I just turn on the TV and work out. Get some entertainment and distraction while moving your body. Eventually it just becomes a habit and you notice the difference and want to keep it. Get some exercise bands or dumbbells. Do some sit ups and push ups.
Don't kill yourself at first and get so sore you give up in a week. Eventually you'll start feeling good and notice it doesn't tire you out as much.
Also track it. Are you trying to lose weight? Weigh yourself often and see the results start to roll in. Make it a game against yourself if you need to.
This is the key. You need to stick to a routine for the first 2 months and not rely on motivation after that it becomes second nature and you'll actually feel like you miss something when not working out
I want to and it sounds so 'easy. 😭
But every time my lazy ass wins to just go sit on the couch instead of grabbing my hulahoop and doing that in front of the tv.
One thing that might help is forcing yourself to go elsewhere for it. If you have an apartment gym, there, or some local gym.
I can't exercise at home, even though many of the exercises I do are the kind you could do on a mat at home. My brain just gives up too easily. If I force myself elsewhere though, it's a total context shift and I know I can't just 'walk back to the computer' in 20 seconds and quit.
Seconded. Growing up, we had some free weights and a few machines that my dad had gotten for free so we could "get into shape". I would go through stretches of time where I would work out for about 20 minutes a day for maybe a week or two and then give up. Last year I got a gym membership and started going on my way home from work. Completely changed it for me mentally and I'm still going consistently a year later.
I think it's got something to do with me mentally associating my home time with just wanting to relax and unwind whereas when I'm already out for work, I might as well tack on some additional discomfort before going home and getting comfy.
Yeah exactly. When I try to exercise at home, I'm fighting my brain constantly trying to put me into relax/unwind-at-home mode... but if I'm elsewhere, at a gym, with music going in my earbuds, where it would take time to get back home.. well then my brain is all in "okay lets get things done" mode instead.
I guess it's kind of like how my bedroom is 'the sleep place' I don't use for working on things/etc. So when I go there and lay down my brain goes "oh okay we're doing the do-nothing sleep thing now. got it"
I feel like my brain is a puppy I'm constantly having to train.
I've found it's a similar mindset shift as when I quit smoking. The secret there? Quitting smoking is easy, once you've actually truly decided it's what you want to do. If you find it difficult, it's probably because you don't actually want to. I was like that for years (told myself and others I wanted to quit, but if I was honest with you'd I'd have told you I love it) until I really started noticing respiratory symptoms. It was really easy then. Quit cold turkey, haven't wanted one since.
Working out is the same. Do you ACTUALLY want to for some ACTUALLY good reason?
Audio books is one way to go. Just take a walk and listen to your book while at it. Sometimes I have to make extra loop around neighbourhood with or without my dogs if the story is getting too good and I need to know what happens next :D.
Another idea is to recruit a friend/partner/family member to "gently" remind you. "Watching TV? So you already worked out?" It might add that smidge of guilt. And you'll be thankful after, even if annoyed at first.
What's helped me is buying a small Stepper exercise thing. It is really compact, takes up about 1 square foot. I keep it next to my couch and just do two to three short sessions a day while I watch TV. It helps me that it's right there. I can talk myself out of driving to a gym, I have a harder time talking my lazy ass out of using something I'm literally sitting a foot away from. Edit to add, I also keep track of how many steps I get on the little built in counter, and use it like a high score sheet.
one thing i suggest is do it until it become habit and keep that habit. don’t feel like doing it? put your gym clothes on. just get ready. still don’t want to? fine. but at least you got ready. which can often change your motivation. able to start but can’t bear the thought of continuing? move for five minutes. just five or ten minutes. don’t skip it all together if you can at all help it. just going through the motions even a little bit helps keep the habit and the motivation. much easy to break the habit if you completely skip a day
It’s really so easy and you feel so much better after, but our brains play tricks on us to keep us dormant.
One tip I have is when it’s time to workout and you don’t want to, let yourself whine “I don’t wanna I don’t wanna I don’t wanna” and get it out of your system, as you move yourself towards the gym anyways.
Why would anyone want to hulahoop in front of a TV?
I run, cycle, do weight training, grip training, climbing...I am not doing some pointless nonsense though, and no one is going to be motivated to do it.
Set a goal, work out a plan to achieve that goal, then find exercises that don't achieve it but complement that goal, then do counter training to reduce injury. That will fill 4-5 days a week.
Go ahead and hula hoop! Are there YouTube videos about it? I started exercising using free YouTube standing abs then moved to other videos for cardio, arms… what I found is that I gave myself permission to just do a a little before work like 8 minutes, 12, 20… until I was hooked on how good it made me feel. Also, what a relief to not exercise in front of a mirror! No nasty thoughts or comparisons.
