What motivates you to exercise?

zaadee

So what motivates us on here to exercise, e.g. cycling or something? Music? Usually I need music haha. I never used to, getting spoiled now

I mean because I rock-climb I don't need to exercise anyway, and for those that play sports you won't need to reply to this thread But sometimes I just feel the need to exercise but can't be bothered

Vinnie K

zaadee wrote:

So what motivates us on here to exercise, e.g. cycling or something? Music? Usually I need music haha. I never used to, getting spoiled now

I mean because I rock-climb I don't need to exercise anyway, and for those that play sports you won't need to reply to this thread But sometimes I just feel the need to exercise but can't be bothered

Because you rock climb you dont need to exercise eh, why would you sometimes feel the need then??

AlphaMale 3OO

im motivated to look my best and to get out of the full on drinking culture that I used to be; and my friends still are, a part of. it seems the more i go to the gym the more i see what a state i used to be and what a state some of my friends have left themselves deteriorate to (mid 20's). some of them have body's 15 years before the should. droopy tits (males), dark circles under their eyes, constant tiredness from eating pizzas or "whatevers in the fridge". i decided one day to rise above all this. one side effect is that i find myself drifting ever so slightly away from them, the more I disagree with what they do. the only question seems to be "are you going out this weekend?" always looking for the next drink and questioning why I have seriously cut down on my own intake of alcohol. then they see me with my physique constantly improving and thats my motivation and pay-off as well as their realisation. very weird alright.

blow69

^^^Good motivation.Kinda in the same situation myself!

Colm_OReilly

forbesil,

Fair play to you for getting out of a drink culture. I still love socialising but I don't live for it. I find now that I enjoy myself more when I head out because it's not the highlight of my week - it's no longer the main course, just the cherry on the pie.

zaadee,

I'm motivated by the fact that everything I do is recorded. So I'm always competing against my Personal Best from the last time I tried something.

On another level, I live a very active life with coaching and I need to set an example for my athletes as well as have the energy to inspire them. Pushing myself and facing my pain/desire to quit really helps me motivate and coach my athletes.

BrianD3

What motivates me to exercise?

-endorphin, drug-like high and anti depressive effect
-look better
-more energy
-better sleep
-better digestion
-less sickness
-may live longer
-better sports performance
-sense of achievement and purpose
-a hobby in itself

Is that enough motivation for ya?

AlphaMale 3OO

Colm_OReilly wrote:

forbesil,

Fair play to you for getting out of a drink culture. I still love socialising but I don't live for it. I find now that I enjoy myself more when I head out because it's not the highlight of my week - it's no longer the main course, just the cherry on the pie.

I still go out and I haven't completely stopped drinking. I still think its quite important to enjoy but whereas I used to be a twice a week and maybe even three times a week goer outter, I am now more like once a month or just special occasions. i find myself counting the calories in pints ffs! is that wrong? I also believe that beating your own records is great motivation. particularly in deadlifts or something like that.

Boru.

Watching my father get increasingly over weight leading to a stroke and kidney failure is all the motivation I'll ever need.

Before that I wanted to be able to full express myself in any manner and that require complete mastery of the human body - hence I train to develop my 7 key attributes of fitness -

• Strength
• Flexibility
• Endurance
• Speed
• Balance
• Coordination
• Aesthetics

That's it.

crotalus667

What motivates me ?
The fact I don’t want to go back to the point where I get out of breath going up the stairs
The fact I hate the way my body looks
The fact that I want to do military service

And I have to say looking at pictures and clips of Pro bodybuilders , there’s nothing that gets me revved up for a set as much as remembering a clip of Ronnie Coleman using the phrase “Light Weight”:D

vespahead

ye im overweight but im droppin it since i joined the gym this summer and i get motivated by
-getting complements
-looking better
-the endorphins
-a good tune on the ipod
-going back to school
-bein able to wear nicer cloths then my usual tracksuits and baggy cloths,the gear ye can wear wen ur leaner nice shirts nd stuff
-no more man boobs uhh
-no more hating my body
-being able to take off my shirt when its gettin warm
-keeping up with the lads
-watching my muscles become more defined

siochain

future health, the buzz of training, the buzz competition and feeling so dame good afterwards,

Was going to take this afternoon off but after thinking about it I’m going to hit the gym….

