What inspires you to exercise...

Ok as i am rather challenged in this area, i thought it might be fun to see what generally makes you get off your butt and get moving.

1. The fact i have a treadmill, that i am paying off to a friend(has certainly made me get on it and use it daily,sometimes a real effort, but one worthwhile.)

2.watching the biggest loser, infact i often tape it and watch it while on the treadmill, i reckon if they can do it, so can I, and I am much much smaller than they are, and they give it their all, yeah i know they have a lovely 250,000 dollar incentive, but still i admire their efforts, still hard slogger.

3.Just knowing it is beneficial to me, and in the long run i will be fitter and happier.

So how about you?

Honestly, I do not exercise nearly as much as I should. With school taking up most of my life, I barely have enough time to get adequate sleep. During any length of free time I might have, I usually spend that with my boyfriend. He goes to another school in another town, so I spend more than just an hour or two with him. I haven't been to the gym in who knows how long. Most of my daily exercise is jonting from dorm to class and back, and so forth. I take 3 flights of stairs numerous times a day, plus all of the stairs in my class buildings. On the weekends, I'm fairly active because I'm with my boyfriend without the hectic chaos of school. If I'm at home on the weekends, we're usually out doing something or iceskating, because it's free and he's avid about that sort of thing.

I use to have inspiration for exercise because it was just FUN for me. It let off SO much steam and stress for me, but now I just don't have the time. I wish I did. :(

I've had a gym membership for 2 years now and I rarely ever go! Usually what motivates me is to be part of a group. I'm not playing rugby this year but I did last year and I never had a problem missing practice. It wasn't just exercise for me, it was a time to see my friends and have a good time, even if it ment running around for two hours until I was about to pass out! I'm sad that I don't have the time for it this year (I'm going back to univeristy to work on a new degree).

Last week they were short players due to injuries (who would have guessed rugby players got injured?) so they asked me to come and sub for them. After that 80 minute game my body hurt more than it ever has in my life because I was so out of shape! But I will admit it was a great Saturday and I had a blast :D

Knowing my knees will thank me when I am older - knees and ankles of course bear all our extra weight, and I want to be able to walk when I am 72, unlike my poor dear Aunt Zsa.

Karen i suffer from sore knees, probably due to some form of arthritis, but since i have been using my treadmill for over three months now, there is a remarkable improvement, the old saying use it or loose it, appears to be so true.

hmmm...what gets me to exercise???The fat rolls that appear over night!!!!:eek:

Usually nothing can motivate me. However, this week I decided that my health (diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol) and simple fact that I can't bend over without being winded, motivated me to start trying to do better. I joined a website provided by my diabetes meter company, and have started eating healthier and yes, even exercising. :eek: Of course, I am starting very slowly, but I have already charted 1 hour and 35 minutes of cardio exercise in the first 4 days! I know it doesn't sound like much to most people, but it's a major accomplishment for me right now. I have 60-65 lbs that I desperately need to lose, but even 20 would help my health and overall energy level a great bit. I'm trying not to think about the pounds, and just the health benefits right now. If I concentrate too much on pounds and smaller clothing, I will burn out as I always do. :p

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Originally Posted by carole

2.watching the biggest loser, infact i often tape it and watch it while on the treadmill, i reckon if they can do it, so can I, and I am much much smaller than they are, and they give it their all, yeah i know they have a lovely 250,000 dollar incentive, but still i admire their efforts, still hard slogger.

So how about you?

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I used to work out to Biggest Loser, too! But I stopped watching after the first season...I didn't have time and now I work during the show.

I like to get exercise without thinking about it and making it fun. Like, if I'm cleaning I usually listen to music (loud) and sometimes I stop and dance around with the dogs. :o

I also LOVE to go hiking, I can't wait until the weather gets warmer so I can get to the mountains again! Being in nature makes sweating more worthwhile to me.

Also, I do exercise I enjoy to make it more fun...like I have a mini trampoline that I like to bounce on, we have a video game with a workout mode, things like that...I work out at least 3-4 times a week. My goal is at least 5 days but I rarely make that goal. For me, it's easier to work out than give up eating...I like to eat out, and I like desserts, so to stay reasonably healthy I'd prefer to work it off than give up good food!

