Congratulations on your weight loss to date! 50 pounds is fantastic! I would talk to your family. They need to be supportive of you. If they give you some nonsense about how much weight you already lost, be cordial, but firm. Thank them for the compliment, but tell them that you still have weight to lose and more importantly, you MUST get toned in order to really look good. Thin people can still look "flabby" if they don't have proper muscle development. Ask them for support - and they may give it to you. Also, see if you can incorporate your family into your work-outs. Can you go for walks with them? Can you do aerobics with them? If you have kids, this is a great way to introduce them into getting daily exercise. Plus, you will help tire them out so that they aren't as rambunctious at home. :wink: Most importantly, you'll be setting a good role model for them, teaching them that exercise is important. Your kids might have a blast following the videos along with you - with everyone laughing when they don't get a certain move just right. But as you progress, everyone will feel better about themselves as they improve (including yourself). If your family refuses to be supportive or work-out with you, I'd get a divorce. :wink: O.K., maybe not, but seriously, a family should support each other in areas like these. If you had some pipe dream, like to become the next supermodel, maybe they could scoff. But they should support you in getting into shape. However, if they don't, then you'll have to find time to incorporate your work-outs into your daily life. And this may very well mean that your family has to do more work of their own. Chances are you do way too much for them already. Women often juggle family, school, jobs, along with housework. So get your family more involved. Have them help more around the house. Assign more chores. The last advice is to perhaps get up early and work-out. Morning work-outs can fuel you for the entire day. You can get up early and go for a walk or to the gym or do your videos, etc. By the time the rest of your family arises, you'll have already worked-out and they can't laugh at you. :roll: Good luck! :D
Thanks for the reply. [color=green:895fb63423]My kids working out with me and family support is not the problem, the problem is that my four year old will get behind me (without me seeing him) and has seriously hurt me multiple times (it took me six months to recover from the back injury he caused the last time). My husband and older child do almost everything in the house but cook, I won't give up the cooking because I make healthy meals (they don't). I want them to leave so that I can work out safely. They think I am joking about losing more weight and getting toned. I can make my family leave, but I am losing interest in exercise when I finally get them out the door. My question was do you have any ideas to help get me motivated? I do my homework after my children go to bed, so getting up early is not an option!!! [/color:895fb63423]
Ah... O.K., so your family does support you - you just want some alone time to do your workouts. Can you do your workouts in a separate room - away from your 4-year old? Perhaps a living room/family room or your bedroom? A basement? Someplace where you can close the door, play music or the video and go? If not, maybe you and your family can work on creating such a place. However, as you wrote, even when you get your family out of the house, you still aren't working-out. This means no matter what they do for you, it might not be enough to get your butt into action. I can relate. I need to workout today, but haven't done so yet. It is tough to sometimes find motivation. What I do is sometimes look at pictures of people of my own gender who have physiques that I want. For example, say you admire, oh, Jennifer Lopez's figure. You may hate her songs, you may hate her acting, you may hate all the attention she gets. But you might admire her figure and overall curves - you wouldn't mind having a figure like that. So I'd get some pictures of her - even from on-line - and post them about. Put one on your work-out equipment. Put one on your computer (I'm sure your husband won't mind ;) ). And whenver you see her, remind herself that to look like her, you have to move - you must exercise. As I stated in another thread, I created a mini-screensaver with pics of actors I admire. As I workout, the screensaver kicks in (my work-out equipment is in the same room as my computer). I see the pics and then push myself harder - it's my goal to look like them. None of this is sexual - it's about motivation. You don't want to be this person, but you wouldn't mind having his/her physique. If that's not for you, perhaps go to various weight loss forums (this place is fine - you can also look at other sites) and read success stories. This might inspire you to work-out. Also, it can even be as simple as changing your exercise routine. Sometimes doing different exercises (like walking instead of biking, running instead of aerobics, weight-lifting instead of running, etc.) can get you motivated. Look into doing something else and you may find motivation there. For example, while I still need some push to get myself to work-out, the muscles I see forming on me are motivation for me to keep weight-lifting. I see the