Cheers

Boston

Had a stressful year which acted as a multiplier on my already poor life style. I , for the first time, got a glimpse of what I'll be like at 30 if I didn't change and it scared the **** out of me. So thats why I put in 5 days a week.

DAVE_K

To me not exercising is the equivalent of being given a ferrari and leaving it parked in the drive - EXCEPT WORSE.

You owe it to yourself (and to all those poor buggers who've been given less) to make the most of the body you've been given for this life.

Then there's the buzz you get when you're in the zone, say 30 minutes into a run and you're flagging but have some good tunes pumping in your ear pushing you on.

Or out surfing on a big wild day and it's keep paddling and duck diving or the ocean is going to take you.........it's just you..........and you're glad you've been doing your lengths of the swimming pool.

And finally the prospect that maybe I might be able to squeeze of few more years out of this life, or at least possibly cancel out some of the years of abuse I gave my body partying in my early twenties back when i thought I was invincible.

cavanmaniac

All of the above for me, but one that nobody has mentioned yet easily outweighs all the others put together and it is this:

The knowledge that to stop exercising now and let myself go would be a total waste of every sacrifice, every drop of sweat, every grit of the teeth and strain of my muscle that I've put myself through since joining the gym. That and the thoughts of starting from scratch all over again. No thanks, I think I'll just keep going to the gym!

g'em

zaadee wrote:

So what motivates us on here to exercise

Winning.

Sangre

these....*grates cheese on abs*

Kinetic^

g'em wrote:

Winning.

Yup:)

Dragan

Being better than Kenny......

In all seriousness, if i am honest, it's ego. I like being big, i like being strong, i like being in relatively decent shape.

justsomebloke

Dragan wrote:

Being better than Kenny......

hey you got out of bed this morning so you win:D

Kinetic^

It's all fun and games till I slap both of you upside the head!!!:mad:

ali.c

eh i dont know. I have almost always been active in one way or another. I had a year with little excercise though first year in college, too once i got back into being active it kind of stuck.
To keep motivated going to the gym and such is different though, i do it because its fun tbh.

justsomebloke

seeing my body change, the knowing that I am getting back to a weight that I thought I never wanted to be again but this not being worried as my body composition is so much different

Khannie

g'em wrote:

Winning.

Bingo!

Smellyirishman

In the gym, Aesthetics. Although I have grown to appreciate the plethora of things it's doing for me, if it wasn't changing my physique, I doubt I'd still be going.
I play GAA to win and for the release.

walt0r

Being strong. Looking good. And most importantly, scoring better women.

comad

What motivates me?

1) Better sports performance. Being able to run and run for 90minutes, having the strenght to hold up the ball or give a huge hit.
2) Getting comments from women about having a nice body is all the motivation I need. Its kinda a niche in this beer belly era
3) Its a hobby really. The whole fitness and nutrition is something I find myself reading about for ages.
4) That feeling when I walk out of the gym is amazing. That psyched/motivated feeling is amazing!!!

rubadub

Getting chased by cyclists in full gear on €2k bikes as I fly by on a mountain bike with a big bag on my back.

Being able to get good fitting clothes, and cheaper clothes in sales etc. I remember when I was fat thinking "why do they even stock 30 inch waist jeans, nobody can be that small", and now I fit in them. Also motivates me to keep it off, wont be throwing all the new clothes away.

Fitter, stronger & thinner than probably 90% of guys I know, those who are thinner are usually bags of scrawn.

Not sweating like an animal in the summer for no apparent reason.

Cheaper nights out!- small body means less booze needed.

