to find something that you enjoy doing, some activity you'll look forward to. Join a hockey team, train for a 10k, start rock climbing, anything that'll get you out and active.
You might even find later on that you look forward to your gym sessions because you're interested in improving your sport performance.
You might even find later on that you look forward to your gym sessions because you're interested in improving your sport performance.
- Thread starter
- #9
Thanks guys, lots of great stuff to consider.
If you get some workout momentum going, it's easier to stay motivated.
For your travel, I'd say get a good bodyweight workout you can do in your hotel room, and make a point of doing it as soon as you check in. As soon as you check into your hotel, it's 50 pushups, 100 situps, 50 lunges, repeat the three, then a quick shower and shave, and then off to dinner or whatever. (You can use this routine when you get home, too. Cranking out 10 minutes of exercise is a lot easier to manage than hauling your @$$ down to the gym, which basically means a couple hours once the travel time is factored in.) Or if you are staying in a hotel with a gym, head down there for a 30 minute burn.
For your travel, I'd say get a good bodyweight workout you can do in your hotel room, and make a point of doing it as soon as you check in. As soon as you check into your hotel, it's 50 pushups, 100 situps, 50 lunges, repeat the three, then a quick shower and shave, and then off to dinner or whatever. (You can use this routine when you get home, too. Cranking out 10 minutes of exercise is a lot easier to manage than hauling your @$$ down to the gym, which basically means a couple hours once the travel time is factored in.) Or if you are staying in a hotel with a gym, head down there for a 30 minute burn.
Excellent advice! That's how I do it. Short, high-intensity workouts. You know you can knock it out in 15-20 mins. After awhile, it becomes fun, and you know, even on the days when you don't really feel like working out, that you can get it done and over with and showered in <30mins.
I think that the secret is to figure out a way to make your workout something you look forward to doing. Part of this is finding a workout that suits you. However the main thing is persistence. Once you settle on something you can do on the road--let's say a good body weight workout and maybe some jumprope or a run--demand of yourself that you do it every day, both when you are home and when you are traveling. After a while, you should find that it becomes a pleasurable part of your daily routine. If you allow it to remain the physical equivalent of a dose of bitter medicine, you'll never stick with it. Think of it like shaving. When you were starting wetshaving, if every nick or razor burn drove you back to your Fusion, you'd be on a beard grooming site now. But it didn't. You stuck with it and now you can shave with skill, speed and, more importantly, pleasure. The same is true of physical activity. Unfortunately, I don't think that there's any easy way to do this. You just have to gut it out until you reach the next stage. Good luck!
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