results - and even though I still have a long way to go, these results are keeping me going. In contrast, if I just went running, I might not physically see the results as much, and therefore, be more prone to quit. So find an exercise that will motivate you. Lastly, try to make working-out part of your every day (or every other day) life. For example, from 6 to 7 p.m., you work out. That's it and that's all (of course, pick a time that works best for you). By making working-out part of your every day life, it'll become ingrained into you. For example, you don't complain about having to take a shower in the morning or brushing your teeth, right? Sure, it might be great sometimes to skip doing those things, but you do it because they are part of good hygiene and health. Well, if you incorporate working-out into your daily life, the same feelings will occur. You might want to skip it now and then, but working-out is part of a good lifestyle and health. So off you go. It will take a concious effort on your part to do this - even though I've been working-out for 3 months now, I still have to motivate myself. But sometimes, all it takes is for me to grab the flab around my stomach to get me going. Sometimes, I allow myself a "treat" (like seeing a movie) only after I work-out. Treats should NOT be food based - that's the last thing we need! But they can be in terms of something nice for ourselves. And these can serve as motivation. Ultimately, though, you have to find what motivates you. I can only offer suggestions. You have to dig within yourself. What scares you? Can that be used as motivation? What is your goal? Can that be used as motivation? Remember, losing weight and getting into shape is not something we will do for a few months then stop - it has to be something we do for the [b:fbc6cf188c]rest of our lives[/b:fbc6cf188c]. Live like a fat person and you'll become a fat person. Live like a healthy in-shape person and you'll become a healthy in-shape person! This is about changing your mind set - so only you can find what motivates you. Good luck! :D
I know how you feel. I have lost a lot of weight, but I am not "toned" at all. My skin still remembers the size 24 I used to wear. I have been lifting some light weights to establish some muscle tone. I have this catalog of clothes I would love to put in my closet, the models of course are long-legged and beautiful, no cottage cheese thighs or flabby tummies like I have, but I am driven to achieve what I like to refer to as "my personal best" I want to be better today than what I was yesterday, last month, last year. I don't want to fail on the final frontier of achieving this, because I did that before, lost the weight only to slowly put it back on over a couple of years. It is one of my fears that that will happen again. So this time it is different. I will not accept failure. I HAVE TO FINISH what I have started. I'm not sure if this is advice that will help you or not, but just some of my thoughts..
Hi HeatherAnn! I have similar problems with motivation and 2 toddlers with me. I really have decided that I do need to "just do it" and make exercise a priority. Here are some ideas that you might find helpful: I won't allow myself to log on to the computer (or turn on the tv) until I have exercised for 20 minutes. 20 minutes doesn't seem that long to me. All of us have probably wasted hours on the internet! I often did that while thinking, I'll exercise AFTER I surf "for a little while." I told my 3-year old daughter that my exercise video is like a game of Simon Says except that if the lady on tv doesn't say "Simon Says" we have to do what she says. This kept her attention for a little while and made the work out like a game. Now she is just more into the habit of "Mommy's time." (I also have convinced her that I "really" needed her help and asked her to "babysit" her father, brother, and/or dolly while I was on the treadmill. She is proud to be a big helper ;-) Hope that helps - at least for a giggle or to know you're not in it alone! Jen
I would love to hear more ideas, if anyone has any more to share let me know. The few that I already have do help, but I would like to hear more.
I can totally relate to kids being underfoot when trying to exercise. I have a 9 year old, 5 year old and a 2 year old. I exercise after I take the two older ones to school. In the beginning, my son was always right behind me or crawling through my legs when I was trying to exercise. I had tried distracting him with toys (mainly the toys his brother and sister won't let him play with). It worked for a little while then he'd be right there again. It seems that he has caught onto my routine and is now occupying himself (in the same room) with other things. I find that sometimes he just sits and watches. If he does get too close, I pause the tape and move him to another part of the room. I personally feel, according to what my 2 year old does, that they do catch onto what you are doing and will give you some time to exercise eventually! Just be consistant in your pattern and they will catch on! Just like with all the other things that you teach your children, they learn by repetition. So if you are consistant, they will learn not to get in the way of the kicks and things that you do when exercising. Just my opinion. Good luck!
