Motivation

littlefriend

Hi I'm not sure if there is a question here really just wondering does anyone else feel this way -
I've been quite a lot of exercise for the past three or four months say and rather than noticing any improvements in my physic I think I actually feel worse about how I look than I did before I started exercising. I do feel better as it helps with my mood which can get very low but its like now that I've started paying attention to my body all I can see is that it is awful.
What I'm wondering is - can you actually change your body - sure you can lose weight and all of that type stuff but it kind of seems that unless you've been taking care of yourself since day 1 then you are never going to have a good body [genetics etc aside].
So is it enough to do it to feel a bit better? I know its all about health etc but my main motivation is cosmetic to be honest.
This is a bit of a whingy post so sorry about that but I was wondering did anyone else ever feel like this and does it pass. I mean some days I'm wondering should I leave the house like this and then other days I feel great but at all times 100% of my body is covered. I can barely look in a mirror sometimes.
Christ don't someone move this to PI - I'd prefer it to be deleted

pirelli

littlefriend wrote: »

Hi I'm not sure if there is a question here really just wondering does anyone else feel this way -
I've been quite a lot of exercise for the past three or four months say and rather than noticing any improvements in my physic I think I actually feel worse about how I look than I did before I started exercising. I do feel better as it helps with my mood which can get very low but its like now that I've started paying attention to my body all I can see is that it is awful.
What I'm wondering is - can you actually change your body - sure you can lose weight and all of that type stuff but it kind of seems that unless you've been taking care of yourself since day 1 then you are never going to have a good body [genetics etc aside].
So is it enough to do it to feel a bit better? I know its all about health etc but my main motivation is cosmetic to be honest.
This is a bit of a whingy post so sorry about that but I was wondering did anyone else ever feel like this and does it pass. I mean some days I'm wondering should I leave the house like this and then other days I feel great but at all times 100% of my body is covered. I can barely look in a mirror sometimes.
Christ don't someone move this to PI - I'd prefer it to be deleted

Your diet and your period of rest must suit you exercise. You also should have a consistent routine. From what I remember your diet is essential. You must also discipline your exercise routines. Work on one part of your body one day and another part the next day.

Your Body likes the easy life and you have to reward it with a good diet and plenty or rest and this must be consistent and part of a routine.

Do you swim?

Hanley

You don't get a good body in 4 months unless you've already got a good one to begin with. Sorry!!!

It takes alot of consistent work to get a body that will stand out from the crowd.

If training makes you feel better, then keep doing it. I can't remember the amount of people I know who I turned on to training, or friends of mine that joined gyms that lifted weights for a few weeks and already began to carry themselves with a bit more pride/feel better about their bodies.

littlefriend

Hanley wrote: »

You don't get a good body in 4 months unless you've already got a good one to begin with. Sorry!!!

that isn't what I meant at all

pirelli

littlefriend wrote: »

that isn't what I meant at all

Do you swim as part of your new exercise routine.

VIS VIRES

If you are enjoying what your doing keep at it if you put in the work you will get to were you want to be.....

littlefriend

pirelli wrote: »

Do you swim as part of your new exercise routine.

No I don't swim. The only decent size pool near me is in J Skellies and I'd really rather not join there. sorry for this - just a bit disheartened atm

pirelli

littlefriend wrote: »

No I don't swim. The only decent size pool near me is in J Skellies and I'd really rather not join there. sorry for this - just a bit disheartened atm

It is better to be healthy than unhealthy just dont punish yourself. If you can cope with being unhealthy you can cope with being healthy. A healthy body is a healthy mind and vice versa. Being creative is far more rewarding to yourself than excerise. Excercise is just work for the body. You really only need twenty minutes of exercise a day to be at peak fittness. You are going to have to adjust for all the extra exercise and that might cause you to become depressed. At least your trying.

Hanley

pirelli wrote: »

You really only need twenty minutes of exercise a day to be at peak fittness.

What?

g'em

littlefriend wrote: »

sorry for this - just a bit disheartened atm

This happens to the best of us, don't worry. It is a long road though, so it's important to keep the bigger picture in mind.

