Re: Fitness Motivation

[Guest guest]

I hate

exercise of all types. The only thing I have found that I like is Zumba. Zumba is nothing like

exercise, but by the end of class you’re sweating like a pig. J I also take tap and jazz classes, but they aren’t enough

really.

Dianna

Fitness Motivation

I feel like I'm coming along in my understanding of Intuitive Eating,

but I've hit a stumbling block with exercise.

I've always stuck to exercise by having a plan and goals. That's good

psychology, right? But most of those goals have been related to

either competition or weight loss. The place I'm at in my life right

now... I don't want to be competitive or be harsh on my body or grind

through workout after workout In Order to be Thin. I don't much want

to do exercise In Order to anything other than move my body, because

it seems like punishment instead of self-love.

The question is, how do I motivate myself now? I've totally fallen

off the wagon with my old workout which was boring but effective...

boring for almost everyone who does it and effective for almost

everyone *but* me wanting to lose weight and size. I miss how I used

to feel after working out and I know I'm out of shape, but does it

have to be a grind? Does it have to be about getting thin? Anyone

gotten through this willing to shine a light from the other side?

[Guest guest]

I've always had a 'thing' about exercising for weight loss. But it was

for NOT doing it because I sincerely feel that I am 'active' enough

without adding to my 'movements'! And every time I did give exercising

a go, all it seemed to do for me was to increase my eating

(justification or appetite increase - either or both!).

Yet there are many here who adore a workout, as it must make them feel

so wonderful I would hope that positive feeling would be the one

that directs you instead of 'lashing' yourself onward 'to do' what

maybe you really don't want to? Are you trying to re-kindle your

motivation for YOUR own internal reasons, or because you think you

'should' do this? Only you can answer that question as well as

deciding to honor how your body wants to go about maintaining its

activity level for itself.

Best to you - Katcha

>

> I feel like I'm coming along in my understanding of Intuitive Eating,

> but I've hit a stumbling block with exercise.

>

> I've always stuck to exercise by having a plan and goals. That's good

> psychology, right? But most of those goals have been related to

> either competition or weight loss. The place I'm at in my life right

> now... I don't want to be competitive or be harsh on my body or grind

> through workout after workout In Order to be Thin. I don't much want

> to do exercise In Order to anything other than move my body, because

> it seems like punishment instead of self-love.

>

> The question is, how do I motivate myself now? I've totally fallen

> off the wagon with my old workout which was boring but effective...

> boring for almost everyone who does it and effective for almost

> everyone *but* me wanting to lose weight and size. I miss how I used

> to feel after working out and I know I'm out of shape, but does it

> have to be a grind? Does it have to be about getting thin? Anyone

> gotten through this willing to shine a light from the other side?

>

[Guest guest]

I have been doing aerobic workouts usually six days a week. I do

the Sweatin' To The Oldies routines because they are fun and make me

feel so much better. Some days I do something else, or just have days

that I am incredibly active all day and don't feel the need to

exercise. Some days I just take the day off, though not very often

because I like how I feel better on the days that I exercise. If I do

take the day off, I don't beat myself up over it. The bottom line is

that I love what I'm doing, and I love how it makes me feel, but I

don't feel bound to it. It is my choice to do what I'm doing, and it

is for my good. I am being good to myself, not punishinbg myself

My suggestion would be that if you really want to exercise and you

need a plan and a goal to help you be motivated, why not let your

plan be doing something fun, something that you really like to do

that will keep you moving and stretching for a set number of minutes

a day. It would not have to be the same thing every day. Just set

aside X number of minutes a day however many days a week you choose.

On those days maybe you could take a walk one day, do aerobics one

day, just dance around and act silly one day, etc. Or you could do

the same thing every day if you prefer. Just do whatever you would

really enjoy. Make your goal having a good time doing it and feeling

better and having more energy. Don't waste time doing something that

you are bored doing or is too hard and makes you feel worse. Just

have fun. Build into your plan days that it is okay to take off. Not

specific days, just the option to choose each day whether you will

exersise that day or not. Sometimes life just interferes, or your

body needs a rest day, or you have something that you feel is more

important to do that day. Don't worry about those days. There will be

plenty of other days to exercise, and your goal is to do what is best

for you all around. Right? Anyway, this is just my two cents worth.

Hope I said something that will help.

Martha

>

> I feel like I'm coming along in my understanding of Intuitive

Eating,

> but I've hit a stumbling block with exercise.

