Need Suggestions About How to Stay Motivated with Exercising!

If you want to work out just for toning up, sometimes you can fit in small workouts in between taking care of kids, laundry, fixing dinner, working, etc. Sometimes we can't find time to fit in a whole workout all at once, but we can fit in a few items here or there.

For instance, when at your desk at work, you can do leg lifts. Lift leg, tense muscles, hold the pose for 30 seconds and release.

When in the kitchen waiting on food to simmer, do wall push ups. While standing, face wall, stand about 2-3 feet from wall, keep body erect like a wood plank, and use arms to do push ups standing up.

In the living room when the kids are watching TV, playing or overseeing children do homework, you can do hovers. Lay on your tummy on the ground as if getting ready to do a push up. Keep your body straight like a wood plank. Hold your body straight and push your body up with your arms at a 45 degree angle to the floor. Begin holding the pose for about 30 seconds. Release for 10 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times. Gradually build up to a minute and longer. This will build abs, back, arms and leg muscles.

You can also use a yoga ball or a large ball found in the toy isle or toy store to do knee bends. Face your back side to the wall standing straight. Position the ball behind your back and just above your bottom. Have the knees about shoulder length apart and slightly out in front of you. Bend down so your knees are at a 90 degree angle to the floor. Hold position for 30 seconds. Repeat. Or... you can also bend knees slowly taking a slow 2 seconds to go down and up. Repeat 50 times. Take a minute rest. Repeat 3 times.

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We joined a good gym with child care. A group exercise class is more likely to keep you accountable, at least I've found that. Just having someone who will notice if you're not there as well as having it at a set time can really help motivate you, at least it helps me and I tend to be low-motivated when it comes to these sort of things. Plus having a break from the kids at the same time makes it even more motivating some days! I also like to go when my favorite shows are on - our gym has tv's built in to the equipment so I am encouraged to get there right at 8 (they do not have TiVo :-() and I walk/ride through my favorite 1 hour program 2 or 3 nights a week. Good luck!

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I certainly would think that keeping up with 4 kids would be enough exercise. However, if you want more, my suggestion is that when you are home put some music on and encourage your kids to dance. You can get in there with them and dance too. It's fun and it's exercise. My Mother use to do it with us kids and we loved it.

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FOCUS ON THE REASONS you should, NOT the reasons you don't want to! I have a list of 100 benefits of exercise for my clients. When they're not motivated or think it's not that big of a deal.......I give them that sheet and ask them to give me TEN reasons and outweigh one vs the other. Most of them can't even GIVE me ten reasons they can't. Then.......they see that they are focusing on all the WRONG things vs. why they need to

Document your progress, inches, weight off, better able to ....., look better in my clothes, etc. You'll find it's WELL WORTH THE EFFORT!!

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I used to teach aerobics and toning at a lady's only gym for several years. The biggest motivator I have ever seen was the comraderie of those women at the gym. I had a "following" of women who were all ages, shapes, and sizes that never missed a class for the simple fact that they had a GREAT time! Make it fun! We used giant bands to do toning exercises for our legs to Rod Stewart's Hot Legs. If you can't get to a gym, try Billy Blank's Kick boxing tapes. The boxing moves are great toners and STRESS relievers. It has upbeat music and is fun! You don't need any extra equipment, and the results can be dramatic. Your kids will love to do it too! After the birth of my second child, I would get up and find my 5 yr old son exercising without me!

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Hi J.!
Are you familiar with Nintendo's Wii system? They're coming out with a new "game" called WiiFit. It is basically a video game style workout system. My husband is really excited about it coming out. It keeps track of your weight, BMI, etc, and helps you chart your progress. So this might be a creative way to have fun getting in shape. Apparently it's all the rage in Japan :) I'm sure your kids would have fun with it too. My family loves our Wii :)
Good luck to you!
J. (SAHM of girl 6 yrs, boy 2 yrs; wife of almost 7 yrs.)

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Been there. I would always start out really strong on a program and would end up quitting since I hated it so much. Right now, I have been on the same program for over 6 months with no sign of stopping. For me, the key was to multitask. I bought an elliptical on amazon.com. I use it while I read. I love to read so it works out well for me and it makes the time go faster. The only thing I have changed is my speed and time. I go a little faster and I have increased my exercise time (over many months) from 15- 20 min 3-4 days a week to 50 min. 5 days a week. I have lost 40 pounds and I feel so much better. I found that I can run and jump again. I know that seems minor but I couldn't do it before. I am more comfortable going to my sons sporting functions and such too. Try to mix in something you enjoy with something you hate and see if it helps. Shannon

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I just started working out to tone up and lose a bit of baby weight that was still clinging on from my 2 yr old. I do the elliptical machine, started out gung-ho every day for at least 20-25min. Now I am on an everyother day schedule with a goal of 30-35min. I have seen great results so far so that is motivation to keep going. While on the elliptical machine, I watch shows that I've TIVOed and put the close caption on so that I can read them when my daughter is sleeping (otherwise I have to turn the tv up really loud to hear over the machine). I also change up my speed and tension during commercials or whatever little games that help to make the time go by faster. Using small weights to work out your arms while on there also helps. I learned a series of floor exercises that target the areas I want to tone and do them while finishing up the show or I can do them even on days that I don't do cardio or don't have a ton of time. My hubby has seen the effects and is thrilled so that too is a great motivator. Also, last week I used a sunless tanner from head to toe which gave an instant pick-me-up and made me more willing to be seen in shorts, etc to workout. Little tricks like that really help me, perhaps you too. Good luck!