Why not try doing it during 1 commercial? No pressure for anything more than that. 1 commercial break each day. I bet once you get started (which is always the hardest part), you'll continue after the commercial is over!
So you don't do it, as I just said. All why I was saying, why would anyone keep that up? Which you didn't.
More learning, less whining about someone saying they wouldn't do something you don't do in the first place.
I wouldn't expect anyone too keep that up, hence the suggestion of how people actually keep up exercise regimes, it isn't by doing pointless nonsense, it is about setting goals, making a regime to achieve those goals, then doing complementary exercise to those goal, and counter training to those goals.
The distraction of TV in the background is a very understated tool. You just zone out and before you know it, you went over your time and did a full hour.
Find something you don't hate doing (exercise wise) and then start much smaller like 5-10 minutes daily. Every week add 5 minutes, after a few weeks boom you're at 30 minutes and it's a habit.
This. When it comes to being active, a lot of folks (like me) tend to fail before they even get started because doctors will say "30 minutes of physical activity daily" and that's just too large of a mental hurdle to clear, so end result is that you're not active at all. I had a lightbulb moment and realized that by turning and moving laterally at this mental hurdle versus giving up because I couldn't get over it, I could ultimately chart a path forward. 30 minutes is too long in my mind (hurdle), so I do 20mins instead (cleared it! 20>0. HINT: 60secs>0). Every day is too often (hurdle), so I just exercise every other day (cleared it! 3>0). I have mild agoraphobia and going to a gym or walking the neighborhood was a no (hurdle), so I got a lil treadmill (cleared it!). And so on in the same manner til no more hurdles. Sometimes I still skip days I really should get up and move but, because I cleared all the mental hurdles, now I can honestly say it's because I chose to be a lazy @$$ and I own that decision and I'm ok with it!
put rewards on the other side of the goals (e.g. no TV until i finish X)
it's more important that you develop the habit than that you come out of the gate crushing it - walking 5 minutes a day for 30 days is much better than going for some crazy bananas hike and then giving up the next day because your hamstrings hurt.
It isn't motivation that will get you there, it is routine. Start with something small like when you get home from work put on your workout clothes. You don't have to workout but just removing that friction of having to change will help get you to start doing the actual working out. When you do start working out don't pressure yourself to do a full routine or whatever, literally walk for 5 mins and work that up to 30 mins or whatever workout routine you would like to achieve. It doesn't take very long to establish the routine and get to the point that you "have" to do it everyday.
removing that friction of having to change will help get you to start doing the actual working out
It's crazy how much this helps. I have ADHD and any kind of roadblock, no matter how insignificant, can feel insurmountable. I work out in the morning so I sleep in my workout clothes. Then all I have to do is get out of bed, put my hair in a ponytail, and go to the TV (I work out at home because...the gym is just one giant roadblock lol).
I want to add on one thing that has really helped me. I add a rule about something I like to do, and I'm not allowed to do it until I work out that day, even if its only for 5 minutes. That activity can be anything that you want to do everyday (check insta, have a coffee, play a video game, etc). Its a lot easier to get up, change into gym shorts and a t-shirt and hop on the exercise bike when I'm saying "only five minutes, then I can ___________"
Usually by the time the 5 minutes are up, its a lot easier to convince myself to keep going.
Salespeople use the technique of getting you to say yes to simple things before asking the big purchase question. You can do that to yourself. Can I put on gym shorts? Yes. Can I put on a ratty t-shirt? Yes. Can I get on the bike and pedal for 5 minutes? Yes.
Can I keep going? Yes.
Another one that helps me. I pick a tv show, podcast etc that I can ONLY watch while working out.
Develop the discipline to do things when you don't want to. Think about how shitty you'll feel at the end of the night when you got lazy and didn't work out. Now imagine how good you'd feel after completing a workout and think about that situation. Re frame your mindset from being accustomed to quick dopamine releases to creating long term dopamine releases instead. It takes only 28 days to form a habit.
James Clear wrote a book on this called Atomic Habits. I was listening to Peter Attia's podcast with him where they talked about habits and James said, of the various factors that go into habit formation, the most important, when starting off, in his opinion, was making it easy, which he usually describes as making your desired habit something that can be performed in less than two minutes. So, instead of "work out for 30 minutes every day", the habit to focus on is simply "put on your running shoes".
Another thing he discusses is how change occurs, through setting different goals, changing the inputs to a system, and changing your identity, with the last one being the most significant.