I think one of the difficult things about embarking on a training program is that you'll actually tend to pay more attention to the things you don't like because you're making such a conscious effort to change them, and that can be really hard. By our very nature we all want big changes in the shortest amount of time possible - that's evident every time you Google "weight loss" or "fat loss": you get met with page after page of ads claiming to teach you how to lose 10lb in 3 days or gain 20lb of muscle in two weeks or 7 second abs/ arms/ superhero physiques (sorry Paul )

But here's the thing - right now what you are doing is laying foundations for the future. While the changes that you make might be slow coming, the effects of them are long-lasting. I love Transform's line that it takes a long time to get fat, so it doesn't take a short time to lose it and similarly once you've made all those positive changes it takes a long time to undo them.

I'm quite sure you have made some great progress so far, the problem is that the more you work hard, the higher your standards get. I started training four years ago and back then I just wanted to "tone up" (I know, I know ). But the more I read and the more I saw pictures of what training could do for me, the more idealistic my 'perfect figure' became and it stopped me from taking a step back every so often to allow myself to objectively look in the mirror and recognise just how far I'd come.

Heck, even when I skinnied myself down to ridiculously low levels of bodyfat I was still bemoaning a tiny, practically non-existant pocket of tummy fat on my belly, and practically ignored the fact that for the first time in my life I had non-tree-trunk-ish legs.

So....

littlefriend wrote:

What I'm wondering is - can you actually change your body

Absolutely, although sometimes it's more subtle than you think.

Those foundations that I referred to earlier will last for a lot longer than today and tomorrow; what they're doing is implementing long-term habitual behaviours that will stand to you for many years to come. You will automatically become more active and more aware of how your body feels. You'll begin to recognise that exercising = good moods and you'll actively seek that brilliant endorphin rush. You'll instinctually reach out for fruit, nuts and healthy snacks when you need to satisfy a craving. You'll increase your lean mass making it easier to lose fat and your metabolism will benefit.

Sure, genetics have a large part to play in some people being naturally "body beautiful", but for the rest of us honest hard work and a commitment to logn-term change will be all the more satisfying.

I promise you that it would be very hard to find anyone here who always has a perfect diet, who always has the perfect training plan, who always loves their body. Actually, it would probably be impossible. but at the end of the day, we all stick at it, because somewhere in the back of our minds we know that even though it might take a awhile, the results will be bloody well worth it. And heck, the endorphin rush along the way is worth it

Brian?

g'em wrote: »

This happens to the best of us, don't worry. It is a long road though, so it's important to keep the bigger picture in mind.

I think one of the difficult things about embarking on a training program is that you'll actually tend to pay more attention to the things you don't like because you're making such a conscious effort to change them, and that can be really hard. By our very nature we all want big changes in the shortest amount of time possible - that's evident every time you Google "weight loss" or "fat loss": you get met with page after page of ads claiming to teach you how to lose 10lb in 3 days or gain 20lb of muscle in two weeks or 7 second abs/ arms/ superhero physiques (sorry Paul )

But here's the thing - right now what you are doing is laying foundations for the future. While the changes that you make might be slow coming, the effects of them are long-lasting. I love Transform's line that it takes a long time to get fat, so it doesn't take a short time to lose it and similarly once you've made all those positive changes it takes a long time to undo them.

I'm quite sure you have made some great progress so far, the problem is that the more you work hard, the higher your standards get. I started training four years ago and back then I just wanted to "tone up" (I know, I know ). But the more I read and the more I saw pictures of what training could do for me, the more idealistic my 'perfect figure' became and it stopped me from taking a step back every so often to allow myself to objectively look in the mirror and recognise just how far I'd come.

Heck, even when I skinnied myself down to ridiculously low levels of bodyfat I was still bemoaning a tiny, practically non-existant pocket of tummy fat on my belly, and practically ignored the fact that for the first time in my life I had non-tree-trunk-ish legs.

So....
Absolutely, although sometimes it's more subtle than you think.

