How to get motivation to exercise, Help!!!

[Evadne]

Joined gym 2 years ago and was very disciplined going there 4-5 times a week. After achieving my goal, cut down to 3x a week. For the past 2 months, i didn't even go a single day  sad.gif How do the regular gym goers motivate yourself to go?.

Edited August 27, 2016 by Evadne

[thai3]

Never been in a gym in my life, I imagine promise yourself a treat when the torture is over

[Duff]

You have to make it a habit.

 

Habit forming consists of 3 steps:

1- trigger => 2- routine => 3- reward

 

The routine in your case is going to the gym.

 

You have to find a trigger, a cue that will remind you, trigger in you the need/the action of going to the gym. It could a specific alarm on your phone, or seeing your sweat pants on the table, or whatever that will remind you that it's time to go to the gym

 

Then the reward part is of utmost importance. You have to find something really enjoyable that you will make you want to go to the gym.

It could be watching a new movie on your tablet every time you're a the treadmill at the gym, or buying new clothes (if you have the money ;-) right after a work out, or seeing friends, or whatever is pleasurable for you so that your brain will associate pleasure with going to the gym.

 

The plasticity of our brain then creates new neural pathways which alter the way we think and act.

Studies show that for a new habit to sink in, you must do it for at least 21 days in a row.

 

Also, to make things easier, you might have to change your environment. Indeed, if you want to quit smoking, it'll be much easier if there are no cigarets around, and no one who smokes.

For instance in your case, putting your running shoes and gym clothes on, will of course make it easier for you to want to go to the gym. Having many photos of women/men in great shape on your walls can also help. There are many hacks to improve your environment.

 

I also suggest you read "The Power of Habits" by Charles Duhigg and "The Happiness Advantage" by Shawn Achor.

 

 

[Rob13]

Pretty simple really. If the end results are important to you'll make the effort. If you really don't care you'll do it for awhile and quit.

[Jack Mountain]

They say willpower is like a muscle. You have to train it ... Just force yourself to exercise and after some weeks it will be routine again ... even addictive.

[ClutchClark]

7 minutes ago, Jack Mountain said:

They say willpower is like a muscle. You have to train it ... Just force yourself to exercise and after some weeks it will be routine again ... even addictive.

 

Thats it really...just start out slow with a goal of remining injury free. 

 

The results will come and you will have motivation to continue and slowly you will have a new lifestyle.

 

Pretty great.

[daveAustin]

Have another goal; getting fitter/bigger/more ripped/heavier lifts, whatever.

[ClutchClark]

57 minutes ago, Duff said:

You have to make it a habit.

 

Habit forming consists of 3 steps:

1- trigger => 2- routine => 3- reward

 

The routine in your case is going to the gym.

 

You have to find a trigger, a cue that will remind you, trigger in you the need/the action of going to the gym. It could a specific alarm on your phone, or seeing your sweat pants on the table, or whatever that will remind you that it's time to go to the gym

 

Then the reward part is of utmost importance. You have to find something really enjoyable that you will make you want to go to the gym.

It could be watching a new movie on your tablet every time you're a the treadmill at the gym, or buying new clothes (if you have the money ;-) right after a work out, or seeing friends, or whatever is pleasurable for you so that your brain will associate pleasure with going to the gym.

 

The plasticity of our brain then creates new neural pathways which alter the way we think and act.

Studies show that for a new habit to sink in, you must do it for at least 21 days in a row.

 

Also, to make things easier, you might have to change your environment. Indeed, if you want to quit smoking, it'll be much easier if there are no cigarets around, and no one who smokes.

For instance in your case, putting your running shoes and gym clothes on, will of course make it easier for you to want to go to the gym. Having many photos of women/men in great shape on your walls can also help. There are many hacks to improve your environment.

 

I also suggest you read "The Power of Habits" by Charles Duhigg and "The Happiness Advantage" by Shawn Achor.

 

 

 

 

Strongly agree. 

 

http://charlesduhigg.com/how-habits-work/

[robblok]

Been working out for years and have had my bad periods too. In the end its just about doing it. The moment you start skipping (without real good reason) you will end up not training at all.

 

Like so many have said make a habit out of it. Best thing IMHO is to have a training buddy who is of similar strength that is how I started. We motivated each-other.

