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How to get motivated?

Oeufa

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Looking for a bit of advice here (and a kick up the bum I suppose).

I'm really unfit and fairly overweight (about 3-4 stone off the ideal weight for my height). I know I need to exercise, eat well and become healthy, and I've tried many times to change my lifestyle. It usually goes well enough for a week or two, before I become bored by this focus in my life and move onto something else to consciously work on. My question is really, how to I make good eating and activity a true part of my life? To the point where it's not something I need to consciously engage in (it's just there, like anything else). Usually I'm motivated to act when I become really aware of my weight - seeing something in the mirror I really dislike, or looking like a fat pig in a photo next to my tall slender friends (ok, I'm shallow - sue me :tongue:); sometimes it's when I've to run to catch a bus and it takes much longer than it should for me to get my breath back. I've tried joining different sports in the past, but to be honest I care nothing for sport and none that I've participated in have engaged my interest in any real way. If I don't like it I won't do it (wow I'm such an child :O).

Any ideas on how I can change my lifestyle, and more importantly how I can make it a permanent change and not another whim. All help is really appreciated :)
 

Craft

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Fast for 3 whole days and night. Experience Poverty for a month. Perhaps that could impact your meaning and motivation.

Does it seem overly severe? What is the price of purpose?

----

Ok, maybe that's not it...


How do you push yourself towards necessities? Beat yourself.
 

Unkindloving

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What have you attempted to alter before? Have your efforts gone from low to drastic? Have you tried to find exercise that appeals to you, foods that don't taste like cardboard, and given yourself things you craved in moderation?
Etc

I've jumped on and fell off the bandwagon a heap of times. It's usually because I'm not finding a form of exercise I actually enjoy or because I'm making too many drastic changes in my eating habits.
You need to take it one step at a time. Small accomplishments snowball into huge accomplishments. Everything is something to be proud of and there's no need to beat yourself up on the way there.

If you feel bad for anything you're doing to better your health.. take a step back to where you feel okay. Don't stop the flow of things completely, but don't push yourself into misery! This is a huge, and common, misconception. Find whatever the hell works for you and gradually work toward betterment at your own pace.
Assess what you want to accomplish and assess the benefits. That will set your drive for you, but keep it all in mind when you're having moments of doubt.

Basically, you're going to have to work a bit for it to stop feeling like work. This isn't saying kick your ass into overdrive, but it's saying that getting into any habit and making a routine takes effort and time. If you put some of that in, you'll start to forget that it's a routine.

A big motivator- other people. I use this subforum and Sparkpeople.com as motivators. I also put together an inspiration board on Stixy.com. Find the places and things that you can look to when you feel like it's all tiresome or BS.
If you'll inevitably feel better about yourself, then it's not BS at all and it's absolutely worth it.

Now I'll hang up my motivational speaker clip board nonsense until later :laugh:
 

Oeufa

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Thanks guys, some useful words of advice there! I do tend to beat myself up when I don't stay entirely on track. I'll try making less drastic changes more often, and see how well that works. Fingers crossed! :D

Re exercise: It's Fresher's week in college this week, so time to join all the clubs/societies. I didn't join any of the sports last year because I couldn't find the hall where sign ups were :)tongue:), but I'll pick one or two this year. The uni also has a get active programme for the month of October to kick start activity, I wonder if I should sign up for that too? I don't see the value of joining the on-campus gym though, as it's wildly overpriced and from what I've heard the facilities are rubbish. We're getting a pool built but I probably won't see it until I've graduated... :(
 

You

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Ask kidnergardeners how you look. What they say should motivate you enough.
 

Oeufa

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I think young kids would be too distracted by my fluorescent orange hair to pay much attention to my weight to be honest :tongue:. I have taken up jogging (in very short bursts for now, interspersed with walking. I'm so unfit :sad:), which I actually find enjoyable enough. I think a healthier diet would be much easier if I didn't love food so much, or have a strong aversion to seafood. *shrug*
 

gromit

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Find something that is FUN and that you like doing. Finding a buddy sometimes can help too.
 