Do you think those tricks would work with cats? :roll:
As for the motivation, I have found that I had to make it a habit. I figured if I made bad eating choices a habit, I could make eating right and exercising a habit. I think when I started exercising, and taking it serious, that my motivation was, and still is, feeling good about myself and seeing the results. I exercise 5 days a week, not the same thing everyday though or I get bored. Now that I have been doing this for awhile, I am finding that If I don't do some sort of exercising that I feel horrible all day long. I guess you could say that my motivation turned into habit and my habit is my motivation! A few years ago my mother told me, and I'm sure others have heard this too, that when you start exercising it takes time to make it a habit. Then after a couple of weeks you should start seeing results, small ones at first. Your energy is up (I noticed this very soon after I started), your clothes start fitting differently and then other people will start to notice. After that it becomes a drive to attain and acheive your goals. And lambchop...as for the cats...I think they do what they want when they want to do it!!! (Hmmm or maybe that is my husband I'm thinking of!) :lol:
it definitely takes results to stay motivated. anytime you feel your clothes looser or the scale is down in weight, you feel much better about yourself. same goes for exercise. make it a habit, see results and stay motivated.
[color=blue:4340961ae9][/color:4340961ae9]Offering a exercise mat and tiny weights for my kids have gotten them into working out with me. They love it. I also play music and let them dance while I work out. I go to the gym an hour every 3 days because it allows for me to relax while I get some me time and can effectivly do my routine.
This may sound silly to some people. but i have noticed that certian musics will motivate me to want to dance, or get off my bum and do some house work. so i just use that for my advantage. when i have one of those days where I "don't feel like exerciseing", i just pick out one of those band that get me goin and flip on the tae-bo tape. i guess it depends on the induvidual more tho, i REALLY love music. its a part of me so to speak. i dont think i could live without it now. anyhow, i don't know if this will help any of you, but it's help me in my quest to find the perfect exercise and diet plan for "me". i guess thats what its about tho. you have to find whats best for YOU. good luck to us all. myself included, i need all the help i can get 8)
P.S... I also have 5 kids to watch for, so i plan each kick and punch carefully. hehe, but i do it. they actually do tae-bo with me. so hopefully that will start them off to a good attitude with exercise for the future.
Great ideas everyone! Don't underestimate the amount of calories you can burn cleaning house :) Getting your kids involved will help them develop good habits so as they grow older they are already ingrained :) Now is a great time to dust off our bikes, trikes and rollerskates!
Good job on losing the 50 pounds. To get yourself motivated...just think about how your never going to get anywhere or lose anymore weight if you give up or whatever :D And think about how much better you'll look and how proud you'll be of yourself :) Like nike says "Just do it"! :lol:
having a built body is a good reward for hard work. to keep your body built you have to make the right choices most of the time. that means exercise and good food choices.. with turkey day just around the corner..
Heh ok, it might sound silly, but i wrote down heaps of stuff like 'You feel better when you exercise!' and 'Eating badly makes you feel terrible', so that if im about to eat a chocolate biscuit or something, or im not feeling like exercise, i just read my book ( which also has healthy food ideas if i cant think of anything to eat, and has everything i eat, and the exercise i do in a day ), and i feel better, and more motivated to lose weight, and get some exercise done! Regularly i fence ( swordfighting ) hah, hence the nickname..but anyhow, when im getting down in the dumps about not doing so well at fencing, or if im losing, or getting tired, i always give myself a little pep-talk, like thinking 'You can do better than this', and 'COME ON!', and surprisingly, i get my act together. A little self-belief and support goes a long way! :D