Honestly, what I realy love, Is Tae Bo!! That is such an awsome workout! I love it! :D

my 7yr old son, does it with me, cause he says he needs to buff up for the ladies!:rolleyes:

3.Just knowing it is beneficial to me, and in the long run i will be fitter and happier.

Great topic Carole!!!


I've been an exercise freak off and on for the past 25 years , and I know that if you Rest ~ You Rust!!!

So, I've taken stock once more and I am determined to keep on keepin on!!

Okay~

My Mother left me "The Total Gym" So, of course I have been given a bit of a nudge from Heaven :p

Before I met my boyfriend and moved in with him I was going to the gym everyday with a couple friends. And I will say.....I was skinny!! Of course that stopped when I moved over an hour away from them. So I joined a gym here. (I won't even tell you how much weight I have gained in the past four years!) It's just not the same to go by yourself, but I did for about 6 months and then eventually stopped going. Back in January a co-worker and I started going to the gym in the morning again. At first I hated it. :rolleyes: But now I will be going even without her. (her work schedule has changed, but she's going to try to continue to go with me)
I LOVE biggest loser!!! Of course the whole time I am watching it I feel like a horrible lazy slob. Our TV in the weight room is so tiny I can't watch it while I do the elliptical. :(
We have a boat we go on a lot in the summer, and last summer I was always keeping my shorts on and laying the towel over my lap. Not this year!! I want to get a tan!!! :D

To give you a perfectly honest answer ... at the moment, it seems NOTHING motivates me to exercise. :( I used to be very diligent about it, going almost every night to the gym. For some reason, I just can't get with it anymore, and believe me, it shows!

The only exercise I actually enjoy is hiking. If there's some beautiful scenery, especially a waterfall, then I enjoy it. If I'm not hiking my only motivation is the dogs. I really don't like walking around my boring neighborhood...but they love it, so I go on walks because it makes them happy. I do not like any other types of exercise, I can't stand videos, and I would never go to a gym. Unfortunately it shows. :o I'm hoping once the weather warms up and I can go hiking more I'll get in better shape.

The dogs ;). I used to go to kickboxing twice a week and a dance class once a week and was in great shape... now the only exercise i get is with the dogs as i dont have a kickboxing partner anymore :(.

Once we get right into Autumn i will get the old bike out and start riding with the dogs again, and because i have to do one dog at a time i will be going for 2 rides a day (Clover is too old for biking now & Harri too young).

A day with no deadlines and pleasant weather (even in winter) - and I will walk EVERYWHERE!

Kind or erratic in Canada and with a full time job. But I do the little things too - park further away from the store and walk, just work in bits and pieces. Not quite enough. But a process, not an event.

I checked out Scottish country dancing just on a whim, and got hooked! It's sort of like the dancing version of that game Simon, where you get shown a pattern and then try to follow it. It's very beginner-friendly, and I love the music. Dancing is great! And people do it absolutely everywhere, be it salsa, 12-step, Israeli, square dancing, Greek, contra, morris, ballroom... it's pretty easy to find a place to dance, and nearly all (except square dancing, at least around here) encourage switching partners, so you can just go on your own if your sweetie is too busy or self-conscious. If there are too many men or too many women, some just dance the opposite part.

And in Scottish dance, the men dress better than the women! ;)

Love, Columbine

I take 5 different dog classes every week and twice a week I am working (my job is on my feet all day). I also like to go shopping. So I don't actually work hard on excercising, but I know that will come once I lose more weight. I also like to go to our neighbor's pond and run around there with the dogs. It keeps all three of us happy. :) I also like to dance in my room.

The fact that since having a baby I only have one pair of jeans that fit the way they are supposed to! On a plus note, I've moved 2 pants sizes down since December! :D Money is tight and if I want to wear my clothes, I need to get down one more size!

Also, hubby loves that I'm working out and always complimenting me! I think about those compliments and it gets me moving again! :D

Music motivates me. I dance all the time! I swear, it's the ONLY reason I'm not overweight and still pretty toned (at least my lower body anyway). I need to work on my midsection, although I don't dislike the way my body looks dressed. I just want to be able to feel confident in a bikini this summer and with my little pooch, I don't. ;) Eating well gives me the motivation to exercise, too, and lately I've been eating really well and I feel awesome! I haven't had a soda in over a month and I have already lost a few pounds just taking that out. Not to mention the multitude of other things that have improved. It's hard, too, I love Coke!