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J.,

It's not easy. It seems like if you can make it a habit to where it's like anything else you do each day it does become easier. I've found finding a couple friends that can meet up with me really helps. You might be having one of those days, ugh you don't feel like going but your friend calls and gets you motivated to go. For me it makes the time go by faster when I have someone to talk to. I have been going whenever I can 3-4 times a week during lunch. I can only work out 20 minutes, but after 3 weeks of sticking to it I am really noticing the difference. You can do it!!! Best of luck!!!

A. Noe
www.LiveTotalWellness.com
www.WorkAtHomeUnited.com
Ones best success comes after their greatest disappointments.
-Henry Ward Beecher

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Hi, J. -
I can work out for months on end with no progress toward weightloss, so I have the ultimate hard time in getting motivated. The only thing that can possibly overcome my life-long sense of pessimism on this is doing something I enjoy.

I recently started doing Tubo Jam, which comes as a set of DVDs, and I LOVE it! I actually saw in infomercial and thought "for the first time, I think this is something I actually WOULD do every day." So far, so good!!

The most surprising thing about Turbo Jam is that you not only get the videos, but there's an entire website application devoted to keeping you motivated. You can even plan workouts and include other people who are also working out in their homes. There's a whole network of people, sending each other messages, logging in to say they're working out at particular times, tracking their progress, etc. You're also assigned a coach who will answer your questions. It's the best-conceived workout plan I've ever encountered, and it's done WONDERS for my motivation. Also, it's a short time commitment... 20-40 minutes, 5 days a week. That's like nothing! And it cuts off the time it would otherwise take to go to and from the gym.

So, that's my suggestion. You can check out www.beachbody.com or www.milliondollarbody.com to see what I'm talking about. Seriously, I'm not a salesperson! But I am a web application programmer, and I was so impressed with what they offer, I was blown away.

Good luck, Mama!
H.

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I have the same problem, and the only thing that seems to help me is to do it with a partner. It adds that accountability factor. Good luck. God Bless! T.

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I struggle with this as well. I actually like working out and lifting weights, but I still get too busy sometimes. The key is to work it in your schedule just like an appointment. You don't have to tell anyone you are going to the gym or whatever...just say, "I have an appointment, can we do it another time?" I always look at my exercise and walking as "my" time. It has to be a priority.

I also helps sometimes to get a buddy. Even if it's just someone to meet at the gym or someone to call when you workout. This will make you more accountable.

If you don't really like exercising...find DVDs that are fun and upbeat so it's not so much a chore. Also, vary your workout so you don't get bored doing the same thing. Switch out the DVDs, or join a class somewhere.

Good luck...and congrats on wanting to stay healthy!!! Hope this helps!

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IHi J.!

I did the DVD thing for a month, and it got too hard. In college, I did Beach Bodies Slim in Six Program which WORKED great for me; lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks and kept it off, until my son came along. So I tried starting that again after my son was born. It was okay while he was small. But now that's he 2, it's near impossible.

I decided to join Discovery Health's National Body Challenge back in January because you got a free 8 week pass to Bally's. I ended up signing a 3 year contract with Bally's and haven't looked back since! I go 6 days week; cardio and weight training. Once you join, you get a free session with one of their trainers. My absolute favorite thing is that they have a Kid's Club; babysitting service that is included in your membership fee. My son LOVES going there. He calls it going "to play".

They are open from 5:30am to 11:00pm almost every day. You can even go several times a day if you want, which is perfect if you don't have a huge block of time. You can do cardio for 30 mins and then come back later for toning. I also love having every kind of equipment at my fingertips. It's almost impossible to get bored. It's so easy to vary your routine. I have come to enjoy the workouts as "my time".

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I dedicated myself to the slim in six program when my kids were very young. One was 2 months old, and the other was 17 months old at the time. I woke up at 6:00 every morning, 6 days a week, which is how often the program was supposed to be done, and was done around 7 when they woke up. Sometimes I had to stop early when they'd wake up a little early, but I would be so close to being done that I didn't mind because I'd fit in the last 10 minutes or so once they were situated. That was the only way I could do it. I had tried doing it while they were awake, but it's a really hard program and takes a lot of concentration during the third hardcore workout, and my oldest kept coming up and scurrying around me. I just couldn't do it with distractions.

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