>

> I've always stuck to exercise by having a plan and goals. That's

good

> psychology, right? But most of those goals have been related to

> either competition or weight loss. The place I'm at in my life

right

> now... I don't want to be competitive or be harsh on my body or

grind

> through workout after workout In Order to be Thin. I don't much

want

> to do exercise In Order to anything other than move my body, because

> it seems like punishment instead of self-love.

>

> The question is, how do I motivate myself now? I've totally fallen

> off the wagon with my old workout which was boring but effective...

> boring for almost everyone who does it and effective for almost

> everyone *but* me wanting to lose weight and size. I miss how I

used

> to feel after working out and I know I'm out of shape, but does it

> have to be a grind? Does it have to be about getting thin? Anyone

> gotten through this willing to shine a light from the other side?

>

[Guest guest]

Yeah, like someone whose sign on is " gym is a

drug " wasn't going to respond to this line of

postings!

Anyway... I know what you mean about weight loss

not being a good goal anymore. I'm a plus-sized

person who nonetheless works out at least 4-5 days

a week, and I'm talking WORKS out - dripping with

sweat from every possible pore kind of work. But

like anyone else there are times when I think,

" And I'm doing this WHY?! " Not getting any smaller,

definitely fitter, healthier, feel better - but

not SMALLER!! And whaz' up with that?!

Bottom line, you've got to find your own reason

for making exercise part of your life. And frankly,

if you can't find a reason, you should just stop,

because you're not going to do it long term. We

ALL know the many benefits of exercise, the many,

many conditions it prevents and helps to completely

remedy. But if that was all the reasoning it took

we'd be a nation of exercisers and we clearly are

not. Each person gets to a gym or to their treadmill

in the basement for reasons that are unique to them,

and it sometimes takes some doing to get to that

reason.

For me, my reason came along as I watched my parents,

now both 82 years old, suffer from a lifetime of

NOT exercising - which in their 70's and 80's meant

a marked decrease in simple MOBILITY - their ability

to move around, to do every day tasks, etc. It doesn't

have to be that way, but the way we prevent that is

through exercise. I read a study one-time that said

MOST of the people in nursing homes or " long-term

care " facilities are there for basically no other

reason than that they lack the upper and lower body

strength sufficient to ambulate on their own!

So I go to the gym. I'm basically no smaller than I

was when I joined the gym 2 years ago, but I am

TOTALLY stronger, my heart and mind are both healthier,

and I feel better about my ability to perform even

basic physical tasks. Don't get me wrong - some days

I think there is just no WAY I can do another workout!

Not with the day I've had!! But I go anyway, and always

feel 10 times better for having done it. But I do it

because in 10 years, in 20 years, in 30 years I want

to continue to be able to do things I now take for

granted.

I think we have to get to where working out is like

taking a shower every day. We don't require daily

motivation or goals or anything like that to compel

us to take a shower - it's just part of your every

day routine, your " ablutions " to use that old-

fashioned term that means a routine practice of

cleansing, of taking daily measures to care for

our bodies. None of us get up in the morning and

say, " NO! I cannot stand ONE MORE SHOWER!! I shouldn't

HAVE to shower - this is so unfair!! " How funny

would that be! Doing some kind of physical activity

is the same thing.

Where I think so many of us find exercise so

laborious is we get brainwashed (much as with food)

into thinking " all or nothing " - we MUST work out

for 30 minutes a day, we MUST do it every day,

we MUST do cardio, we MUST do weights. Forget all

that - do something ... ANYthing... that gets your

heart racing for at least 10 minutes a day. Period.

If you want to move up from there, so be it, but

you don't HAVE to. 10 minutes - about the same

time commitment as a shower!

[Guest guest]

Oh, I can so relate to where you are because I was there just a

couple months ago - just ask our fearless leader Gillian and she

will agree to that!

Once I realized that I was afraid of disappointing myself (or

others - got forbid I was worried what others might think!) did I

relax around my exercising. I realized that I was planning and

pushing myself and if I didn't get it done, I would reschedule and

if I didn't do it then I would beat myself up. I truly was

disappointed in myself which then caused me to turn to the food

which then caused even more disappointment and beating myself up. A

viscious cycle!

After working with Gillian, something just finally clicked (I had to

get pissed off at her, unfortunately first - thank goodness she is a

forgiving coach!)

