How do you stay motivated?

mrenee68

I have been trying really hard to exercise at least five days a week for at least 30 minutes. Some days it is a struggle to do it other days no problem. How do you stay motivated? Do you reward yourself? Any advice would be great. Thanks!

J9W

Hi mrenee68,  are you just starting out on an exercise program?  If so, I suggest you back off and try for only three days a week. That's enough to start with and then you have plenty of 'flex' time to fit those days in.  After you get used to those three days, add another day and different workout routines.

Here's how my week really shakes out:  I work on my abs every day, lift weights three days a week, and do an hour of aerobics at least two days a week. If I let anything slide, it's the aerobics but the abs and weights must be done.  That's my rule to myself. I've even been in bed almost asleep and remembered I hadn't done my abs...and I've gotten up to do them. I hate when that happens! But I do it because I know if I miss one day, I going to miss more. 

I've read that if you can do a routine for three weeks, it starts to become habit.  So, maybe you could try three days a week for only three weeks and see how that works.  Have fun.  Maybe you'll get hooked on exercise too.

J9 

ruthbru

Come over to the 'Let's Post Our Daily Exercise' thread. A great group of ladies & a great way to stay accountable too. Besides posting there, I keep an exercise notebook....which I can explain in more detail if you want me to.

MsPharoah

MrRenee, hello!

Exercising can be fun...but when you are in active BC treatment and after, it is definitely a game changer in terms of helping you feel better, with more energy.  You are experiencing the difficulty of sustaining your activity and getting to the point where you are deriving enjoyment from exercise.  That is hard, for sure.

What works for me is several things.

1.  I talk to myself when I exercise, or walk or jog....healthful mind messages like "Me first, me first, me first".  This is an affirmation that what I am doing is for me...(don't we do so much for others?)

2.  I use a fit bit and the software that helps me measure my activity and calorie intake and gives me positive reinforcement.  I love technology and maybe you would be motivated if you can track your success.  Helps to be accountable.  I love my fit bit because it has helped me identify that my exercise routines prior were just not enough and not the right kind of activity for me.

3.  I exercise with my daughter.  She calls me and we use the speaker phone to work out together...then treat ourselves to a chat at the end.   Neither of us like to go to the gym.  We have our individual goals and we have selected a treat for meeting our goal.   This also helps my daughter feel like she is helping her mother with recovery....breast cancer treatment is so long and is so very hard on our family members.

4.  Once I lost the first 4 lbs, I was encouraged to be more food conscious, and I now have a weight goal as well as a fitness goal. 

5.  The bc.org fitness threads that ruthbru recommended are awesome.  I am just a lurker, but there are many ladies who have great ideas for maintaining fitness and I got a lot of referrals for you tube exercise videos that are just right for me in terms of intensity....and no need for a gym membership.

Good luck to you.

MsP

mrenee68

Thank you for your suggestions. I guess maybe I should start an exercise journal just to keep track of what I am doing and the progress I am making. I just get so tired by the end of the week, I work 10 hour days with toddlers and preschoolers and by the weekend I just want to rest. Of course it has been a really long cold winter and at times I just want to hibernate. Thanks again!

ce3

Hello mrenee68, great question!   I put on really energetic dance music in the flat around the time when I know I should be getting ready to go to the gym - music really makes you want to dance. Then before you know it, you are putting your trainers on ready to go!   Give it a try....