Discussing :: motivation

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at nearly 41, i have lost my drive to get out and get fit? i need to lose 4 kgs and need to up my fitness level to where it was when i was 30.. all i seem to want to do know after work and on days off is sleep.. any tips, help, suggestions?

It takes 30 days to turn an action into a habit - you need to motivate yourself to do at least "something" once a day for a month and then it will be natural. Find a 10 minute exercise to do once a day, a walk, stairs, jumping jacks, dancing around, whatever tickles your fancy and you may find that you are feeling better and the motivation to continue has crept in once you find a muscle or two you forgot about. Good luck

Yes motivation........was doing well on the bike last year, on a daily basis I went for a bike ride but once winter arrived motivation went out the window. Now summer is here and I am working on my motivation, again, for at least the last 30 days, I should have stayed with my daily routine through the last winter and made it a habit. I totally have to agree with Nikster

I think everyone has this to varying degrees throughout their life. Not just about losing weight, applying for jobs, getting the back yard finished off etc. It is part of the human condition. Here are four little rules which help. 1. There are no more zero days. What's a zero day? A day when you don't do the tiniest thing toward your goal. You don't need to run a marathon every day, that isn't the point. You need to make yourself, and promise yourself that the new system you are living in is a NON-ZERO system. Run to your letterbox and back. Do one push up. Because one is more than zero. 2. Be grateful to all three versions of yourself. Past, present, and future. Stop a second and think of one good decision you made yesterday. Had a subway instead of a big mac? Thank you past self. Mowed the lawn before it rained today? Thank you younger self. The second part of this is doing favours for your future self, as if they are your best friend. Tired as hell afterwork? F**k you, present self, this one is for future self and I'm gunna do that 3k run. Hear your alarmclock and bed is too comfortable? F**k you, present self, this one is for my best bud, future self. Make sure you thank past self at the end of every single thing. 3. Forgive yourself. Let's say you know exactly what you need to succeed, bought all the right foods, made an exercise plan, but you still didn't do it. Now you're beating yourself up, which just isn't helpful. Being disappointed causes you to be less productive. Tried to have a non-zero day, but failed? So what. I forgive you past-self. But today is a non-zero masterpiece. Forgiveness man, use it. 4. This is the easiest. Exercise and books. It's standard advice, but a lot of people don't know exercise makes you smarter. You get endorphins, you clear your mind, and it just does future-self a favour in every possible way. As for reading, almost everything we have thought of, or wanted to know, someone out there will be an expert in. That's about it, man. Hope it feels real to you. You can do it!

Agree with a combo of the above. I think we all suffer from lack of motivation at some stage. There are a few key parts in my opinion: - how you cope with that mindset - that lack of motivation. Don't beat yourself up too much if you fail/fall at one stage. This is the difference between you falling further and you going on from where you are at. Imagine it like climbing a wall. It's ok to rest where you are sometimes or slip a bit, just keep going up. A bit of junk food here and there or a missed day of exercise isn't great - but you can try the 'no zero day' thing a poster above mentioned. If you find yourself slipping too much you might benefit from having a workout buddy - someone to run/walk/play sports with. - the initial plan to achieve what you want (make sure it's not too demanding. Better to achieve bit by bit rather than aim to do the greatest ever workout mankind has seen - something about our mentality automatically opts for this version over the smaller and simpler more likely to stick version of a workout). There are plenty online. As an above poster said - just try do something each day and be regular. - people or a person around you to help hold you accountable (might be someone just asking you each day about your goal - thing is , the more people you tell about it - the more invested you are in achieving your goal) Hope these tips help. Best of luck with losing the 4kg!

I think that having a sound game plan helps with staying motivated, if you are wandering around aimlessly then you start to procrastinate. also if your exercise plan is starting to get a bit boring and mundane then that also causes your mind to wander.. If restarting a routine, i find that starting off small and then slowly ramping it up not only increases your fitness upwards, it gives you satisfaction more then going full on into it and possibly injuring yourself and putting you out of action completely.

A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others. Loose weight at your own pace it's not a race, as long as you are making progress towards your goal does it really matter. Check out this site to help women loose tummy fat, whats good for the Goose is also good for the Gander. http://womenshealthnewsreport.com/aus-weightloss-article-13kg-loss/

I am motivated to excercise to help me with sport, which is trying to beat others really. Perhaps a sport could get your competive juices flowing and help you with your weight loss.

Motivation is up to you. My quack told me after the last op "use it or lose it" so I walk at least 3 days a week and try to do an hour minimum in total. Why wait til you are in a & e before you take action? Plus you look better to the "one who must be obeyed"

The longer you are without motivation, the harder it is to recover it. I know what it's like, everything becomes an absolute chore. The way I got out of feeling blah, was to write a list & achieve one thing every day. I eventually conquered it & my awful sleeping went away, because the last thing I thought of before going to sleep was how proud I was to have accomplished something, instead of sleeping with the old geez I wish I'd done that today! Good luck with your wish to shed the 4kg, you'll do it!