How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated?
Discussion
Right, I'd like to lose some weight ready for my forthcoming holiday in July. I'm one of these sorts of people that gets motivated to go and do something, like go for a run, and I'll do that for a week or so, and then just lose interest and won't be bothered to go.
I have addressed my diet over the last few days, and cut out most of the rubbish, but now I need help to stay motivated! I'm not massively fat, but want to become a bit slimmer to show some of the muscles I actually do have hiding! Maybe I just need to tone up a bit? Joining a gym may be a bit difficult to do due to finances at the moment, so anything I can do at home is definitely the way to go! I did try the insanity workout stuff, but not being too fit anyway, it might have been a bit too much!
So, how do I keep the motivation up? How do I carry it on?!
I have addressed my diet over the last few days, and cut out most of the rubbish, but now I need help to stay motivated! I'm not massively fat, but want to become a bit slimmer to show some of the muscles I actually do have hiding! Maybe I just need to tone up a bit? Joining a gym may be a bit difficult to do due to finances at the moment, so anything I can do at home is definitely the way to go! I did try the insanity workout stuff, but not being too fit anyway, it might have been a bit too much!
So, how do I keep the motivation up? How do I carry it on?!
If you are training by yourself that can be difficult. A mate to train with always increases chances of sticking with it.
Also personally I have found you need to keep training for 2 weeks minimum before your body begins to adapt to exercise and you begin to see results.
Good luck with it.
Also personally I have found you need to keep training for 2 weeks minimum before your body begins to adapt to exercise and you begin to see results.
Good luck with it.
Thats quite a good shout actually. I'll have to try and find someone to go with as I've just moved to a new area where I don't know anyone!
The other thing I was going to do was walk to work as well. I walked it earlier this evening to see how long it would take and it's just over half an hour, so I will hopefully keep that going as well as its somewhere I have to go! Does walking actually do anything though?!
I want to put in the time to get thinner, but I wish there was an easier way sometimes!
The other thing I was going to do was walk to work as well. I walked it earlier this evening to see how long it would take and it's just over half an hour, so I will hopefully keep that going as well as its somewhere I have to go! Does walking actually do anything though?!
I want to put in the time to get thinner, but I wish there was an easier way sometimes!
Edited by expensivegarms on Wednesday 7th January 22:10
Enter an event, whether that's a run, distance walk, cycle event or swim event. Suddenly you've got a goal. Tell everyone you're doing it (stops you backing out) and see if you can persuade someone else to do it with you. You don't need to train with them but someone to have training banter and competition with and again stops you backing out. Perhaps do it for a charity.
A good (if a little sweary) answer here: http://imgur.com/sM00I9Q
It's mostly diet to lose the flab anyway. So put the cake down, fatso.
It's mostly diet to lose the flab anyway. So put the cake down, fatso.
Hoofy said:
It's the same motivation for someone who wants to be a lawyer or whatever. What motivates you to get something done, whatever it is?
To be honest, money is the motivator usually! However on this occasion, money won't work. I'm going to look into doing a 5k fun run, so if I'm raising money for something else that's probably going to do the trick!grumbledoak said:
A good (if a little sweary) answer here: http://imgur.com/sM00I9Q
It's mostly diet to lose the flab anyway. So put the cake down, fatso.
Thank you for the link, very useful. No cakes for me for a while, thankfully! I specifically said to people who asked what I'd like for Christmas 'no chocolate or cakes!' Which seems to have worked well. I now have a mountain of chocolate and cake which I'm trying to give away to colleagues at the moment!It's mostly diet to lose the flab anyway. So put the cake down, fatso.
I'm just starting on this really, but at the moment there are a couple of things which are motivating me which you might not have necessarily thought about. Both are free mobile phone apps!
'Pacer' app- counts and logs how many steps you walk every day, and the subsequent calorie burn. Walking makes a surprisingly big difference and it is exactly the kind of low intensity long duration activity which is perfect for fat burn. If I look at it at the end of the day and I've only done 6,000 steps that day I really want to do better the next day for fear of bringing my average down!
'MyFitnessPal' app- syncs with pacer and gives me a calorie consumption target based on knowing some basic parameters about me and how much I want to lose. It has a huge database of foods so I can always just select what I've eaten from the list rather than having to constantly weigh stuff and check labels. Also your calories burned from Pacer are added to your daily target so you know what the net effect of your diet and exercise combined is. Every day you either fail or suceed to meet your target, and when you have entered your daily food (which is much less of a pain than I thought it'd be) the app projects how much weight you could theoretically lose if you keep it up for e.g. 8 weeks.