 

For me the rewards come from looking good feeling full of energy and getting attention from the other sex without having to pay for it.  Also even though I hate cardio (more a weight lifter) after I done a good row I get quite a high from endorphins. Feels real good. I don't get that feeling from lifting weights.  

[mamypoko]

Thinking is my problem. "I don't want to jog, I don't want to exercise". And when I'm already running, "I want to stop, I want to go home"... My solution?

Audiobooks. I don't go to the gym, but hitting the track with a good book makes

it so much easier. I look forward to it.

 

Good luck!

[robblok]

3 minutes ago, mamypoko said:

Thinking is my problem. "I don't want to jog, I don't want to exercise". And when I'm already running, "I want to stop, I want to go home"... My solution?

Audiobooks. I don't go to the gym, but hitting the track with a good book makes

it so much easier. I look forward to it.

 

Good luck!

That is one that i might use on longer less intensive cardio. Thanks I can use that one.

[ClutchClark]

6 minutes ago, mamypoko said:

Thinking is my problem. "I don't want to jog, I don't want to exercise". And when I'm already running, "I want to stop, I want to go home"... My solution?

Audiobooks. I don't go to the gym, but hitting the track with a good book makes

it so much easier. I look forward to it.

 

Good luck!

 

If you live in BKK then run Lumpini in the early mornings.

 

So many people, so much a tivity you don't ever get bored.

[williamgeorgeallen]

you dont. you need to find exercise you enjoy. i like kiteboarding so i do that. some people like tennis or swimming. gym is not the best for cardio anyway. getting an electric bike is a great idea and use it as your transport. pedal when you want to work up a sweat and use electric when you just want to go somewhere. cops leave you alone as well.

[NoshowJones]

In the morning before I go to the local exercise park, I just think how great it is when I finish exercising, to come into an AC room, and a good drink of water.

Also the great feeling of the shower.

[ClutchClark]

2 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

In the morning before I go to the local exercise park, I just think how great it is when I finish exercising, to come into an AC room, and a good drink of water.

Also the great feeling of the shower.

 

I am just guessing you don't often decide to do an extra lap when you are finishing your run ?

 

;-)

[marquis22]

Buy a bike and ride out around the Bans and rice paddies and see the countryside in slow motion instead of out of a car window.

[ClutchClark]

Remember to stay upbeat. Stay positive.

 

I use the weights at my hotel each morning and the trainers have a terrible habit of counting the reps of their clients in a tired and struggling voice.

 

Seeeeeveeeen.   Eeeeiiiigggghhhtttt. Uhhhhh. Nnniiiiiiiiinnnnnneeeee. 

 

It sends completely the wrong message to their client and anyone else in earshot. 

 

Focus on what s completed and not how far you have left to go.

 

Ttteeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnn. 

[rijit]

Joined gym 2 years ago and was very disciplined going there 4-5 times a week. After achieving my goal, cut down to 3x a week. For the past 2 months, i didn't even go a single day  sad.gif How do the regular gym goers motivate yourself to go?.

Seems this is a regular ish pattern, start off ott, 5 times a week IS LIFE CHANGING/ dictating, then a slow realisation and ending up in a total withdrawal. Find an exercise that fits your life rather than dictates or over encroachs on it or if you like it go bac to the gym but dont let it rule/ dictate your life.

[NoshowJones]

3 minutes ago, ClutchClark said:

 

I am just guessing you don't often decide to do an extra lap when you are finishing your run ?

 

;-)

That's very true, I hate exercising, I have been doing it for years, but looking at the many fat Farang slobs sure keeps me motivated

as it would be my worst nightmare to look like them.

[churchill]

Join a keep fit class ..

 

I started Crossfit classes a few months back , and  really challenging and hard but you always see a few of the same faces  and meet others at each class and everyone encourages each other ..

 

lots of aches and pains but work through it ... 

[ThailandLOS]

Your body will not be able to sustain training without taking periods to rest. De-motivation can be a sign of that you need to take rest before you continue.

 

My recommendation would be to focus on e.g. 3 month training periods and take 1-1.5 month of rest in between. It doesn't mean doing nothing at all during resting periods, but not training anywhere close to your top capacity.

