Wheres my Motivation people?

WhiteWashMan

it recently struck me that going to the gym is much like giving up cigarettes in reverse.

with smoking, we all know that its horrible, its smelly, it does us no good, millions of people every year die from it, and its getting very expensive these days, and yet people still do it. hell, i did it for far too long.

with the gym, its good for you, it costs me 40 quid a month (8 days worth of fags when i smoked) it makes you feel better physically, it gives you self confidence, it increases your sex appeal, it makes you able to think more clearly, you look better. and yet its so hard to motiate yourself to go to the gym.

why is this?

what can i do to get off my ass and get to the gym more often?

i actually enjoy myself while im there, i have my opwn music, i like the feeling of pushing myself, the feelings i get afterwards.
who do people who work a busy day motivate themselves to get to the gym?

do you have a routine that you follow religiously? do you only go at certain times? how do you shape it into your life, or is it really a case of shaping other things around going to the gym.
im not talking about the people who train for marathons or triathlons here, im talking about normal people who work a long day and enjoy a pint. where the gym is not top of the priority list, and if someone invited you out of r apint, the gym would probably get put off.

what makes you say 'a pint sounds good, but lets make it at 8 instead of 7 coz im gonna work out...'?

yermandan

oh man its the hardest question of ALL.

here's my 2 cents anyway..

the reasons you listed i.e. feeling great afterwards,pushin yerself,better self confidence,more selfconfidence etc etc,these are all brilliant reasons and its just a matter of,as you said, prioritising what you want more in life.
If you value these reasons you said, then you have to make sure the level of importance you put in these things reflects in your daily actions.I mean if you can already write the exact reasons that you SHOULD be going to the gym, then its just a matter of kickin yerself in the ass and doin it.I know its not easy but its the only way.The first few weeks are hard but then it really does become a routine and over time,like cigarrettes, your body actually craves it because it's addicted!!!I'm on a day off from the gym today but i really wanna go because i feel like i'm missin out on a good work-out!!!!

If you have a problem while in the gym,just listen to really loud music and try to for get what you are doing really, like just do the work out without thinking and before you know it its over!!!!!!!

As regards tryin to work the gym into a busy lifestyle, its a matter of sitting down and writing down your priorities.If you keep those priorities to the forefront of your mind for as long as it takes until it becomes routine and you find yerself doin it without thinkin about it at all.....

But what do i know!!!!Reading back on my post it does sound like a load of cliches but i'm speaking from recent experience so i hope i was at least some help....

JUST DO IT :cool:

nesf

Personally, I have always found that I "need" a gym partner. Aside from all the useful things that some with having someone to train with, it was more that if I had someone to remind me and to get me in there it was good.

I still do go in on my own, but I make far less sessions in a week if my partner isn't around to text me or ring me about going.

Easier for me to "motivate" myself when another person is doing the same thing. Maybe I'm just strange though.

Eurorunner

Can identify with the motivation issue in getting the finger out initially - but find the same in that once there, its enjoyable, etc.

I suppose the reasons why we don't do the things we know we should is 'cos we don't want them bad enough?...or the down-side of not going is not causing us enough pain (right now) to get the finger out.

In my case, its part of a routine - and if my routine is fecked up, it screws up my fitness regime. I tend to do all or nothing - if i miss one training sess, i find it twice as hard to motivate myself to turn in.

At the moment, i have been layed up for a week with flu - and thats pissing me off cos my training was going well - but its a case of one step forward, two back sometimes. But then having fallen off the wagon, what else is there to do only crawl back on!
on that note, i'm going to log off and head for the gym!

tk123

I go in the morning before work. I used to do spinning but I'd be knackerd all day in work - now give myself a goal of say 5k - to either run/walk. This works best for me because I can push myself when I want or take it easy if i'm tired - when you're in a class you don't have the option!! I'll do a proper run 3 days a week and then do more walking than running on the 'rest days' - if i have a lie on on the rest day i feel knackered because i'm automatically waking up at 5:30 now so i jst go to the gym but take it easy!!! One of my main motivations is a cool shirt i bought that i'd like to shrink into also I like the idea of having a cool girlie six-pack so i'm doing plenty of cardio totry and burn the fat away!!!

poobum

im just addicted to the gym! motivation has never been a problem! i was a fat kid and started doing exercise to lose weight which was my motivation then but soon i got addicted to the endorphins i think because now i cant stop going!

Transform

Motivation generally works as follows:-

MOVING AWAY FROM GOAL -In life when changes are INITALLY made they are done to stop doing something or the fear of becoming worse e.g. giving up smoking because you hate the hacking cough, smell, increased chance of lung cancer, if its weight loss its normally due to the individual wanting to feel better about themselves and hate the way they look and feel.

The point - FIND A BIG ENOUGH MOVING AWAY FROM MOTIVATION OR GOAL to keep you going for the first few months (negative motivation) e.g. you will be wasting your money, you will feel even worse, you will kill yourself quicker and have less confidence. Remind your self of this possible pain regularly and once you have done this and established a good workout system. Mail us on your progress and i will give you another tip on how to then keep it up (obvious really).

We only make absolute changes when there is something to lose and everything to gain. This is why being pissed off or feeling terrible is sometimes the BEST source of motivation as it will drive you forward.