#Smokey#

Just one thing. Enhanced stamina and strength for the ol' sex sessions with the Kama Sutra

girvtheswerve

The feeling of beating a pb whether its a five mile race or a bench press. i know that noone else can do it for me. working hard equals results-theres no magic formula and that makes it all the sweeter when those results come

AlphaMale 3OO

In addition to what I already said, I also want to avoid the shape a lot of guys these days have due to high glycemic/simple carb diets. You all know it: smooth pasty bodys, the beginnings of bitch tits, a pot belly. The fat skinny b@stard look. They look more like women than men. You dont need to be stacked but geez, just a little definition goes a long way. I'd nearly prefer to be a full on fat b@stard than one of the above.

Frank Bullitt

Whenever I catch a glimpse of a picture of myself from about 3 and a half years ago, I was nearly 19st at that point and only 18 myself, I got down to 12.5st and looked terrible like I was terminally ill.

Now im getting happy with myself which to me is the most important thing in the world.

AlphaMale 3OO

Gintonious wrote:

Whenever I catch a glimpse of a picture of myself from about 3 and a half years ago, I was nearly 19st at that point and only 18 myself, I got down to 12.5st and looked terrible like I was terminally ill.

Now im getting happy with myself which to me is the most important thing in the world.

Thats some good going.

agentgreen

Gintonious wrote:

Whenever I catch a glimpse of a picture of myself from about 3 and a half years ago, I was nearly 19st at that point and only 18 myself, I got down to 12.5st and looked terrible like I was terminally ill.

Now im getting happy with myself which to me is the most important thing in the world.

Fair F*cks man!!! I'm in the same boat as you, old pictures of myself motivate me. Oh and I want to be strong!

HardyEustace

1. that lovely feeling that if the whole day was a write off ... at least I've run 5/6/10/15 miles
2. getting into "the zone", running along and feeling happy
3. (on a superficial level) getting into newly washed jeans without feeling that the entire world is spilling out of your waist band
4. going to a wedding, dancing all night and realising that you've the stamina of a twenty year old when all your pals are saying that they've no energy left (mind you, the next challenge is trying to persuade people to stay up for onnneee more dance) (still a bit scarey to realise what a difference exercise can make).
5. feeling good about yourself, even if everything isn't perfect (but I'm sure that it never is)
6. forcing yourself out the door when it's lashing rain and enjoying a run in the rain (as I had to do tonight)
7. that feeling as you pass the finish line on your 5k/half marathon/marathon.
8. Having people pass you out in a race and they still smile at you and say "well done" and knowing that they appreciate and admire your effort, even though they're ten times better than you and then getting to do the same to someone else having difficulties and hoping that you've the same effect as the previous marathon angel that you encountered.

One memory I'll have from Dublin last year (my first marathon) is struggling at mile 17 (the bit just before the hill down by fosters avenue), I was on my last legs and about to give up, then I heard a solitary clap, I looked over and saw a women sitting on a step outside a house with a pair of crutches beside her. I suddenly realised how lucky I was to be running the marathon and also couldn't believe that someone who was on crutches would have enough good will and gratitude to applaude a marathon runner. I have to admit, shed a few tears at that point, picked up the pace and enjoyed every minute after...
(hope it doesn't sound partronising)

I was suddenly so conscious of the fact that I was so lucky to be running a marathon and for the reminder of the race (even though I couldn't feel from the knees down) kept chanting to myself " I'm living my dream, I'm living my dream".

I always thought that running a marathon was for "other people". To find out that a mere mortal like myself could do it, is still a delight to this day.

blow69

Reading all these posts gives me plenty motivation.They really do! Think ill go 4 a run now....

walt0r

HardyEustace wrote:

I have to admit, shed a few tears at that point, picked up the pace and enjoyed every minute after...
(hope it doesn't sound partronising)

I was suddenly so conscious of the fact that I was so lucky to be running a marathon and for the reminder of the race (even though I couldn't feel from the knees down) kept chanting to myself " I'm living my dream, I'm living my dream".

I always thought that running a marathon was for "other people". To find out that a mere mortal like myself could do it, is still a delight to this day.

Great to see a man with passion for waht he does. Keep up the good work, Amigo

HardyEustace

walt0r wrote:

Great to see a man with passion for waht he does. Keep up the good work, Amigo

Hey passion isn't only a male preserve! I'm actually of the female variety

Thanks for the good wishes walt0r...