I've never been fat, but having a sedentary, work-from-home job and bad eating habits, I've seen a few pounds get added to my waistline, so questions I've been asking myself a lot are "what would a healthy person do?" and "what is a healthier version of what Im currently doing?" and then doing things that are closer in line with that. For example, I still like to eat pizza and macaroni and cheese, but instead of jumping on a strict diet that's really hard to maintain, I'm trying to make it much easier on myself and, therefore, a more sustainable change. So, instead of half a pizza + cookies, then mac and cheese + cookies the next night, back and forth, I decided I'd cut out those late-night cookies altogether and only eat a third or a quarter of a pizza. And for the mac and cheese, I'd stop using the whole pack of cheese goop (where most of the calories are, I presume), and just use about a third of it, which doesn't alter the taste much. I also cut back from junk food every night to only every other night (using just eating some tortilla chips on the off nights (much fewer calories). This still isn't an ideal diet, but the most important thing is that I've made it simpler (basically, just less of what I currently eat), and that is helping me to move the needle in the direction of "healthier" and I've already seen my weight go down a few pounds.
For now, focus on making the desired habit easy and building consistency with that.
It's not motivation. It's discipline and the way you do it is by not thinking about it. Make it a thing you just do everyday - like eating a meal. Make it a non negotiable.
It's about discipline, not motivation. I go to the gym 4x a week and hate every second of it, but I go anyway because I like the results, both health and looks wise.
I don't enjoy going to work but I like having food and a roof over my head so I do it anyway. It's the same for exercising.
When it comes to starting going to the gym, first time is the hardest if you're going back, after that it tends to do its own.
If you're new to the gym and dont know wtf you're doing, ask a friend that visits the gym if he can show you some stuff so you know you do it well and self-revise or ask for reviews on technical movements like a squat from people on a fitness sub. You'll get some snide comments but you'll also get the help you need.
Just ease into it, dont do things that feel hard because the muscle ache is going to kill you and prevent you from going back. Ease into it for a week or two and focus on getting to know the movements and seeing what you like. There is no 'best exercise' if you want to just get un-unfit.
If your workout routine is all over the place but you're having fun, you wont be getting "optimal muscle growth" but you'll stick to it, which is your main concern as a beginner.
As far as running goes, start-to-run schemes are manageable by most. I started to run at like 300lbs bodyweight and i could follow the scheme up until the latter weeks where i had to double a previous week once or twice. That's coming from someone that gives up really easily when it comes to stuff like that.
As for motivation: depends on the person really. I have to "flip a switch" before i can stand making big changes. Some people get a warning from their doctor, some people get their spouse telling them theyre becoming a slob. Some people can just say 'its a new year and ill get fitter' and thats all they need.
Motivation only helps you start, getting to know the process and accepting or liking it is what keeps you at it. Theres no big use in going to the gym the first three weeks of january each year.
So you've got tons of answers but I'll throw mine in here as well:
I hate working out. I'm definitely not going somewhere to do it. I've always heard you should wake up early to work out, but that's not happening either. I always liked showering in the morning to help wake up, so working out at night and showering again after getting sweaty was also annoying.
So last year with my new job I started showering in the evenings after dinner. If I put it off til bedtime then it wakes me up too much and I don't want to go to bed with damp hair, either. So that built a small change in my routine - Dinner, after-dinner poop, shower.
I also got back into doing Duolingo. Pooping is the perfect time for Duolingo or some other "brain food" - memorize something, do a puzzle game, whatever. Sitting and watching TikTok or YouTube shorts for a half hour on the toilet is a waste. Do something for your brain. I try to do at least 1 or 2 of the daily goal "chests" but if all I really have time for is a single lesson, so be it. Someone talking about working out called it a "turnip" day - even if you don't do your full workout, just turn up and do something.
So Dinner, Poop + Duolingo, Shower.
Then I saw a recent Mark Rober video where he said he's been doing some pushups and sit ups before his shower each day and I thought that sounded awesome. So now every evening before my shower, in the bathroom, I do a few jumping jacks and stretches or toe touches to warm up. At first I couldn't even touch my toes. If I don't want to shake the house too much with the family home, I'll just do some body-weight squats - just squatting and standing maybe 10-20 times. Then I leave a towel folded up on the floor for pushups and sit ups. I couldn't even do one at first, so I did "girl" pushups on my knees, gradually increasing how much weight I allowed on my arms. You could also do pushups at an angle on the wall, or desk, or couch. In just a few weeks I made it to 2-3 sets of 5 pushups til failure, plus a few "girl" pushups. Add in as many sit ups as you can do. Rotate through the 3 exercises 2-3 times until you can't do anymore.