 

Don't know if your are doing weight lifting like me, but for this training periods of 3 months are optimal. Setting targets for each period and achieving them is motivation enough (together with not looking anything like the fat slob beer bellies, as mentioned by Possum

[fittobethaied]

Reverse psychology works for me!  The fear of loss is always a greater motivator than the joy of a reward. Last February 17th at 6:15 in the morning I awoke with an irregular heartrate of 150 and a blood pressure reading of 200/125.  I rushed myself to the ER where they stabilized me after one hour, spent that night in the Cardiac Care Unit and was diagnosed with an atrial flutter episode. I could easily have died that morning! I immediately changed my eating habits, gave up all caffeinated drinks (never have smoked and gave up the booze 24 years ago), started exercising daily and after 5 months lost 12 kilos and have kept it off. I have no trouble at all now to keep my new daily regimen of lifestyle changes.  All I have to do is remember back to laying on that hospital gurney in the ER and the fear I experienced when I thought my heart was going to stop or explode at any moment. 

 

If my story doesn't motivate you, then take a trip to the nearest large hospital and roam the CCU as if you're looking to visit a friend.  Just imagine yourself laying in one of those beds struggling to stay alive and believe me...your attitude and motivation to stay heathy and in shape will suddenly be awakened in a meaningful and lasting way.    

Edited August 27, 2016 by fittobethaied

[dundas]

It's horses for courses, in my opinion. What motivates you might not motivate me. 

 

Three weeks before major surgery I was told that the stronger my core muscles were, the better the operation's outcomes were likely to be.  You have never seen a more motivated person. I've been going to the gym for many years, but exercising the core has always been the most neglected part of my routine. For those three weeks, though, I was very motivated (I'll do anything in the short term to avoid long term pain); I went every second day without fail, and I did make serious progress - in any event I doubt I could have kept up the intensity of those sessions for much longer. In the end I thought of the surgery as a respite from all the exercise. 

 

My original motivation in joining a gym was that I wanted to be bigger and stronger. That was a long time ago, and for many years it's because I know I have the kind of body that needs exercise. Use it or lose it. Plus to the greatest extent possible I want to stay away from doctors, and exercise and diet are key parts of helping me avoid a lot to so-called lifestyle diseases. 

 

There are all kinds of tricks that have specific application - for instance, instead of counting reps from one to 12 (say), a personal trainer had me count down, 12, 11, 10 .... all the way to one. Somehow it was easier that way. 

 

I wouldn't be keen on just eating potatoes or just eating rice,  I don't enjoy eating just one food, and similarly when it comes to exercise I don't want just one form of exercise. Variety really does make a difference, so I go to not just the gym, but also any other kind of exercise I enjoy --  cycling and swimming, qi gong and yoga. 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2016 by dundas

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

Get a buddy to go with you or start to play a team sport or a sport in a group (squash or badminton) and do your workout before or after the group sport.

[TKDfella]

6 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

 

Strongly agree. 

 

http://charlesduhigg.com/how-habits-work/

I w/o every day and never use a gym and I've been doing it for many years, but everyone to his own, if you need to go some where to w/o, fine. The post above is correct but here's a couple of other points. Start off with a routine that you can keep up when you're not feeling 100%, or work gets in the way etc. Then you can increase, if you wish, to accommodate what other things you need to do throughout the day. My ' trigger' is trying to keep reasonably fit and my routine became into a part of my life years ago. Discipline is something else you need to 'train'. You have to learn to say no to what may seem an 'irresistible' offer; When you are feeling a bit 'down' let the discipline kick in and w/o, even if it's not your usual pace or duration. Change the content of your w/o from day to day so that by the end of the week you've just exercised every muscle, ligament and joint. You might also want to purchase a book about athletic activity (like Athletic Ability & the Anatomy of Motion) and teach yourself about some of the simple mechanics, names of muscles etc. It's all part of the exercise world. Good luck

[DSJPC]

A heart attack will be a super motivator!...I guarantee it...

[ClutchClark]

Just now, DSJPC said:

A heart attack will be a super motivator!...I guarantee it...

 

Amen.

 

It will get a guy to wuit boozing. Quit smoking. Start exercising.

[Rod Gold]

Every time I feel the urge to exercise, I recline on the couch until it passes.  Works for me.  Stress free and happy as can be.

[gandalf12]

Look in therror mirror and compare what you see with what you were before

[Deepinthailand]

8 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

 

Strongly agree. 

 

http://charlesduhigg.com/how-habits-work/

If you have to read a book to motivate yourself then I suggest you dont bother.

How a book can motivate you is beyond  me. Yes I love a good book to read but for motivation!!!!