Exercise, Nutrition, WLS & Cooking Q&A
Hate to admit out loud but I really don't like to work out... not even going to say that I don't have the time, I just hate it. I would say most of us on this site probably didn't enjoy it at one point or we wouldn't be in our situation so how do you go about changing this mentality. I am not having any problems with the food "restrictions"... well, water is another issue... gee wiz, drinking 64-90oz per day, yikes but I am getting there. (Honestly, I probably used to drink about 12oz per day so I am very proud that I am up to 48oz plus per day.) I have an older elliptical at home and a WII Dance and WII Active (which are both fun) but is the WII enough?
Height: 4' 11" --- HW: 216 -- PreOp: 216 -- SW: (on 11-12-13) 211 -- Goal: 118-128
You touched on something very important, "fun". Your routine, whatever it is must include something you enjoy doing. That is how you change that mentality. When people ask me about starting out in the gym I tell them for the first week to go as often as they can, not to spend any more than 30 minutes at the gym and to find something there they enjoy doing. For one week repeat that pattern. You will get it into your head that the gym is not that bad, that it is fun and once you get there you will go in.
The second part of the answer to your question is to just show up. Go to the gym, go to the track, go to the park, go to the pool, go to the hiking trail. I promise if you get yourself there, you will get out of your car and go in. So instead of telling yourself to go to the gym, tell yourself you have to go to the gym parking lot, its not a mental commitment to do that. Once there your body will take over.
Exercise does not have to be a major elaborate thing. For me it became one because I do truly enjoy it now. I get up at 5am everyday to get some food and supplements in and digested before I hit my 6am class. I take the dog to the dog park on the weekends and I try to get to the gym in the evenings to lift weights and I try to run a couple times a week too. But it didn't start out that way. For me 30 mins was hell walking on the treadmill until I figured out after a couple of days that I could easily walk 60 and burn double the calories. Seeing progress really helps and as much as I said I would never buy all the gear I have a FitBit and a heart rate monitor because hittting those 10000 steps motivates you and seeing on your heart rate monitor that you burned 200 calories on the treadmill instead of the 600 the treadmill said you did, inspires you to work harder. Or seeing that the 5k you just ran in 32 mins burned 650 calories. Things that did not seem remotely important to me before became great motivators now.
When I look in the mirror and I can see my 6 pack under my flab or the veins popping out of my bicep and the veins in my calves I know I am on the right path. When I look in the mirror and my body is cut I know for sure I will be at the gym tomorrow! How long will it last? who knows but its working right now.
