HELP!!! How can I motivate myself to exercise?

[Meandmylittledog 0]

Hi everyone:

I am 3 wks post op tomorrow and have lost 13 lbs. Not a lot compared to others but at least I'm moving in the right direction. My problem is exercise. I read on here how others are exercising an hour a day or so. That's wonderful but how do I get motivated to do it? I have a treadmill so don't have to deal with the hot, 100 degree weather of Texas but after a days work on my feet thats the last thing I want to do. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear it. I want to make the most out of this time but can't seem to get the energy up to do it. Thanks for your help. :-)

[kellyw74 258]

My suggestion would be try to do a little each day. Maybe just 10 minuets a day. Work your way up to an hour a day. That seems like a lot in the beginning, but really, once you get into it, it isn't!!!

I look forward to my workout everyday now and could not imagine saying that 6 months ago. I HATED EXERCISE!!! Once I put those shoes on and walk out the door, I am so glad that I did!!! The more you do, the more you want to do! It is so amazing when you really see how much you can do! And when you see the benefits you get from it, you WILL want to do more.

Start with a 10 minute walk today and tomorrow and try to do more next week! One day at a time!

Good luck!

Kelly

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Hi there,

Well I'm one of those people around here who do an hour plus per day. I'm more along the lines of two hours per day really and that's the minimum. I'll tell you what though, that is not something you just jump right into and expect to love it.

Working out is something you condition yourself to do a little at a time. You need to definitely find something that you enjoy doing. If it's something like the treadmill you will want to find a focus that will keep you from feeling too bored. I have an MP3 player that I turn on all my favorite tunes and away I go!! Before I know it my hour on there is up and I'm feeling accomplished and on top of the world!!! This will really give you a huge adrenaline rush that you may become a little addicted to. Once again it is important to stick to a routine that you actually enjoy.

Start small, like maybe one 15 minute session on the treadmill. You are very early out of surgery too so working out hard is probably not in your best interest now anyway. Keep the speed lower and just get into it and enjoy a leisurely time. Let you mind wander on other tasks like your goal outfit or something. At first you might need little reminders on why you are doing this, because it seems really tough right off the bat.

Good luck to you! I find having some form of physical activity is great for us and will only do great things for our bodies. I don't think for one second my shape would be anywhere where it is right now if I had not been doing it.

[To Be Thin 2011 80]

Hi everyone:

I am 3 wks post op tomorrow and have lost 13 lbs. Not a lot compared to others but at least I'm moving in the right direction. My problem is exercise. I read on here how others are exercising an hour a day or so. That's wonderful but how do I get motivated to do it? I have a treadmill so don't have to deal with the hot, 100 degree weather of Texas but after a days work on my feet thats the last thing I want to do. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear it. I want to make the most out of this time but can't seem to get the energy up to do it. Thanks for your help. :-)

Hello!

Congratulations on your loss!!! Doesnt if feel great!

You are only 3 weeks out.. and each of us on this forum are so different... I can so relate to your words. I too have a treadmill, owned it for 6 years and have only been on it maybe 4 times. I felt as big as I am (was) that walking at home would be better, but I did not have the motivation to do it. Post op.. a month went by, 2 months went by, when I got closer to my 3 month mark, something just kicked in, it was like an internal drive to start walking on that treadmill. I had been losing weight, went down in sizes of clothes, and it just felt right to me to start walking and get more active. I could only do 10 minutes a night for aobut 4 nights, then little by little I kept uping it. I decided to watch my favorite shows only if I was on the treadmill, and it worked.. instead of sitting on my big butt watching tv, I walk on the treadmilll. Try.. when you are ready, try it.. and you will feel better about walking/excersising once you get going on it..

Good luck

[Heatherr 149]

Yep, yep, yep. What they ^^^^^ all said. Start small, so it doesn't seem like a chore. All of a sudden you'll want to do it a little more and a little more because your body will crave it. I'm still pre op, considered morbidly obese <blah> and run over a mile per day now because I want to, but I started by walking and only ran for an exhausting 2 minutes the first time.

I put the treadmill on an incline and walked at a fast pace at first. I cannot begin to tell you how much that has had a positive effect on my hips, thighs and buttocks. Even under all this fat, you can see some serious muscle tone now. And where I started at an incline of 3 walknig 2.6 mph, within 2 months I can have it at a 5.5 incline and walk at 3.2 mph. This is burning almost as many calories as I do when I run. Seriously. And it didnt take long at all to work up to that. Just start small. 10 minutes a day is still over an hour more of exercising a week than you're doing now.

[Heatherr 149]

Oh, and just to add......10 minutes walking on the treadmill and 10 minutes of lifting light weights or using the bands is suddenly 20 minutes of exercise that you hardly had to put effort into. And, it's over before you even hate it. Not bad...20 minutes, eh? Start slow. You CAN do it.

[Khy 16]

If you are using a tread mill... I LOVE audio books. Your library probably has a great selection. I HATE doing my housework on the days I have off work but plug in a book with a good story and off I go... everything gets dusted, laundry and and folded...

Another idea... find a dance class. Most any kind of dance will get you moving. As heavy as I am I have taken belly dance classes for the last 2 years. Most belly dance studios are very accepting of all sizes of women. They will get you gluts and abs in shape!

Khy

[coops 1,790]

Once again I agree with the previous posts... you are really early out and still recovering... at your stage I didn't really do any exercise, just some static weights for my arms whilst I was watching TV. Like To Be Thin something just kicked in... I started really slow and sure; my kids have the Wii fit so that was a great start for me, in the house with no one watching... God I am sooo paranoid that folk will laugh at me... then I progressed to using the free gym in work; my confidence started to increase, especially as a co worker who is 15 yrs younger than me was asking for my advise re which exercise to for different results!

Find something that you are happy with, but I really would recommend walking for the first couple of mths... a great plaform to start off from... good luck and let us know what you decide! =]

[lucill35 73]

Meandmylittledog, I hate to be hot let alone exercise:) I also have a little dog. I had my surgery in January and here in Indiana, the weather was not good enough to be outside for several months afterwards. I started walking my little dog daily and now we are up to 1-1.5 miles/day. Since two weeks pre-op to now I have lost almost 75 lbs and I feel great. I even enjoy it (perish the thought:) and my little dog seems to love it too!

[KellyL 173]

I have a Gazelle Glider that I just started using. Started out 20 mins listening to some upbeat music. I also use the Wii and did Wii Sports while still too early post op to do more strenuous exercise. Now I want Just Dance 2 and Michael Jackson, I hear they are fun!

[Meandmylittledog 0]

Thank you all sooooooo much. I will start off slow and see how it goes. I know years ago, many years ago I walked 2 miles twice a day and loved it. Saw results too. Thanks again, I guess you do it until the desire kicks in. Lol

[Marie from Michigan 11]

Another idea. Try to get up earlier and walk in the morning. If I wait until I get home from work I never walk on my treadmill. But in the summer when it gets light earlier, I find I can get myself out of bed 45 minutes earlier and walk. I am not up to an hour a day yet, but I am getting closer! I download podcasts that I like to listen to and "save" them for my walks.

Marie