I want to be EXCITED to work out...

helleb

How does one ENJOY working out?  I don't know if this is a question for a psychologist or what but I thought here was a good place to start lol.

I want to be one of those women who is genuinly excited to work out.  Now currently I am at least 30lbs over weight and working out is hard.  I will work out really well for a week then get busy and not go back.  I go through a cycle of this about every month and its very annoying to think that if I had stuck to something I would have amazing results by now (since this has been going on for at least 1.5 years).

I was just hoping for some tips on how people start to enjoy their workouts so its not something they dread but instead actually want to do.

Thank you!

J&K10910

Well, to start, you're approaching it the wrong way.  You're trying to force yourself into liking a workout, instead of doing something you like as a work out.  A common misconception is that a workout has to be at the gym or in front of a TV with some obnoxiously fit person yelling at you.  There are lots of way to work out that are fun.  Do you like playing tennis?  Basketball?  Hiking?  Walking?  Swimming?  Dancing?  Find an activity you enjoy, and do it at a level intense enough to get your heart rate up and make you sweat, and you're working out. 

firsttimersluck

OMG I love my gym so much! If I miss a day I feel soooo crappy and can't stop thinking about getting back at it the next day. 

I agree with j&K. You're doing it wrong. 

Moving is fun. FUN. Stop making it a chore. Be excited that it's a time for you to just be in your own head and not have to deal with what's for dinner or what happened at work earlier. It's YOUR time. 

Find what you love. My gym's group classes are soooo fun and a killer work out. I have met some really wonderful people there as well and they always notice when I miss a day. it's great because it holds me accountable. 

Anna.Oskar says that she gets bored easily. That woman has a BUNCH of different DVDs and programs so she can keep mixing it up and not get bored/unmotivated. 

There are ways... Or gyms wouldn't be so popular. You just need to figure out what works for YOU. 

anna.oskar

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_i-want-to-be-excited-to-work-out?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:c9a7964e-c8ae-44ca-9485-29aa9678a078Post:7f7cf869-fcc8-4411-8ffb-4dfacde63cf0">Re: I want to be EXCITED to work out...</a>:
[QUOTE] Anna.Oskar says that she gets bored easily. That woman has a BUNCH of different DVDs and programs so she can keep mixing it up and not get bored/unmotivated.  There are ways... Or gyms wouldn't be so popular. You just need to figure out what works for YOU. 
Posted by firsttimersluck[/QUOTE]

<div>I totally do.  I actually have boxes of workouts.  I even bought a yard-sale vcr so I could buy gobs of 25 cent workout vhs tapes.  I may be an addict.  ;)  If I have to do the same thing even 3 times a week, i start hating it and don't want to do it anymore.  Variety is the spice of life!</div><div>
</div><div>To be honest, I don't look at working out as a mandatory activity.  I attribute all my weight loss to food.  I track all my intake, eat all my calories for the day and lately have been treating my exercise as "bonus calories".  Calories I need to eat lest I end up below my calorie goals.  So if i burn 300 extra calories, oh darn!  That'll put me well below 1200 net calories for the day so I guess I better have some rainbow sherbet (fat free, low sugar) to get my calories back up.</div><div>
</div><div>I use my exercise to enable me to have the little eating extras plus I'm totally stronger and hoping to be able to see some serious muscle definition once I get some more of this fat off.</div>

Katred08

If being excited to work out is important to you, as you say, then the above tips are really good.  Find an activity you like, or just keep mixing it up and always trying new things. 

Sometimes I bargain with myself....I'll say that all I have to do is go walk around the block, just 10 minutes, and if I'm not feeling it, I can come home.  99.9% of the time, I'm fine once I start and will end up doing a normal 30-40 minute walk.  So maybe just tell yourself that all you have to do is 5 minutes, 1 mile, whatever it is, and that might be all you need to just get started.  Sometimes the idea of an hour workout is overwhelming before you start, but once you get going, it's ok.  

But just to offer a different perspective....I still dislike working out, and always have. I do all sorts of classes at the gym, and I really don't like being there.  I take long walks, which are ok, but I'd still rather be doing something else.  Truly, and I don't mean to be negative, but motivation is overrated.  Exercise is just necessary if you want to be healthy. Even if you don't have a pound to lose, it's just something you've gotta do, and thats how I think of it.  Do you have to get motivated to get up and go to work in the morning?  No, you go because you have to.  Exercise is the same thing.  Don't wait to get motivated, or you might never do it.  Just go.  As much as I don't like exercising, I've never once regretted a workout, and I try to remind myself of that. 

entropicbeauty

I try to focus on the aftermath of how exercise makes me feel. I always feel SO GOOD after having worked out and accomplishing something. If I'm drenched in sweat and panting a little I feel like I've done something really positive for myself - and in the long run the exercising gets easier. Once it's a routine you just sort of adapt to making sure you're getting the exercise you need! I think it takes 2-3 weeks to form a habit, so if you just keep going eventually you'll feel an urge to do it

aloisk57

I have days that I love going to the gym and days that I absolutely HATE going to the gym.  However, every time I go and work out, I feel great.  Usually on the days that I don't want to go, I'll either skip (and feel SUPER guilty, which sucks) or I'll go and tell myself to just do 10 minutes....and I've never finished a workout short!

It's not so much motivation as discipline.  You want to lose weight, so you have to eat healthier and work out more.  That's all there is to it.