How do you keep motivated to continue working out?

[snoopy7548]

I can related to that, dude. As I getting back home from work I was always exhausted and felt like to do nothing. But soon I found workout is a perfect way to release the stress from work. You could just make a plan, and if you achieve the goal, reward yourself by getting something you've been long expected.

I've found it's easier if you go straight from work to the gym. Luckily I have a gym at work. Once you get home, all motivation goes away.

 

[Ezra. W]

I've found it's easier if you go straight from work to the gym. Luckily I have a gym at work. Once you get home, all motivation goes away.

Great point!

 

[highland145]

OP...
Flab bouncing, skin "flailing", muscle trailing... I've always been bigger than most and have worked at it because people notice. Lifters notice for sure. Everyone else... "good job" but they have no clue the effort. (@SNC for example)

and struggling with my willing mind vs failing body.

53 y.o. Hoping for the left distal bicep repair sooooon.

Otherwise, I'm pretty damned happy. Cardio 6 days per and slugs my age...."where's the salt?"

 

[Kaido]

How do you stick with your routine? how do you keep yourself from quitting?

For me it's simple, but it involves a lot of variables. Here we go:

1. I am an indoor cat. I am not a natural athlete. I do not enjoy exercising. I do it because I have to in order to feel good & be healthy. I would say I do it to look like Ryan Reynolds or Hugh Jackman, but I look like Bill Gates, so I have to be content with being nerdy but also being fit & feeling good, haha.

2. I have the most energy in the morning, so I exercise in the morning. It is way more of an internal fight if I do it after work. So I stack the odds in my favor by doing it before the day gets busy & doing it when I have the most energy available to burn off. That is what works for me. Also, if I exercise at night, it pumps me up & then I have a hard time sleeping.

3. I follow a plan. I have a printed calendar on the wall that I check off with a red sharpie every day. I treat my exercise time as an appointment that I have to go to, like a dentist's appointment. It's not optional; it is a commitment. I keep myself honest by tracking my progress every day using that visible calendar that I have to physically check off when I'm done. It's simple, yet very effective. A variety of things led me to this method. One good post on reddit was "no more zero days"...i.e., if you don't make progress every day, or at least do SOMETHING every day, even if it's not your ideal workout, then you have a zero day, and 0+0+0=0, so set things up so you don't have any more zero days:

https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/1q96b5/i_just_dont_care_about_myself/cdah4af/

Another method is Jerry Seinfeld's "don't break the chain" method:

https://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-secret

Apparently Seinfeld didn't really create or even say it, but I like the idea: out of sight = out of mind. Creating a visible reminder (by using a calendar on the wall) and having to do a physical action (marking a big fat red X on each day) and creating a chain (which has some fun psychological effects, like not wanting to break the chain) is a great way to keep your workout program visible in your life, instead of squirreled away on a piece of paper or in an app somewhere. I mean, there are plenty of people who can just "do" their workout & stick with it mentally, but I am not one of them. I get too distracted, so I need something to keep me honest & keep me in the game.

4. I do not believe in motivation or willpower as effective long-term methods for sticking with an exercise routine. Motivation disappears the moment you don't feel good, and willpower requires resolve in the moment, which is subject to being fickle. Instead, I believe in habit. We are habitual creatures. Pick a time, pick a routine, get into the habit of doing it. However, habit is downstream from decisions. Not that I don't believe in habit, but habit is something that develops from something else. But first, I don't really believe in discipline, either. I think discipline is stupid. Traditionally, discipline means having the willpower to just push through things, which goes back to that "just trying really hard every day" thing. I am a human being and I am pretty freaking lazy; when I am discussing stuff like working out, I get all excited, but the next day, that fizzles and I don't want to use discipline anymore lol. Sure, I'll get motivated to do some pushups if the "300" is on TV, but other than that, give me pizza & Netflix! Instead, I believe in making decisions to design a system to ensure your success. This goes along with the habit stuff above. You have to clearly define what you want, how to get it, make a plan, make a daily appointment, put a reminder alarm on your cell phone, etc. It all boils down to knowing what you want & how to get it, and setting up your environment to enable you to be successful.

5. I went through a lot of eating styles over the last decade. I am currently enjoying IIFYM. I don't follow it 100% of the time, but I am definitely much more conscious of what & how I eat. I like the idea of the 80/20 rule - 80% of your body is made in the kitchen, 20% is in the gym. IIFYM says you don't need cheat meals or cheat days, you just need to eat food that fits your macros, and I have found that to be accurate in terms of getting results.

