Motivation - Cumming,GA

I know what you mean. I go through spurts where I am at the gym everyday giving it my all and then weeks where it is such a struggle. With little kids in the house sometimes sleep doesn't come easy and energy is low. I have found that if I post a picture on my fridge of myself at my best that I am more motivated to keep the workouts going. I had stopped working out for years and gained weight and have since lost it back so I have a fresh memory of how uncomfortable it is to be overweight and how hard it is to lose the weight after you put it on. I know for me a workout partner that you are accountable to can also be a huge motivation. Lately I have had a hard time "getting to" the gym but I can always make the motivation to walk with my sister. Find a neighbor or friend that likes to work out too. Good luck!

Definitely try sparkpeople.com. It's a free website and has EVERYTHING you need to lose weight and get healthy, including workouts, food journals, workout journals, articles, message boards, etc. Check it out. You will be glad you did.

I have somewhat the same question re. are there some good workout plans online that we could find?! Maybe we can find one on Google.

Well, I just keep signing up for events like triathlons, half marathons, 5K's, etc to keep me motivated...but you already said you can't really do that. Sooo...I guess I'd say to find something you really love, that happens to be athletic. If you love it, you won't get burned out...you will look forward to doing it. For me, I love endurance sports. I can't wait for the next event, but you are right...it can get expensive. If you don't love it, it turns into a chore. And no one likes to do chores. If you love being outdoors, maybe its hiking, or kayaking/rowing, or adventure races, etc. And also, have a partner in crime. That way, when you don't feel like going for some reason, the fact that someone else is going and waiting for you will get you to go, and afterwards you'll be glad you did. Good luck and have fun!

Yeah, I try on my skinny jeans and when I'm done crying I get back to work. (just kidding). You have babies, cut yourself some slack. Mine are 2 & 4 now and I fight myself everyday to stay motivated... I still am not active enough but I'm trying. With my boys they attach themselves to my legs or jump on my stomach so working out is just hard. I have a bunch of 10 minute workouts that I love doing and make me feel good after. Its easier to talk myself into a 10 minute workout than a 45 minute one. I also try to take a walk with the kids after dinner or play catch or tag in the yard. Every little bit helps. Try the website www.exercisetv.tv they have tons of mini free workouts the 10 minute ones are usually 1.99 and the others go up from there. My favorite is Standing Abs w/ Jennifer Galardi. I can keep an eye on the kids while I do it. Good luck!

It's so great that you're trying to hard to stay motivated. Having 2 young children always needing your attention makes it sooooo hard to find time for yourself sometimes. I like what a few of the mothers mentioned below about making play time also exercise time. Start with group stretches (the 2 1/2 year old will love it). Once they are bored with you, switch on exercise tv while they play or nap. I have Comcast cable and find it in the On Demand section I think. Call Comcast or Direct TV if you have their service and they can give you details. Recently to stay motivated I have been following a schedule. I wake up early while everyone else is still in bed (mine are 2 and 4 now, hubbie is home in case someone wakes up crying) and get a run in, or a swim or a bike ride and I'm back as they are all waking up. I am motivated by a sprint triathlon coming up in 2 months. I pulled a schedule off the internet and am using that to guide me. You can do the same and not feel like you need to sign up for a race. Just knowing you can keep up with the workouts may satisfy you enough to keep trying. After that make your own schedule weekly and try to stick to it. Good luck! You are awesome for trying to stay in shape for yourself and your kiddies!