Burned out on exercise--suggestions?

[happymomto4]

When I started Atkins I wasn't getting ANY exercise. It was exhausting to just go downstairs to watch TV--if the phone rang upstairs while I was down there, forget it, there's no way I could make it up the stairs in time. When I joined this board I saw how active everyone was and I started walking. And it was HARD for me. My entire body ached. But I did it. The next month I added cycling and push ups. Last month I added stair master. And now I'm burned out. I can't "find the time" anymore, though my life isn't that much busier this fall than it was this summer.

I am more active though. I run downstairs to check on the kids instead of yelling to them. I park as far from the store as possible and jog up to the store and back out when I shop. I jog to the bus stop to drop off and pick up my kids, etc. But I have lost my enthusiasm for mile long walks, bicycles, and stairs. Has anyone else experienced this? I've been on plan for 19 weeks. Am I just getting lazy again?! Or maybe my body is telling me it needs a rest? Thoughts?

[James S]

Friend, you need to do something that will keep you more attentive. Have you tried Turbo Jam, Taebo, Slim in 6? These are all great workout solutions and will definitely cure your boredom. You can also try Cardioke, where you dance and move to popular music.

I'm not sure how you feel about all of that, but definitely worth giving it a try.

[Brook]

Sounds to me like you're bored with what you're doing. Your body doesn't need a rest from it, but it sounds like your brain is trying to give you lots of excuses to take a vacation.

If you keep doing what you've typically done, you're going to get what you've always gotten. Keep moving!

I go through phases with this -and it's during those phases I usually wind up again. It typically starts with me being tired/frustrated/angry/busy and letting one or two days go by. Then it turns into, "I'll find time tomorrow. Today's just not a good day." I go through phases where I'm mad that I HAVE to do this while other people don't, but - my truth is that I *do* have to do it to maintain and be healthy. I can be mad about it, but it doesn't change my truth.

That said- mix it up. Take a class, buy or rent new videos, check out workout programs on TV, surf the web and find a new routine you can do. You don't have to like that you need to do it. You don't even have to enjoy it, but I guarantee you you'll LOVE what it does for your body and the size of your

[JulieB]

I agree with the comments above. I mix it up as much as I can...I still have my old "stand-by's" - the stationary bike, walking, but I signed up for Pilates classes this fall and do something "fun" instead of "the usual" when I can...kayaking, cross country skiing (soon!), etc. My pilates instructor (who I really like!) also teaches Zumba - now THAT looks like FUN!

I don't really enjoy exercise...I do it because I have to/am supposed to/feel better when I do/to lose more weight...not because I LIKE it. So for me, finding something I actually enjoy makes it that much easier to stick with I also like to go for "big bang for my buck" stuff...I burn as many calories cycling for 20 minutes as I do walking for...what, an hour? So on days I just don't feel like it...I do my 20 minutes, get it over with, and move on with my life

Having said that...I've really been slacking the last few weeks...

[liv]

Well I do a lot of exercise. But don't for a minute think that I wake up in the morning super eager to do it. No it is a chore and some days it is like pulling teeth. But I want to lose weight and I want to be healthy so I do it.
I sign up for challenges here at the board to keep myself motivated but I have a plan and I follow through. If I were to wait till I felt like it I probably would lay on the sofa all day staring at the roof.

[happymomto4]

Wow, thanks for the great advice everyone! I am going to stop giving myself excuses to be lazy and get moving again. I'll see if our library has any of those DVDs, James. They sound fun! Now I know that I don't have to like it, I may never like it, but I do have to do it every day. Thank you for the push--I needed it!

[IrishIrish]

HappyMomto4,

I spent at least 45 years of my life NOT EXERCISING (I'm being generous here because I used to take dance lessons, play dodger ball and kick ball when I was a kid. Anyway, when I began Atkins, I tried to exercise although wasn't so great on my feet. But I moved. I joined a pool and did some water aerobics (yes, I was a sight, but I was at least bouyant). I've joined a gym and have a once a week trainer who mixes my exercise up to meet my goals and challenges me.

And yes. Some mornings I whine like a child. I procrastinate. I'd rather clean my husband's bathroom than go to the gym. I'd rather do anything than go to the gym. But I force myself. And after 25 minutes or so, I'm not whining. Gym rats don't like whining women. And then I go on and finish my workout for the next hour.

So, the moral of the story is, it is okay to wish you were doing anything else in the world but exercising. But I learned, depite my repeated daily whining and my husband turning a deaf ear to me, I do feel better when I go on with my day. And somedays, I even go for a walk at a nearby track just to prove to myself that I can. I look at it all as good for my mind, good for my soul and if it works on this old body of mine, so be it.

I feel your pain.

[imagood1]

I change things up as much as possible -- I have different videos, ride my stationary bike, use light weights to tone, walk, etc. I'm actually getting to the point where I enjoy doing the exercise. I notice the days I do something I actually feel better and loose weigt - the days I take off I'm sluggish and don't loose.

Find whatever you want to do and change it up every few weeks. As Liv said, the challenges are a great way to do some sort of exercise everyday -- you can find 10 minutes to do squats, push ups, strength exercises. At least when you're in a challenge you are accountable to yourself and should want to finish your pledged amount. Good luck.

[chinadoll]

Definitely mix it up so you aren't bored. Try cardio dance, or Zumba, or Jazzercise. I have friends that swear by Callenetics even though it is old as the hills. I love pilates and weights as two of the best. I am no happier about exercising than anyone else here but it isn't negotiable. What I do is make myself get dressed on the promise of even 5 - 10 minutes of work. What I usually find is that once I start, it becomes a full workout. It is the stepping foot in the gym/on the track/onto the elliptical that is the key. Force yourself to make the first step and the others will follow.

[mizski]

Add me to the "I hate to exercise" group! Actually, I love bodybuilding but HATE cardio. However, I need both so like many of the others, I have a collection of DVDs (favorites: WATP, Zumba and Dancing with the Stars Latin and an old fav...Richard Simmons Disco Sweat ).

Then there's the treadmill but truth be told I'd rather watch paint dry than be on that. And my hula hoop which I really stink at using but it's fun trying (I made a killer playlist so the music gets me through that workout).

What got me to workout pretty much every day though was my Wii. Just LOVE that thing! I try to do my workouts as early in the day as I can because I've found that if I don't I come up with a zillion reasons why I am too busy.