I since stopped forcing myself to get to the gym. I realize now

that at this time, I enjoy either doing some videos at home or

walking in the evenings. I've had a lot of problems with my feet

and believe me, it's not fast nor is it a long distance like I used

to push myself to do. At some point I might have a desire to get

back into the gym and utilize some of the machines, but not right

now. I realize that I have TONS of exercise options. I also

explored belly dancing and did that for a few weeks. Sometimes I

just do some stretching in the evenings while watching TV. I

finally am intuitive with my exercise and I find I actually do more

now than when I was planning and pushing. Go figure!

You are right on track by asking these questions. How do you

motivate yourself? In my opinion, you don't. You relax and you

will want to move just because it does feel good. It feels good

because You aren't planning and pushing and punishing yourself. If

your bored, try somehting new - or think back to a time when you

really did enjoy exercise (maybe swimming, dancing etc) and return

to that. No, your exercise does not need to be a grind - in fact I

think our bodies rebel to the grinding and pushing by either hanging

onto the weight or by screaming in pain and/or injury. I don't know

if this helps, but let us know if you have any further questions.

Keep asking the questions and one day, the light will come on and

you will just get it.

Alana

>

> I feel like I'm coming along in my understanding of Intuitive

Eating,

> but I've hit a stumbling block with exercise.

>

> I've always stuck to exercise by having a plan and goals. That's

good

> psychology, right? But most of those goals have been related to

> either competition or weight loss. The place I'm at in my life

right

> now... I don't want to be competitive or be harsh on my body or

grind

> through workout after workout In Order to be Thin. I don't much

want

> to do exercise In Order to anything other than move my body,

because

> it seems like punishment instead of self-love.

>

> The question is, how do I motivate myself now? I've totally fallen

> off the wagon with my old workout which was boring but effective...

> boring for almost everyone who does it and effective for almost

> everyone *but* me wanting to lose weight and size. I miss how I

used

> to feel after working out and I know I'm out of shape, but does it

> have to be a grind? Does it have to be about getting thin? Anyone

> gotten through this willing to shine a light from the other side?

>

[Guest guest]

Hey gym is a drug, I read a transcript of Larry King's interview of Weil yesterday. Larry says to , "You're not a thin guy. You obviously like to eat." And says, "True. I'm not a thin guy, but I consider myself in excellent health. I exercise, eat great, and feel fantastic. That, to me, is health, not some weight from a chart." So the next time you ask yourself why you work out, THAT is your answer! Creating a great day is all about finding ways to turn ordinary moments into extraordinary opportunities. Tom Feltenstein(¯`v´¯) `*.¸.*´ ¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨ (¸.•´ (¸.•´ Traci

[Guest guest]

Oh, nice one Traci! Especially timely, too -

Tim Russert's death this past weekend kinda'

threw me for a loop, because the intial interview

I saw with his doctor had the doctor saying

Tim " seemed " to be healthy - his BP was under

control, his cholesterol was good, he exercised

all the time, etc. Seems like he was doing

everything he was " supposed " to be doing.... and

yet. Had me thinking along the lines of " And

so I work out all the time WHY?! "

[Guest guest]

If gym is a drug then I would like you to be my dealer!!! I have

been very inspired by your email as well as the many OTHER emails

that people wrote about exercise. I used to be (about 12 years

ago) " intuitively active " in the past. I exercised because of so

many other reasons besides losing weight but the weight was falling

off and it was just a bonus. I did not realize until NOW that my

resistance to exercise for the past couple of years was more because

I was focused on unrealistic goals and it was primarily for

weightloss. I realize that I am RIGHT where I need to be. I need

to refocus and look at the real reasons why I should and then PULL

the pressure of weight loss out of the picture.( this is where you

inspired me)

I began an exercise routine over a month ago while visiting family

in Atlanta...(I live in NY) I was there for 10 days. I went to the

gym every morning and did 25 minutes. I began to feel better and I

was proud of my little 25 minutes. I exercised 8 out of the 10

days. I remember coming back home and jumping on the scale and lost

3 pounds. I had a trainer who said to me that if I were doing what

he told me to do and eating what was designed for me I should have

lost more than that.( IN my head I was proud because usually I GAIN

about 10 pounds when going away for that long). I became so

dissapointed that I ate JUST to say ____ you!!! Well needless to

say I am grateful for that experience because it led me to FIRE my

trainer and DROP dieting altgether. That is when I did research on

intuitive eating and found www.healthieroutcomes.com. This support

group has been a Godsend for me. I have been accepting more social

invitations since starting this process. I feel like a prisoner let

out to experience the WHOLE world....as I am NOW and NOT at a goal

weight. Thank you EVERYONE. Peace and Blessings Carllie

IntuitiveEating_Support , " gymisadrug "

wrote:

>

> Yeah, like someone whose sign on is " gym is a

> drug " wasn't going to respond to this line of

> postings!