6. I currently like to do 7 meals a day. 3 main meals, plus a morning snack, brunch snack, afternoon snack, and dessert. I also carry around water & ice with me to stay hydrated. I've found that doing small meals keeps me from getting drowsy after a big meal & keeps my energy stable all day. I am hypoglycemic (low blood sugar), so that has a lot to do with it as well. I have a lunchbox from Isolator Fitness that can fit 6 tupperware-style containers inside with ice packs. I prep my food ahead of time most days so that I can simply open & eat or heat & eat. Meal prep enables me to be successful on my food goals because it's just a matter of what's eating in my bag instead of having to figure out lunch every single day.

7. I've been through a lot of exercise methods over the years. I've seen a lot of people be very successful with IIFYM & lifting, with little or no cardio. I do 30 minutes of cardio a day because I have crap digestion (SIBO aka slow motility) & require cardio for my stomach to work well. I am also not a big fan of the gym & prefer to work out at home, and didn't want to have to have a spotter, so I switched to calisthenics. Bodyweight exercises are fun & easy to do and keep you in great shape. You can do it with virtually no equipment, although over the years I have purchased a few items, including one of those pull-up bars that hang on your door frame & a dip station (both were about $30 or $40 each off Amazon). If you are looking for training programs that you can track & grow with (vs. "just working out at the gym"), here are some good ones:

https://www.reddit.com/r/C25K/wiki/faq

http://armstrongpullupprogram.com

https://stronglifts.com/5x5/

8. Getting enough sleep for me is huge, just huge. I need at least 7 hours of sleep per night. I also do better with an early bedtime. When I consistently go to bed early & get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep, I feel awesome. It's like a natural fountain of internal motivation & energy...I just feel good. It's the same feeling you got when you were a kid & would sleep in on Saturday morning & wake up ready & raring to go. And it's very difficult because we have so many distractions these days (Internet, TV, gaming, etc.) & for a lot of us, night time is our only real free time for personal activities that we use to unwind. I've been on late shift for the last couple of months, going to bed around 2am some nights, but try to get my 7-8 hours of sleep in, and I've been doing pretty good. Although nothing has been able to beat going to bed during my sleep window (~8:30pm) when I have my regular day-shift schedule. For me, at least, good sleep hygiene is an enormous component of not fighting myself too much to exercise.

So that all looks like a lot of stuff, but it all boils down to just keeping commitments. This is what my normal schedule looks like in terms of my iPhone alarms:

4:00am: wake up
4:15am: exercise (30m cardio, 15m calisthenics)
5:30am: morning snack
7:00am: breakfast
10:30am: brunch snack
12:00pm: lunch
2:30pm: afternoon snack
5:30pm: dinner & dessert
8:30pm: bedtime

For preparation & execution, I do the following every day:

1. Set alarms on my phone to remind me when to wake up, go to bed, exercise, and eat, so I don't forget.

2. Prepare my meals for the day ahead of time, so I have everything in my lunchbox. Phone alarm goes off, I eat my food like a Pavlovian dog (lol), boom, I am 100% successful at my meal plan.

3. Follow my exercise program for the day.

4. Go to bed when my alarm tells me to & wake up when my alarm tells me to.

It's not overly difficult, but it does require some definition & some setup. You have to think about what you want & research how to get there & create an environment that will make you successful, which leads to habits, which leads to results. For me, an early bedtime, cardio + calisthenics, and IIFYM work really well. I have my meals ready, I have a visible plan that I can check off every day for my workout, I get enough sleep so I don't drag through the day & drag through my workout, etc. I would much rather stay up late, mindlessly eat with no accountability, and never exercise because exercise is boring & hard, but that doesn't make me feel good & doesn't give me the results I want. On the flip side, setting things up this way makes it so that I don't have to think about things, I just have to do them according to plan, which is a lot easier to manage on an ongoing basis.

 

[Mai72]

#1- You have to love the process. If you're too focued on the end result you are going to quit. Don't be attached.

#2- I know you said you keep looking at the clock, and you can't wait to go home and start gaming. Maybe the issue is gaming? How much time are you playing video games per week? Decrease it or eliminate the activity.

#3- Try working out in the morning. Our willpower is limited. Think of your willpower like a phone battery. It's fully charged in the morning. By the evening it's drained. It's why we make bad choices in the evening. Seems like you're using a ton of willpower to stay in the gym. It never works.

#4- Motivation is bullsh*t as well. TBH, I'm never really motivated to go to the gym on the days I need to go. Yes, I am motivated some days. But, most days? I'd rather stay inside and play Skyrim.

