Motivation

by Sophie C

When I was younger, it was somewhat easy for me to stick to a plan. 15 years later, I'm having trouble staying motivated, and sticking with an exercise program. Can you tell me some sure-fire ways to get a habit going with exercise?

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Motivation to exercise
by: Dr. Dan

Sophie,

There is a little hill you have to get over when you start to exercise.

Most people that exercise a lot do it because they like it. When you are lean and healthy and strong it feels very good to exercise. It is not a chore. It is fun.

But when you are out of shape or you haven't been doing much activity your body rebels. It doesn't want to move. And when you do some exercise you don't feel good. So you stop.

Bodies at rest tend to stay at rest. Bodies in motion tend to stay in motion. This is true whether it is the sun and the moon or if it is someone sitting on the couch. But somehow you've got to get over that hurdle, or you'll gain more weight and your health will suffer.

Now, one thing to figure is how hard to exercise. If you exercise too hard you'll collapse. If you don't exercise hard enough you won't get anything out of it.

Most people are in this second group -- they don't get anything out of it. If you plod along on a treadmill 3 times a week it is not going to accomplish much.

So first, try to find something you think you might like. It could be walking, bike riding, handball, tennis or anything that might be fun.

Second, find somebody else to exercise with. You might not want to go exercise some day, but if they are waiting you'll be more likely to go.

Third, put it on your schedule. If Friday at 5:00 is your hour scheduled for walking up the hill and back, then you are more likely to do it. If you wait until you have time you'll never have time.

Fourth, as far as intensity, for cardio you can just pay attention to how hard you are working and breathing. There is something called the Borg Scale that can help you decide what is right for you.

The more you exercise the better you will look and the better you will feel.

Take a "before" picture -- do it today. Put it on your mirror.

Find a picture in a magazine of a body you would like to have -- one that you could actually accomplish. Put that on the mirror too.

Make a commitment to yourself that you are going to accomplish that in 3 months. And then do it!

You can, you know.

Good luck,

Dr. Dan

Best Solution
by: ADITYA ARORA

Motivation comes from inner self. You need to motivate yourself by planning out something that keeps you reminded of what you have planned. And if you don't feel like exercising, I have another piece of advice for you.

Try out, Yoga. Yoga is an ancient science. Its very easy and very effective. It will reduce your weight within weeks. Its easy to to do and keeps you fresh and active. You will soon observe the motivation inside you awakening.

Motivation for me
by: belle

I always come up with a reward for myself once I have reached that 15 lbs, a new dress, new shoes, etc something I really want. That helps me to stay on track and focus on losing the weight and what a wonderful treat it is to go by that new dress in a smaller size.

Other than that I use vacations, family events or holidays as a reward as well. I need to lose this weight to go to my sisters wedding I will not look like a beached whale.

Or I would like to look nice in the family picutres. Pick something that you are losing the weight for an event that you can say that I want to look good then I want to be healthy and at a good weight for my body build so that I will not hide from the camera etc.

Find something which you enjoy!
by: priyamvada

You are not alone who lack motivation for work outs. My answer is try something which you enjoy really. Do you like any sports? Like cricket,football,tennis.

Or do you have any hobby like dance? Its great way to keep yourself fit. When you enjoy something you don't need any motivation to do that.

If you have kids play with them. Take them to beach to play water games.

Do you have a pet? Take your pet with you for morning walk or jogging. Pets can be great company for such a things.

Another thing you can do is take your girlfriend or wife with you to the gym. Do exercise in pairs so you wont get bored!

Motivation
by: Anonymous

Motivation is simply defined as the "reason for an action". Motivation is "what drives you" to behave in a certain way. Motivation contains two steps.

The first one is "Decide what you want".

The second is "Think about why you want it".

Motivation is useful to improve our confidence and each and every person can have a confidence in his life. Then he can achieve more in his life.

For example :Three frogs sat on a log and one decided to jump off. How many frogs were left on the log?

Answer :Three.

Explanation: Although almost everyone answers "two," the correct answer is "three."

Just because the frog decided to jump off the log does not necessarily mean that it actually did it.

MOTIVATION
by: BALASUBRAMANIAN

MOTIVATION IS THE BASIC THING BY WHICH WE CAN DO ALL OUR WORK BETTER. SWAMI VIVEKANANDA SAYS "STRENGTH IS LIFE AND WEAKNESS IS DEATH". IN THIS WORLD A THING SURVIVES ONLY WHEN IT OPPOSES THE FUTURE AND OTHER BASIC THINGS TO SURVIVE. A CAT KILLS A RAT AND EATS IT THEN ONLY IT CAN SURVIVE. SO AS A HUMAN BEING YOU OUGHT TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF. YOU CAN SET A TARGET AND HANG IT ON THE WALL BEFORE YOU AND YOU CAN THINK ABOUT THE TIMES YOU HAD TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF AND DO BETTER. BY SETTING A REACHABLE TARGET YOU CAN GET MOTIVATED AND BY DOING MEDITATION DAILY YOU CAN DEVELOP YOUR CONCENTRATION. BY DOING YOGA ALSO YOU CAN GET FULL CONCENTRATION ON YOUR WORK.

Motivation tips
by: Ryan Rudy

I have the exact same problem! What I found really helped me to get and stay motivated was to find a friend who needed/wanted to work out around the same time that I could. When we made a certain time for us to meet, it was much harder for us to bail out.
Also, a few simple things that can help... Certain songs really motivate me to run faster or harder, so if I'm in a workout rut, I make a brand new playlist filled with songs that really get me pumped up. Also, even though it's superficial, when I wear cute workout gear, I'm more motivated to work out, plus..when I do work out, I work out harder!

Loving oneself is the first step towards motivation and get going
by: Mou Ghosh

The key to good living is loving ourselves first and foremost. That is the stepping stone towards increasing our self esteem and motivating ourselves to do things that would keep us healthy. We have to first realize this and this will lead to a healthy body and subsequently to a healthy living.

I used to find it very difficult as well, especially when I started it after a long break. Things were more difficult for I did not only put on much weight with a miserable BMI but also I was suffering from a low self esteem that was an offshoot of my family and professional hazards.

But, I thought, enough was enough! And started to get going with zest for I wanted to live gain. I was walking in the morning and walking on treadmill at home with happy music on. Beside, I stopped eating aerated drinks, fries and ice-creams. This was tough but my goal was to keep myself in shape and proactive no matter what. And also sometimes I would watch my favorite programs like ?Friends?. And trust me, time flew like anything! The sweat washed me of the pains and motivated me to a great extent.

Good luck!

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