'Pacer' app- counts and logs how many steps you walk every day, and the subsequent calorie burn. Walking makes a surprisingly big difference and it is exactly the kind of low intensity long duration activity which is perfect for fat burn. If I look at it at the end of the day and I've only done 6,000 steps that day I really want to do better the next day for fear of bringing my average down!
'MyFitnessPal' app- syncs with pacer and gives me a calorie consumption target based on knowing some basic parameters about me and how much I want to lose. It has a huge database of foods so I can always just select what I've eaten from the list rather than having to constantly weigh stuff and check labels. Also your calories burned from Pacer are added to your daily target so you know what the net effect of your diet and exercise combined is. Every day you either fail or suceed to meet your target, and when you have entered your daily food (which is much less of a pain than I thought it'd be) the app projects how much weight you could theoretically lose if you keep it up for e.g. 8 weeks.
BritishRacinGrin said:
I'm just starting on this really, but at the moment there are a couple of things which are motivating me which you might not have necessarily thought about. Both are free mobile phone apps!
'Pacer' app- counts and logs how many steps you walk every day, and the subsequent calorie burn. Walking makes a surprisingly big difference and it is exactly the kind of low intensity long duration activity which is perfect for fat burn. If I look at it at the end of the day and I've only done 6,000 steps that day I really want to do better the next day for fear of bringing my average down!
'MyFitnessPal' app- syncs with pacer and gives me a calorie consumption target based on knowing some basic parameters about me and how much I want to lose. It has a huge database of foods so I can always just select what I've eaten from the list rather than having to constantly weigh stuff and check labels. Also your calories burned from Pacer are added to your daily target so you know what the net effect of your diet and exercise combined is. Every day you either fail or suceed to meet your target, and when you have entered your daily food (which is much less of a pain than I thought it'd be) the app projects how much weight you could theoretically lose if you keep it up for e.g. 8 weeks.
Is there a way to turn pacer off? I record bike rides on Strava and wouldn't want to 'double count' as it were'Pacer' app- counts and logs how many steps you walk every day, and the subsequent calorie burn. Walking makes a surprisingly big difference and it is exactly the kind of low intensity long duration activity which is perfect for fat burn. If I look at it at the end of the day and I've only done 6,000 steps that day I really want to do better the next day for fear of bringing my average down!
'MyFitnessPal' app- syncs with pacer and gives me a calorie consumption target based on knowing some basic parameters about me and how much I want to lose. It has a huge database of foods so I can always just select what I've eaten from the list rather than having to constantly weigh stuff and check labels. Also your calories burned from Pacer are added to your daily target so you know what the net effect of your diet and exercise combined is. Every day you either fail or suceed to meet your target, and when you have entered your daily food (which is much less of a pain than I thought it'd be) the app projects how much weight you could theoretically lose if you keep it up for e.g. 8 weeks.
expensivegarms said:
Hoofy said:
It's the same motivation for someone who wants to be a lawyer or whatever. What motivates you to get something done, whatever it is?
To be honest, money is the motivator usually! However on this occasion, money won't work. I'm going to look into doing a 5k fun run, so if I'm raising money for something else that's probably going to do the trick!
Right, just weighed myself, down 6lbs to 13.4 stone in just over a week! Seems rather quick to me... Have been walking to work and back again since Thursday, changed my diet massively and drank a small countrys worth of water (or what it feels like; in reality it's about 2 litres a day). It's quite nice seeing a lower number on the scales!
It's more a change from things like instead of buying a kebab on Friday night, I made a home made one, and had it without chips, and with a wholemeal pitta instead of a white one. Enjoying the walking to work, feeling good after it, and I actually feel like work is a bit easier as well. Will keep updated though, you never know, my motivation may drop again!
As others have said, habit and routine is key. JFDI.
Once you're out running / swimming / at the gym / whatever you'll be fine. The thought of going when you are lacking desire is always worse.
Without fail, I always feel miles better once I've completed a workout, so I just remind myself of that.
Once you're out running / swimming / at the gym / whatever you'll be fine. The thought of going when you are lacking desire is always worse.
Without fail, I always feel miles better once I've completed a workout, so I just remind myself of that.
http://www.fetcheveryone.com/
I found this site useful when I started running; I'm not sure if it is still rated by runners. As someone said above, keep forcing yourself until you are actually looking forward to going out for a run. It'll all be so easy then.
I found this site useful when I started running; I'm not sure if it is still rated by runners. As someone said above, keep forcing yourself until you are actually looking forward to going out for a run. It'll all be so easy then.
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