Those foundations that I referred to earlier will last for a lot longer than today and tomorrow; what they're doing is implementing long-term habitual behaviours that will stand to you for many years to come. You will automatically become more active and more aware of how your body feels. You'll begin to recognise that exercising = good moods and you'll actively seek that brilliant endorphin rush. You'll instinctually reach out for fruit, nuts and healthy snacks when you need to satisfy a craving. You'll increase your lean mass making it easier to lose fat and your metabolism will benefit.

Sure, genetics have a large part to play in some people being naturally "body beautiful", but for the rest of us honest hard work and a commitment to logn-term change will be all the more satisfying.

I promise you that it would be very hard to find anyone here who always has a perfect diet, who always has the perfect training plan, who always loves their body. Actually, it would probably be impossible. but at the end of the day, we all stick at it, because somewhere in the back of our minds we know that even though it might take a awhile, the results will be bloody well worth it. And heck, the endorphin rush along the way is worth it

Thats one hell of a motivational speach G'em. Nicely put.

sobriquet

OP, don't lose heart. I still have a spare tire to shift but I'm about as lean at the minute as I've ever been in my teens and adult life. Thing is, in terms of self image I still feel like the fat kid in school.

The mind can obviously take quite a long time to catch up to reality, especially if you've spent years developing a specific perception of yourself.

Great post Gem.

Tiriel

I'm at a lull at the moment too littlefriend - but don't let the lull form a complete reversal of what you have worked so hard for over the last few months.

The changes I saw were so small and took so long to achieve but when I got dressed up for a night out I KNOW I felt more confident than I did before I started eating and taking more care of my body/fitness. I am not going to go back to feeling crap and depressed that I'm doing nothing about it.

You have made the decision to change - don't let it slip! Get straight back in there and keep up your efforts. Nothing happens overnight, but dammit the knowledge that you are at least trying is a much better feeling than the guilt or depression of knowing you have done nothing at all!

Ruby-J

cork girl and littlefriend, i can totally empathise with you!

i have put on about 2 stone in the last 6 months and i used to walk so much and ive just got sooo lazy. i thought id be more motivated in the summer with the weather being better but i tend to just say "ah il do it tomorrow!"

I need to find some sort of motivation to keep up the walking and do swimming but i just need discipline and its hard to find when ur trying to keep fit, slim down or stay healthy on your own!!!

gabgab

"Ah stop whining...."

Quoting you, read what you put up on mine, and relay it to yourself. Your doing great, and the transform quote is spot on,

Chin up, and remember this. There are plenty of people that would not even try and go to a gym so keep going

littlefriend

Thanks a million everyone who replied. G'em you are so right - I think what it is is that I am focusing on each part of me more than before so I am more aware of my imperfections
As I write this I've just realised that I am wearing new jeans that are size 12 and I think they may be too big as they keep falling down. So something must be happening somewhere I guess.
I think, as I work out w/ a trainer that I don't really get to see my progress as in he just makes things harder every time. If I was going to a gym and using machines lets say then I would know if things were getting too light for me etc [the weights he uses are a weird box kind of thing that he can make heavier so I have no idea what I am lifting etc.
Anyway, thanks again - just needed a kick up the ass to cop myself on. G'em thank you for your long reply - must have taken you ages to type all that up!
And as for you gabgab I will deal with you later

ponygirl

I got some great help from posters here when I was feeling unmotivated a few weeks ago. Made me think a lot about why I was exercising and what I was trying to achieve.

I keep at it because I know I need the discipline, I feel more self respect when I work out hard, and I love feeling strong and lean and full of energy.
Plus I am dealing with some family stress and illness at the moment and exercise has somehow become my 'place to go' (kind of like therapy I guess)

And when I need motivation or feel lazy and down I
1. Read some of the fitness logs here (check out xebec's, I swear I have learnt life lessons as well as motivation from this, thx xebec )
2. Take a fun class - kickboxing/boxercise never fail to cheer me up, make me feel better
3. Go for a 30 min jog, promising that I don't have to beat any records (but usually get into it and try to push hard anyway)
4. Do it anyway, reminding myself that I have yet to think "well that was a wasted hour, could have spent that better channel surfing" after exercising.
5. Vanity. (Had to add this in the interest of honesty. I like fitting my jeans well & I like not having to wonder "what I can get away with" when I'm going out! Saves time and energy)