There is this book called "mini habits." It takes 66 days to form a habit. I normally go for 90 days. That means you want to do your activity for 66 days without missing a day. Miss 2 and you have to start over. You make the habit so small in the beginning that you can't fail. As in your case, you might just go for 10 minutes a day. And, build on that for 7 days a week. Start increasing the minutes until the habit is formed. You'll fell better and you'll start getting micro wins which are so important to success. I can workout for 1 hour now, and I go for 6 days a week now.

Next, I like to employ the 5 second rule. Look it up. It's silly but it works. It's used in schools, in the military, etc. Basically, you count back from 5 to 0. I use this to get stuff done, like exercising. Count backwards 5,4,3,2,1,0 I say blast off when I hit 0. Counting backwards quiets your thinking. Your brain is going to keep you from doing the things you need to do. You want to go home and game. You know you need to workout, but your brain is telling you differently. So, counting backwards silent that part of the brain. It works. Check out Mel Robbins. She changed her life with the 5 second rule.

There are so many benefits to exercise. It still amazes me that most people would rather watch Netflix for hours than take care of their bodies. The Standard American Diet (SAD) and sitting on your ass all day leads to diabities, heart disease, inflammation and cancer. You ever see someone have a heart attack? It's not good. Go look at the pictures of hospital patients Many of those people are in their because of their lifestyle choices. IMO, that's crazy and disgraceful. That someone can eat and drink sh*t for 40 years and think it's OK. I see 40 year olds who look like their 60. Respect your body. You only get one and never EVER take your health for granted.

Good luck.

 

[Ancalagon44]

Three things:

First, you could look at it like a video game. Want +1 to strength, constitution and dexterity? Workout. It takes consistent time and effort to achieve results, but they will come. You can do this via stat tracking if you like - track your waist measurement, weight measurement, the way you look in the mirror. It can all help. The feeling of making progress will help you, but as others have said, cardio is not the most effective way to make progress with losing weight and building muscle. Don't bother with cardio unless you are running a marathon. Rather engage in a lot of low level exercise like walking, and some high intensity exercise like weight lifting, sprints, skipping, that sort of thing.

The second thing is try to look at holistically instead of just looking at it from a weight loss and appearance point of view. It gets easier if you start thinking of your long term health rather than a short term goal to lose weight. Think of things like, how much longer will I live if I stay healthy? Or, how much lower will my health costs be? Remember that health problems tend to crop up in old age. Staying healthy now means you are more likely to be healthy in old age. When your friends all have diabetes and heart disease, you won't have it.

Again, you can think of it like a video game. Think of your new attributes:
Immune to diabetes
Highly resistant to heart disease
+2 to strength
+1 to dexterity
+1 to constitution
+15 to lifespan

But benefits like that can only be accrued if you look at your overall health, which includes diet, stress and sleep as well as exercise. Everything synergizes with everything else - like skills in Diablo 2. Proper rest makes your weight lifting sessions do more for your body. So does diet.

The third thing is learn to forgive yourself if you miss a week of exercise. I don't know about you, but I used to feel guilty about missing exercise because I felt that, if I lost momentum for an instant, I would stop altogether. Maybe you feel the same way - you get two months in, you skip a week due to illness or tiredness, and then after that, you don't got back because now you have missed a week. What you need to do is forgive yourself for that lapse, and in fact even celebrate it sometimes. When I wake up in the mornings feeling too lazy to exercise, it is usually a sign that I have some illness coming on. I've learned to pay attention to it and rest. In the times when I didn't, I got sick. My point is, allow yourself some slack - if you take a week off, try again next week.

 

[Muse]

This is a great, great thread! The last 3 posts are particularly awesome and well worth re-reading.

Edit: I'm sure music has been mentioned. I always bring my cell phone to the gym and listen with good earbuds (they have excellent fidelity and also block out the noise, which can be substantial). Music energizes and inspires me. I think upwards of 80% of the people I see in the gym are also listening to music. Myself, I don't fiddle with my phone, I see a lot of people doing that. I've got a long-time worked out, kind of choreographed set of exercises and stretches that I go through, a routine. I make sure I hit all aspects of it every time I hit the gym (every other day unless circumstances have prevented that). Sometimes people are on equipment that I want to use and I rearrange the order of things, but I make sure I hit it all. There are relatively rare days when I have a serious time constraint and whittle down my routine some to accommodate that, but that doesn't change my commitment.

