How do you get motivated to exercise? I'm struggling to get moving. SMH. It's so discouraging.

It's hard. It's pretty hot during the day, so I just make it a habit to take my kids outside at 8. Once we're outside, I take off and walk the street. We don't do it everyday, probably 3-4 times a week. It's something. Believe me, I can be inside all day watching tv, but it isn't fair to them who are also stuck inside. Wish you luck, you can do it.

I will confess that I did almost no exercise for the first six months, aside from walking to and from my office and the train--and I lost weight quite easily. The key to weight loss is really the diet, not exercise. Even now, I do nothing more than walking, although at this point I shoot for two miles a day.

I don't exercise. I WOULD if I wasn't having chronic dizziness and balance issues. My doctor has been trying to figure out what's wrong with me for MONTHS. Right now she's convinced she knows what's wrong because she had a new patient recently that has a disorder that has all the same symptoms as me and it brought me to her mind, but we're just waiting for me to be able to do the tests to either confirm or deny if I have it or not. My advice is to take it easy and not do too much at once. Start slow and work to more.

2 hours ago, Kittizia35 said:

How do you get motivated to exercise? I'm struggling to get moving. SMH. It's so discouraging.

Start minimally if you have to and build up. Half a loop around the block is better than none. Five loops around the house and garden is better than none . An exercise bike is low impact on the knees and may be beneficial for you.

1 hour ago, Hop_Scotch said:

Start minimally if you have to and build up. Half a loop around the block is better than none. Five loops around the house and garden is better than none . An exercise bike is low impact on the knees and may be beneficial for you.

Thank you. I try to get at least 5000+ steps a day. I'm aiming to get to 10000+ soon.

4 hours ago, Kittizia35 said:

How do you get motivated to exercise? I'm struggling to get moving. SMH. It's so discouraging.

Find a gym or exercise buddy or get like a Wii fit setup...

I started at about 1500 after my sleeve and every week I go further. I am a month out and I am doing 7k a day now. It’s very hot, but it’s worth it. Just gradually increase your steps

9 hours ago, Kittizia35 said:

How do you get motivated to exercise?

At this point, it is a habit. I started walking outside every day in the morning at the beginning of the pandemic. I was motivated by the desire to reach my goal weight. I was also motivated by seeing the weight loss each week.

i always try to have a goal to keep me motivated. When i first started for example it was to run a mile. then a 5k and so on until i ran a half marathon. I find if im always chasing a goal, and not just doing it to lose weight, it helps me keep going. Good Luck!!

I'll also add that you need to find something you enjoy doing (or at least don't HATE). If you don't like cardio (ME), no amount of forcing myself to do it or finding an "exercise buddy" is going to make me do it regularly.

Like someone said above, I didn't really exercise much in the first six months outside of my QiGong (cousin of Tai Chi) class. I realized that I felt so good doing it, that I have now kept up with it for nearly 3 years! A record for me. Since the COVID shut down, I realized that as much as I enjoy being at home (I also work from home), I sometimes need to get out. So, I started walking my dogs. I realized how much I enjoy it. I don't walk at a brisk pace and thanks to my dogs I do have to make the occasional stop for them to check out the markings of other dogs/relieve themselves/etc. BUT, I get about a mile in pretty easily.

Recently I realized that if I DON'T move, that I hurt. I work for myself and sit at a computer most of the day. My back was KILLING me. So, now I walk every other day and on the non-walking day, I do a combo QiGong and Yoga routine.

Moral of the story (sorry it was so long): find something you LIKE to do and/or something that makes you feel good. You don't need to spend lots of money on a gym membership, but if you feel you need that kind of accountability, it's money well-spent. My only investment, aside from time, is comfy clothes to work out in (including a supportive bra) and walking shoes (which I have several pairs).

8 hours ago, New&Improved said:

Find a gym or exercise buddy or get like a Wii fit setup...

Gyms aren't open in a lot of places. They're not open in my city due to Covid.. and it is hot as hell here, so I walk when it gets dark and cooler. I wish gyms were open, but I probably wouldn't go anyway -- too much risk factor for the Covid.

Gyms are closed here, but I am a member at one and look forward to going back.... when it's safe to do so. Right now I'm doing these and other on line work outs. https://www.youtube.com/c/OFFICIALBOSSFAM/featured

I do what I can and feel whatever I do is better than sitting on the couch.

hey there. go out to you tube and type in leslie sansone. she has a million walking videos you do in your house. fun music and easy stuff. a great way to start. give it a try.

15 hours ago, Kittizia35 said:

Thank you. I try to get at least 5000+ steps a day. I'm aiming to get to 10000+ soon.

actually, getting 5000+ steps day is a great start!

I always had to force myself to exercise, even though I liked a few of things I did regularly, like water aerobics and Zumba. But I can't do either one now with COVID. So I just walked most evenings for the first couple of months of COVID, which was *OK*, but I wasn't super excited about it. Then I bought a used bicycle on Craigslist. OMG I LOVE it! I love it so much that I spend 1-2 hours most days on it - pretty much any day that the weather cooperates. Unless I'm going uphill, it doesn't even feel like exercise to me. I love the breeze in my face, hearing the birds and other critters, being out in nature (and I don't mind city streets, either!). I used to love riding my bike when I was a kid, too. I regret wasting literally decades (I'm now 60) not riding a bike - I should have kept it up forever!

15 hours ago, Kittizia35 said:

Thank you. I try to get at least 5000+ steps a day. I'm aiming to get to 10000+ soon.

You are doing great already, maybe you are more motivated than you think you are