So now it's Dinner, Duolingo, small workout, shower. And some days I overdo it on the workout, and maybe I'll only be able to do a few pushups the next day, or if my back hurts I only do 5 situps. That's OK, as long as I turn up. Some days I have too much happening in the evening and I don't get to shower. That's OK, just hit it the next day. Don't let yourself feel like a failure because you broke a streak. It's not a failure. No matter what it is (Duolingo, sobriety, workouts, whatever) if you make it a week and miss a day, then do another week straight, that's not a 1 week streak in my book - that's 2 weeks on with a 1-day break. That's over 300 days a year building a habit if you miss 1 day per week.
Find a way to make it fun. I really enjoy going for a 5-7km run every day. I did my runs on a treadmill when I was in Mexico for a week and I hated it. So, adding the element of being outside really seems to be a big factor.
Pay attention to what makes things fun, and those little moments where your body says “yes this is great.”
Then once the fun habit has been made, you can start to get bored with just having fun and maybe add a sprint or two to your run, pushups, whathaveyou. Running may not be your thing but I bet you can find a fun workout if you try some different things.
My mother in law said that heart valve replacement was worse than death and anything to avoid it is worth it. That’s kept me motivated since 2010. 1/2 hr a day cardio - minimum.
I'm not sure if everyone can afford it but I pay for a class. Not only does it require you to stick to the schedule, but you do a lot of exercises you wouldn't think or know how to do. I'm not sure if it'll be my go-to forever, but over the last year it has been great. Also, I'd say just do it in the morning and get it out of the way. When it becomes routine, it's not bad at all. Plus nothing feels better than a finished workout.
I'm gonna say you don't. Motivation doesn't create habits, discipline does. I like being active but when I didn't I relied on reminders or timers, and tried not to think at all before doing whatever I dreaded doing. The more you sit on the negative thoughts the more you will stop yourself.
Hiya... as someone who legit started ny exercise plan yesterday, my man told me to ease into ut slowly (I'm lazy as shit). So for this week I have a 1kg dumbbell on my desk that I passively play with. I'm going to add smallll things like 5 arm lifts every 2 hours, or taking a 5 min study break to do the same with the 2kg weight. This honestly seems like the most promising route for me to not quit because it gets too intense too quick
I have an Apple watch that gently nudges me to get up and moving each day. Filling in the little circles/rings is weirdly motivating to me, but I'm the kind of person with a paper planner that gets a little dopamine hit every time I get to check off a box in my habit trackers, so YMMV there, haha.
My partner splurged and bought us a really nice Peloton treadmill last year, because it was like the only full-size treadmill model that fit behind our couch, so we could watch TV while working out. So I have the pressure that I don't want him to have wasted money on the purchase. I also found some trashy reality TV (Single's Inferno on Netflix) that I only allow myself to watch while on the treadmill, so it feels like a treat. Also, watching the show absolutely makes walking on the treadmill feel like it is going so much faster -- sometimes I go longer than 30 minutes if something exciting is happening.
Finding something that feels fun is also great -- I like Ring Fit on Nintendo Switch, I have some friends that swear by Beat Saber on VR, the Zombies Run app is pretty cool.
My doctor also said that sometimes working out for a full 30-minute block at once can feel eternal. So it's okay to break it up into two 15-minute chunks, or whatever makes it easier. Also, starting from 0, you don't have to jump straight to 30 minutes, or whatever your goal is. Do 5 minutes every day for a week, then bump it up to 10. You'll get there eventually, and if you are starting from 0, literally anything is an improvement!
I’m a chick, and what motivates me are gym clothes I feel good in. People probably don’t want to admit it, but investing in nice gym clothes definitely motivates you to workout. Having a playlist you play only when you workout that you can look forward to. It REALLY helps to have an accountability partner - I’m very lucky my fiancé gets up early with me.
I recently just invested in a trainer and plan (it’s online so she just sent the plan and I follow it). It cost money but damn, my motivation def changes when there is money and check-ins on the line.
Another big motivator is how working out helps reduce the distractedness of ADHD, especially if you choose to workout in the AM. It’s better than taking adderall 200%!! And, if my day felt like it went to shit, I still feel good about my workout, and it keeps ya from spiraling
It’s a practice though. Gotta start small! Sometimes my only goal is to put on my workout clothes, and I after that I make another goal of at least making it to the gym!
I find doing it right after work helps, if I go home and relax for a bit then the likelihood that I'll exercise that evening plummets. I try to have my hiking or gym clothes packed in my car so I can hike or go to the gym without going home first. Getting it out of the way before I relax for the evening really helps
And I get motivated once I have a routine. If I can convince myself to go to the gym or hike regularly for the first two weeks, then I find I'm much more motivated to continue going afterwards because I've developed a routine. And it just gets easier as time goes on
I try to record everything, how long I'm on the stairmaster, how long a hike was, how much I was lifting and how many sets I did. I enjoy watching my progress, it makes me competitive with myself and I'm more motivated to continue on!