 

[SNC]

I'm 4 months away from 40 and my next race I'll officially be in the "masters" division for many events.

Wait until you have to put a 2a after masters.

 

[SNC]

While I think I'm an odd duck in this regard I love the workout, most do not, it's the results that keep ost people coming back. Drop most of the cardio and start lifting weights. One day your look in the mirror and see a bump here or there and fixate on it. From there it's a slippery slope into the lifestyle. I just came back from a meet in Hubbard OH where on of our guys pulled a state record deadlift for his age/weight 66kg class, teen 2, 197.5 kg lift. He didn't like working out either when he started, it was after see saw what was happening that he wanted to keep working. You just need some time under the bar. Loose the headphones and find some people at the gym you can get with to lift, it'll come give it a chance.

 

[Muse]

I used to be a runner. Had a chinup bar in a doorway, a set of weights, but my main deal was running... most days I'd run the streets for miles. I developed plantar faciitis in one foot and the sports clinic I went to the receptionist suggested I swim instead. I started doing that daily, was soon up to a mile/day and after a few months of that I went "why not two?" From that day on I was 2 miles/day. I'd take splits on my watch at 1/2 mile intervals.

One day I hit the weight room at the gym before going in the pool and my GF goes "oh, oh!" Yeah, I got the bug and I was soon in the weight room every day before my 2 miler. And I was 7 days a week, an hour and a half in the weight room and then 50-55 minutes in the pool whacking out those two miles, tossing the slow swimmers to the side.

Yes, it's a life style. I'm every other day now in the gym and I skate or bike to/from the gym. Injuries slowed me down, but I'm still 100% committed. I'm absolutely a list guy, but I never have to put my workout on my list. I know.

 

[Mad_Roger]

My issues with my back guaranteed me every day with work out. If i stop, the pain will return quite hard.

 

[Muse]

My issues with my back guaranteed me every day with work out. If i stop, the pain will return quite hard.

In my experience there is no other way to prevent back issues than engaging in a regular proactive program, and I do mine in the gym. Most of the exercises and stretches I do I got from either physical therapists or my yoga/pilates instructors.... and I've stuck with them. Most all of the guys I see my age look as though they live in fear that they'll throw their back out any minute but I'm not like that. I have a lot of confidence and it's fun being fit.

 

[Ferrari355]

I don't need anything to keep me motivated because I love working out. I have a barbell set, bench/squat rack and kettlebells in my spare bedroom so I can lift when ever I want. And I have a physically demanding job.

 

[colonel]

I started to run outside weekly after I left the army, I used to run with my platoon outside long days and miles, working out with those buddies gave me a lot of motivation. Nowdays in the 40 's I m still running outside without missing a day, it helps a lot mentally, physically and emotionally getting a sweat.

 

[SNC]

I wonder if the OP has gained anything from the posts here?

 

[Muse]

I started to run outside weekly after I left the army, I used to run with my platoon outside long days and miles, working out with those buddies gave me a lot of motivation. Nowdays in the 40 's I m still running outside without missing a day, it helps a lot mentally, physically and emotionally getting a sweat.

I used to do that but a foot problem put the end to it and I took up swimming. Take care of your feet. Quality shoes, and don't forget requisite stretching. A good foot doctor, if you need one.

 

[Denithor]

Ketogenic diet + intermittent fasting = weight loss with no exercise
If you can throw in some exercise (of any kind) it's a bonus.

BTW, I run for an hour every day on elliptical at the gym. The only way I make it through that ordeal is with music (very long, upbeat playlist) and books (Kindle app on phone).

 

[PeterScott]

Every time I start, I last maybe two months max, and then I burn out.

Its always the same. I just.. quit. I can only fight this uphill battle for so long before I cannot take it anymore. It doesn't get easier or better with time. Working out is always tedious, boring and painful.

Try to find some enjoyable outdoor physical activities and do those instead. Hiking, biking, or even brisk walking.

I love hiking, jogging, cycling, but I consider doing aerobics indoors more like penance/punishment. The same effort that feels like torture on an indoor hamster wheel, feels joyous outdoors in the real world to me. Google around for some hiking/biking/green trails and check them out.

For life fitness I would aim to always have at least 2 aerobic and 2 Resistance activities/week. The resistance can be using you gym membership to pump some iron, or setting up a home gym and/or some body-weight calisthenics.

Do a mix of outdoor aerobic activities, and some resistance training a couple of times a week each and you will have a variety that will get less stale, and benefits your overall fitness more.

