Exercise

I am very competitive and being in shape helps me compete with my 'student-athlete' friends. That's how I motviate myself. Plus I believe in the philosophy of looking good, feeling good, and smelling good. This all contribute to good self-esteem,at least for me. And when I get all lazy, I just tell myself, 'hey, looking good will help you feel better, and you'll be able to outrun [insert name here]' that usually gets me going.

 

1). Work out with a friend.

2). Always set both short term and long term goals for yourself when you go to the gym, and stick with them.

3). Think positively while you're working out. It's easy to let boredom or fatigue make you more inclined to stop. However, just think positively while you're there so you don't let those thoughts interrupt you. If you're goal is to run for 30 minutes, then think about it in good terms. 30 minutes is as long as a TV show. Look, I'm running instead of watching TV, this is good. Time is going to fly. After 15 minutes go by, you can start thinking...alright i'm half way there.

4). Switch up what you're doing when you get bored. Run faster, run slower, do a different cardio exercise, lift weights in a different way.

5). Work out at home, and get into a routine to do that. You can purchase equipment for your home, or just do some simple calisthenic exercises. You went to get rid of things that make you less inclined to work out. One thing can be having to drive/walk/bike/etc. to the gym. When you're not motivated to work out in the first place, adding something unappealing like the commute to the gym makes things worse.

 

On the exercising at home idea, if you have a Nintendo Wii then get the Wii Fit. It's a good fun way of doing a selection of moderate exercises at home, and it tracks your progress for you. You can use it on your own and you don't have to go anywhere.

This is more getting-into-shape exercise though, and not body-building. So it depends what you are trying to achieve.

 

I really want to excersise, but as you probably know from reading the thread i make.. i really dont have motivation right now.
But i promised myself now that id go swimming at least on monday because thats probably the best way i like to do it.

 

I used to go to the gym, but I haven't since my operation in March. I'm going back this Friday (I think).

 

Swimming is AWESOME exercise... cardio and toning all in one. It is a bit more of a hassle than some activities just because of having to go to the pool but I LOVE swimming.

 

Swimming is great exercise. One thing to improve how effective a swim is, is to learn how to swim correctly. I remember reading a study that said that professional swimmers generally use up more energy (burn more calories/fat) than an amateur swimmer. The reasons for this are the athlete knows how to use -all- his/her swimming muscles correctly. Just keep that in mind!

 

I totally agree about swimming properly! Every time I'm at the pool I see people thrashing around in the water... even people in the medium and fast lanes, who you would think would have better technique.

 

if your trying to stay in shape you should try playing some sports like tennis or even video games like the wii fit or ddr

 

I'm finding WiiFit to be the best motivator yet. I had been doing walking/jogging on a treadmill off and on, but it found it hard to stick with it. Since we got WiiFit, I've missed only one day, and that was because I was hellaciously busy, not lazy.

Lex

 

Personally if I have the time to go (no classes) I do it by buying a membership (then I want to get my money's worth) and just fit it into my routine. I say I'm going to do it every other day, pack my gym stuff, then stop on my way home from work. But that's all the motivation I need. Once I'm at the gym I get into it and have fun. I also notice my overall well-being is improved. A gym buddy also helps. One term I was driving to work with my roommate and we both went to the gym, so we helpped keep each other going.

If you don't enjoy it once you're there, it's hard to get the motivation to keep going. A simple thing is switching things up. Do different exercises and use different machines. I recommend looking into activities / programs that you find enjoyable. Lifting weights isn't necessary for exercise. Cardio and flexibility is more important IMHO. At the gym level there's yoga classes and spinning classes. Also look at picking up a sport of some sort. Squash is popular around here (helps if you have a gym buddy). As mentioned swimming is very good exercise as well.

And one needn't go to a gym for exercise. Walking is an easy form, and I enjoy looking at the scenery. Even half an hour a day is beneficial. I work some into my normal routine, and take the stairs over the elevator. Every bit helps. I also find biking very enjoyable. Even Wii Fit helps if you get into it.

 

I also forgot to mention, the eye candy also keeps me coming back

 

For me, the gym is one block away from me so it's really easy to just walk over anytime I want.

The important thing is to NEVER SKIP A DAY if you can help it! Once you skip one, you'll think it's okay to skip another as long as you go on ___day, then you'll skip that one, too. It's a vicious domino-effect.

Make a workout chart, too.