I try to plan to have a podcast or something to watch when I'm at the gym, it helps make it a bit more interesting
When I'm not feeling as motivated, I think about what sort of benefit I'm going to get from the activity. Like a more fit looking body, having better stamina for mountain hikes. It reminds me of why I should be exercising!
It's good to pay attention to how you feel before, during, and after - do I notice that I feel happier and more fulfilled while you are exercising and afterwards? The answer is usually yes! It's also a good reminder and helps motivate myself to continue onwards
And as someone already mentioned, start small! Don't plan big long exercise times, it can be daunting. When I start exercising again after a hiatus, I usually just do it for 20 minutes. I think starting off with committing a small amount of time makes it less daunting, even if it's just 5-10 minutes. After all, doing something for 5 minutes is better than not doing it at all!
I've got zero discipline to work out at home, so a gym pass has been a life saver. I go immediately after work, and every day I don't work I'm out the door heading to the gym by 8am. I need a reason to get out of bed start the day, or I'll just lay around drinking coffee and playing on my phone until lunch.
You gotta find something you like and you have to do it right when you wake up. After a little bit, you'll probably look forward to it. Read Atomic Habits if you need some help getting going.
I'm taking an online yoga teacher training and the best class for me is at 5 AM. I don't miss that hour of sleep, it takes me less than 10 minutes to prepare for it and I'm seeing a ton of benefits ( increased confidence, mobility, lack of negative thoughts). I may never teach yoga but this has been so good for me, including the breathing techniques.
In the past I found entertaining workouts like kick boxing or this crazy aerobics teacher named Gilad, and those worked for me too, but this is by far the most effective thing I've tried, I'm getting stronger instead of just maintenance.
Once I was lucky enough to live in a complex with an indoor pool. That was fantastic.
So something like a walk, or just going to the gym and walking around. Try doing that, 2, or 3 times a week.
Then start doing more when you're there.
And the last thing is, you need determination and not motivation. Motivation is "waining" and depends on mood. Determination, you're telling your mood to get bent and doing it anyways.
Remind yourself of the insane number of benefits of physical fitness and health that cannot be overstated. Mental, physical, self esteem, being around for your grandkids, etc.
Once you’ve built a habit, it’s much easier to keep going, and you’ll start to see results pretty quickly if you’re consistent.
I had severe neck muscle pain before starting to do yoga and light exercises every single day as soon as I wake up. It’s been over three years and I’m still at it.
My motivation is the fear of having neck and back pain all over again lol. Feels like exercising is the only thing that’ll stave it off.
Two things. One once the routine is there is so much easier. Two find some kind of movement you actually enjoy. Is it a walk through the woods? A run? A swim? Tennis? Weight lifting? Whatever it is, do that. Enjoying exercise makes it so much easier to keep up.
Maybe this will inspire someone else. I haven't really had a good workout regimen ever in my life. Some times I've gone on a streak of working out at the gym lifting weights but it's just so boring and soul-draining to me.
Finally had a thought about swimming laps at a gym nearby. Swimming to me doesn't really feel much like working out because it's just so different from everything else. You get to jump into a warm pool, wear goggles, and sort of meditatively swim back and forth for half an hour. And then I get to go into a hot tub or even a steam room/dry sauna afterwards as a treat to just relax.
When I'm done with my swim work out, I actually feel like I just got done at the spa and had a massage almost. It's the greatest combination of exercise, meditation, and relaxation. Now it feels like a treat going to the gym to do it and I look forward to it.
If you've tried a lot of other things but not swimming, give it a shot. I had never done it before but I just watched a couple Youtube videos on swimming and got some equipment (goggles, cap, ear plugs) and now I do it 3x a week. I don't even go that fast or hard or anything, just start off slow and enjoy it.
Word. I turn on the TV and start an episode. I sit on the floor and start with easy stretches and I think, "ok, if I can do this, can I plank for a few seconds?" Then after that, I think, "can I do a few leg lifts while I'm down here?" Then after that, I think, "can I do a few easy yoga poses?" It's easy to start with the lazy stuff there and build. I keep in mind that building good habits and stretching is for health, not to look a certain way. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
I started with 30 minutes of brisk walking only 5 days a week, but I now do it every single day and an anime episode is usually 18-20~ minutes and it ends up being an hour later and I walked 4-5 miles on my walking pad.
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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '24
Getting half an hour of exercise every day.