>

> Anyway... I know what you mean about weight loss

> not being a good goal anymore. I'm a plus-sized

> person who nonetheless works out at least 4-5 days

> a week, and I'm talking WORKS out - dripping with

> sweat from every possible pore kind of work. But

> like anyone else there are times when I think,

> " And I'm doing this WHY?! " Not getting any smaller,

> definitely fitter, healthier, feel better - but

> not SMALLER!! And whaz' up with that?!

>

> Bottom line, you've got to find your own reason

> for making exercise part of your life. And frankly,

> if you can't find a reason, you should just stop,

> because you're not going to do it long term. We

> ALL know the many benefits of exercise, the many,

> many conditions it prevents and helps to completely

> remedy. But if that was all the reasoning it took

> we'd be a nation of exercisers and we clearly are

> not. Each person gets to a gym or to their treadmill

> in the basement for reasons that are unique to them,

> and it sometimes takes some doing to get to that

> reason.

>

> For me, my reason came along as I watched my parents,

> now both 82 years old, suffer from a lifetime of

> NOT exercising - which in their 70's and 80's meant

> a marked decrease in simple MOBILITY - their ability

> to move around, to do every day tasks, etc. It doesn't

> have to be that way, but the way we prevent that is

> through exercise. I read a study one-time that said

> MOST of the people in nursing homes or " long-term

> care " facilities are there for basically no other

> reason than that they lack the upper and lower body

> strength sufficient to ambulate on their own!

>

> So I go to the gym. I'm basically no smaller than I

> was when I joined the gym 2 years ago, but I am

> TOTALLY stronger, my heart and mind are both healthier,

> and I feel better about my ability to perform even

> basic physical tasks. Don't get me wrong - some days

> I think there is just no WAY I can do another workout!

> Not with the day I've had!! But I go anyway, and always

> feel 10 times better for having done it. But I do it

> because in 10 years, in 20 years, in 30 years I want

> to continue to be able to do things I now take for

> granted.

>

> I think we have to get to where working out is like

> taking a shower every day. We don't require daily

> motivation or goals or anything like that to compel

> us to take a shower - it's just part of your every

> day routine, your " ablutions " to use that old-

> fashioned term that means a routine practice of

> cleansing, of taking daily measures to care for

> our bodies. None of us get up in the morning and

> say, " NO! I cannot stand ONE MORE SHOWER!! I shouldn't

> HAVE to shower - this is so unfair!! " How funny

> would that be! Doing some kind of physical activity

> is the same thing.

>

> Where I think so many of us find exercise so

> laborious is we get brainwashed (much as with food)

> into thinking " all or nothing " - we MUST work out

> for 30 minutes a day, we MUST do it every day,

> we MUST do cardio, we MUST do weights. Forget all

> that - do something ... ANYthing... that gets your

> heart racing for at least 10 minutes a day. Period.

> If you want to move up from there, so be it, but

> you don't HAVE to. 10 minutes - about the same

> time commitment as a shower!

>

[Guest guest]

Hey Carllie, glad I could help and I do think

you're definitely on the right track to remove

the whole weight loss thing from the equation

of exercise AT ALL. Trust me, I was MAJORLY

bummed when I first started working out and

was NOT losing weight like crazy. Every mag-

azine I ever picked up had stories of people

who began an exercise program - often one with

a lot LESS activity than I routinely engage

in - and " the weight just fell off. " Well, why

the # & @! wasn't that happening to me?! I

wasted a year of my life chasing the answer -

writing down every little thing I ate, adding

up the calories, consulting my doctor for an

explanation, worrying over the mix of cardio

and strength training, etc, etc, ad nauseum.

Finally just came to the truth that a)exercise

for me cannot be tied to weight loss or I am

doomed to drop exercise altogether and b)some

folks, as my godsend of a doctor says, " are

just built different. " Get over it.