Note, the aim of the above is not weight loss, it may help, but the real goal of exercise/activities is keeping well rounded fitness as you age.

It is generally accepted that diet is the bigger part of the weight loss equation. If doing some mix of life sustainable aerobic/resistance activities each week doesn't help with your weight issue. It is time to look rationally at your food.

Just start honestly monitoring what you eat in Cronometer, and make some sensible adjustments.

 

[Ackmed]

Watching my wife do certain exercises helps keep me motivated to go to the gym.

 

[djryanash]

Every time I start, I last maybe two months max, and then I burn out.

Its always the same. I just.. quit. I can only fight this uphill battle for so long before I cannot take it anymore. It doesn't get easier or better with time. Working out is always tedious, boring and painful.

I can never be "in the moment" and just enjoy what I am doing. I keep looking at the clock to see how soon I can leave the gym and go home to play video games. I feel like a hamster in the wheel on that elliptical or a treadmill fighting against the pain and tedium that always strikes me after about 10 minutes.

I tried to listen to music, but eventually I get sick and tired of the same music and there's only so much music I like. If I am not distracted, I start thinking while I'm working out. I think about the futility of it all, the tedium, the pain, and eventually it gets to me.

There was this one time where I stuck with it for two whole months, 40 min cardio 5 days a week every week. I lost like 20 lbs and halved my belly, but still quit later because it was just all too boring and too mundane.

I tried to vary it. Something like bike one day, elliptical the other, and so on. The weights are kind of pointless in my particular case, since I don't care for gaining muscle. I only want to lose weight and the belly. Yes, I understand weight burn calories too, but cardio is usually more effective for weight loss.

How do you stick with your routine? how do you keep yourself from quitting? After work, I just want to drop on the couch like a bag of potatoes, eat, play some games and pass out to go to work the next day all over again.

I am 35, and I feel like I have no energy, and it's only getting worse. I am 5'9" and I weigh 220 lbs so I am way, way overweight for my height.

Hey,

Have you managed to sort out your motivation yet?

GOD - people of this thread are really mean!!!

Anyway, if you still need help and/or are still interested in losing weight, I have some ideas.

 

[highland145]

GOD - people of this thread are really mean!!!

They're just haters. All of 'em, haters.

 

[techcrush78]

Start slow and small. Don't try and jump into a hardcore routine at the beginning. Also, finding an activity that naturally incorporates exercise makes it a lot more fun

 

[BarneyBunch]

Wow this thread has a lot of great advice. I'm working at a desk job for 8 hours a day, so trying to fit some workouts into my schedule is a priority for me to keep my health in check. I think the hardest times to find motivation (for me) to workout is when something doesn't happen right at work. When there is problems with our clients, I always seem down when I clock out of work. When things are going great though, I'm happy and feel more positive about my workouts. I've just sort of had to force myself to go even when I don't want to. The motivation isn't quite there, but it's something I know needs to be done.

 

[ibex333]

I wonder if the OP has gained anything from the posts here?

Hopefully.


I am trying to get back into it now. Some days I actually get out there and do some brisk walking for an hour, but that's just about the most I was able to do so far.

Wow this thread has a lot of great advice. I'm working at a desk job for 8 hours a day, so trying to fit some workouts into my schedule is a priority for me to keep my health in check. I think the hardest times to find motivation (for me) to workout is when something doesn't happen right at work. When there is problems with our clients, I always seem down when I clock out of work. When things are going great though, I'm happy and feel more positive about my workouts. I've just sort of had to force myself to go even when I don't want to. The motivation isn't quite there, but it's something I know needs to be done.

Same exact thing here. 8 hour sitting job, and then an hour to get back home. By the time I get home, I hate the whole world and myself. But I guess that's besides the point. Gotta push through somehow.

 

[Mai72]

Wow this thread has a lot of great advice. I'm working at a desk job for 8 hours a day, so trying to fit some workouts into my schedule is a priority for me to keep my health in check. I think the hardest times to find motivation (for me) to workout is when something doesn't happen right at work. When there is problems with our clients, I always seem down when I clock out of work. When things are going great though, I'm happy and feel more positive about my workouts. I've just sort of had to force myself to go even when I don't want to. The motivation isn't quite there, but it's something I know needs to be done.

IMO, working out the body is super important but what about woring out your brain? The two (body and brain) are connected. When I work out I'm calmer. I feel better and i'm more confident because I stuck to my goal. Now, add a 5m meditation session and I feel amazing. I'm present, and more focused. So many benefits when you add the two: working out and meditation.