And, Finn is pretty motivating, too, I have worked hard to get him back into shape, and I don't want him to get chunky again. And, he's just a much better behaved dog if I get him out on a good walk every day. :)

My energy level goes through the roof when I exercise, too, so that's motivating. :)

I don't know that *inspires* applies with me. *Motivates* seems more appropriate. Like Kim, with me it's the health problems that might be avoided by exercising.

Although just because we know something is beneficial doesn't necessarily translate into action. What helps me keep up the exercise routine is just that....making it a routine...a habit...a scheduled part of my day. The momentum of that is what keeps me going. In fact I know that if I miss several days even for a very legitimate reason - like a bad cold - I find it very difficult to get back on track. When I think about missing a day, I talk myself out of it because that *momentum* of just doing it at the same time of the day will be broken and the next day will be so much harder.

I don't enjoy exercising at all, but I do have a sense of *at least I'm doing what I can* for the benefit of my health. It also feels so good to be done with grinding it out.

I think it's neat that a couple of you mentioned dancing. THAT is the best form of exercise I do, and the one that is most likely to get me moving! I recently downloaded a lot of songs from my younger days, and I can't help it, the beat gets me MOVING! :p

:( I need something to get me motivated. I usually walk the whole time I'm at the dogpark, 4-5 times a week in good weather). But I've been pretty lazy this winter, not walking as much. I joined WW, so I've begun to improve my eating habits. The weather is starting to break - now we have flooding instead of snow. I've been taking the dogs to a park with pavement to walk a few times this week.

I'll keep checking these posts for good ideas. :)

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Originally Posted by Twisterdog

To give you a perfectly honest answer ... at the moment, it seems NOTHING motivates me to exercise. :( I used to be very diligent about it, going almost every night to the gym. For some reason, I just can't get with it anymore, and believe me, it shows!

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Oh gosh, I'm right there with ya!

I'm a really unmotivated person, which sucks because I know I need to lose weight, and I know I'll feel better once I do...it's just so hard to get up off that couch! :rolleyes: I know I can do it, because I was in good shape before when I was going to step aerobics and kickboxing classes regularly. It's easy to go when I have someone to go with, but once I don't have anyone...I tend to slack. It's boring going anywhere/doing anything by yourself, so it's just so hard for me. I look in the mirror and am disgusted at what I see, so you would think that alone would motivate me. *sigh* I wish it did...because my lack of energy is just downright...tiring! :(

I'm starting a new job at my old company on Monday, and when I was there the first time, I did go to the gym at lunch hour (since it was conveniently right across the street), so maybe I'll try to get back into that.

I hope by starting this thread i will indeed help motivate some of you to do some exercise.

If anyone lacked motivation it was me, let me tell you why, i have fibromyalgia, you will have seen a post on it on PT, as some of our other member's here also have this chronic illness.,it affects many things, especially one's muscles,tendons and ligament, one aches all the time, and suffers from chronic fatigue,The best way i could describe this to you, is imagine when you have the flue how your muscles ache and how unwell you feel, that is what Fibro is like alot of the time, so exercise although necessary is extremely difficult for myself and fellow sufferers,it really does take me a hellava lot of motivation to get up and get on that treadmill.

Let me tell you though i am feeling so much better, about myself and my efforts, i have gone from no exercise literally to doing 5 kilometres a week now, I worked it out in a month I am actually walking from my city to another town and back, how's that folks? i have two days off to rest my aching muscles, i do weights for my arms and some tummy exercises,the best part is after three months of this i can now see some muscle developing in my arms and legs,yeah I'm no body builder, but it really is working and great for me to see.

So folks anyone who is feeling despondent about the thought of exercising, as i was, I hope you can read my post and get some inspiration from it.

I was in two minds about buying a treadmill, one i was not sure it was the right exercise machine for me,two i really could not afford it,and three i was scared i would do it for a while and it would be gathering dust, not so, i am more inspired to double what i am doing, but have learn't rome was not built in a day, and am taking it slowly.