I KNOW there are people I work out with every

day who see how hard I work out and just

" assume " I must be on a 3-cheeseburger a day

diet, since I work that hard but don't get

smaller. I know better - I eat more reasonably

than almost anyone I know. So I had to just

come to terms with the fact that I'm probably

always going to be plus-sized. But that doesn't

mean I have to be a couch potato. Grown men

stand with their mouths open when I work on

the leg press - I use TWELVE 45 pound plates

when doing the press! And I laugh my butt off

at the men watching me - take THAT and your

assumptions about what women can and cannot

do! I am woman - plus-sized for sure - but I

am WOMAN, hear me ROAR!!!

[Guest guest]

Roar on darling!! And remember its the lioness that does the hunting

or the lion wouldn't eat ;-) LOL!!! Katcha

>Grown men

> stand with their mouths open when I work on

> the leg press - I use TWELVE 45 pound plates

> when doing the press! And I laugh my butt off

> at the men watching me - take THAT and your

> assumptions about what women can and cannot

> do! I am woman - plus-sized for sure - but I

> am WOMAN, hear me ROAR!!!

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks again for the recent reply...I got the message...and will

continue communication through yahoo groups.

>

> Yeah, like someone whose sign on is " gym is a

> drug " wasn't going to respond to this line of

> postings!

>

> Anyway... I know what you mean about weight loss

> not being a good goal anymore. I'm a plus-sized

> person who nonetheless works out at least 4-5 days

> a week, and I'm talking WORKS out - dripping with

> sweat from every possible pore kind of work. But

> like anyone else there are times when I think,

> " And I'm doing this WHY?! " Not getting any smaller,

> definitely fitter, healthier, feel better - but

> not SMALLER!! And whaz' up with that?!

>

> Bottom line, you've got to find your own reason

> for making exercise part of your life. And frankly,

> if you can't find a reason, you should just stop,

> because you're not going to do it long term. We

> ALL know the many benefits of exercise, the many,

> many conditions it prevents and helps to completely

> remedy. But if that was all the reasoning it took

> we'd be a nation of exercisers and we clearly are

> not. Each person gets to a gym or to their treadmill

> in the basement for reasons that are unique to them,

> and it sometimes takes some doing to get to that

> reason.

>

> For me, my reason came along as I watched my parents,

> now both 82 years old, suffer from a lifetime of

> NOT exercising - which in their 70's and 80's meant

> a marked decrease in simple MOBILITY - their ability

> to move around, to do every day tasks, etc. It doesn't

> have to be that way, but the way we prevent that is

> through exercise. I read a study one-time that said

> MOST of the people in nursing homes or " long-term

> care " facilities are there for basically no other

> reason than that they lack the upper and lower body

> strength sufficient to ambulate on their own!

>

> So I go to the gym. I'm basically no smaller than I

> was when I joined the gym 2 years ago, but I am

> TOTALLY stronger, my heart and mind are both healthier,

> and I feel better about my ability to perform even

> basic physical tasks. Don't get me wrong - some days

> I think there is just no WAY I can do another workout!

> Not with the day I've had!! But I go anyway, and always

> feel 10 times better for having done it. But I do it

> because in 10 years, in 20 years, in 30 years I want

> to continue to be able to do things I now take for

> granted.

>

> I think we have to get to where working out is like

> taking a shower every day. We don't require daily

> motivation or goals or anything like that to compel

> us to take a shower - it's just part of your every

> day routine, your " ablutions " to use that old-

> fashioned term that means a routine practice of

> cleansing, of taking daily measures to care for

> our bodies. None of us get up in the morning and

> say, " NO! I cannot stand ONE MORE SHOWER!! I shouldn't

> HAVE to shower - this is so unfair!! " How funny

> would that be! Doing some kind of physical activity

> is the same thing.

>

> Where I think so many of us find exercise so

> laborious is we get brainwashed (much as with food)

> into thinking " all or nothing " - we MUST work out

> for 30 minutes a day, we MUST do it every day,

> we MUST do cardio, we MUST do weights. Forget all

> that - do something ... ANYthing... that gets your

> heart racing for at least 10 minutes a day. Period.

> If you want to move up from there, so be it, but

> you don't HAVE to. 10 minutes - about the same

> time commitment as a shower!

>

[Guest guest]

Exercise is the close est to the fountain of youth, isn't that everybody is looking for? what's best , it can be done at any age,and at any size. it is progressive, and is only about breaking a sweat daily. It's enjoyable. what else can we ask for.