Oeufa

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About 2 years ago I joined a local karate group with some friends. It just ended up being something I avoided because I felt embarrassed around my pals every time I missed a session... I think solitary exercise might be more appropriate for me at the minute - no one sees my embarrassing failures but me (and any cars that happen by).
 

gromit

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Fair enough. What about the fun part though? What kind of things do you enjoy?
 

Oeufa

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I'm very whimsical about what I enjoy. I seem to like martial arts for their practicality though (I like the idea of being able to fend for myself in a poor situation), and the jogging seems to be going well at the moment. That said, I have just started it so I guess time will tell..

I LOVE LOVE LOVE to swim, but to be honest I'm a bit too embarrassed to use the pool any time soon. When I've lost some weight I might have more body confidence to swim on a regular basis.
 

Blown Ghost

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The #1 problem people have with motivating themselves is that they get tunnel vision, think too far ahead, give up and never just keep it simple and take it one step at a time. Think back on everything major you've accomplished in life and realize that it didn't happen overnight. It happened because what you did in the moment.

It sounds like getting off to a start is no problem for you, so you are doing better than so many people in the self-motivation game!

What you need now is some follow-through. The average behavior takes 28 consecutive days to become "normal" (obviously this will vary) and until that point you will need to push yourself out of your comfort zone. That comfort zone can even be something like not wanting to be bored or simply having the feeling that you're making progress.

So what you need to understand is that 2 weeks into your routine, you're not finished! Relatively speaking, it's like you were 2 weeks of exercise lighter but you haven't even started.

If you struggle to stay commit to goals, set them day by day. Personally, I just tell myself as long as I did better than the day before then I've reached my goal for that day. If you can muster up the fortitude, keep the same goals and recommit to them every morning. Write yourself notes, print pictures of yourself when you were younger and skinnier near your bed, whatever it takes to remind you why you started this endeavor in the first place.

Anything that anyone else can do, you can do. They have no mystical power, they have the right mindset, and that is all you'll need to come up with to put your body into action.
 

Oeufa

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print pictures of yourself when you were younger and skinnier near your bed, whatever it takes to remind you why you started this endeavor in the first place.

I'm only 19 - I laughed out loud at this bit :tongue:

The rest of your post makes a lot of sense though. I guess I just have to force myself until it doesn't feel like I'm forcing myself into a new routine anymore. I need to work on my will power! And remind myself constantly of why I'm doing this. I might try keeping a food/exercise log, but I tend to be shoddy at updating those sort of things on a regular basis.
 

Blown Ghost

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I'm only 19 - I laughed out loud at this bit :tongue:

The rest of your post makes a lot of sense though. I guess I just have to force myself until it doesn't feel like I'm forcing myself into a new routine anymore. I need to work on my will power! And remind myself constantly of why I'm doing this. I might try keeping a food/exercise log, but I tend to be shoddy at updating those sort of things on a regular basis.

:yes:

Some people's will power is based on trying to will something. This sometimes works, but what works a whole lot better is the POWAH. Be aware of it, be honest with yourself. You have a choice to make healthy decisions, and the future you will be sooo thankful you did.
 

Oeufa

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Another forum I frequent seems very supportive of the couch to 5K programme, which I'm going to adopt. I think it'll give me a proper goal to aim for, in manageable chunks :tongue:. I'm excited to actually start it - my own efforts weren't very well thought out.
 

Haphazard

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The government is going to go after fat people soon.

Do you really want to get sent to a concentration camp?
 

Oeufa

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I live in Ireland. If the government were to go after fatties we'd have no politicians left in Leinster House. That wouldn't be a bad thing :tongue:
 
T

ThatGirl

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You don't. You just do what you need to then hope you will feel better about it later. I think the biggest problems people face while trying to get healthy (myself included) is that they either wait for some momentum to come along and do all the work for them, or they get motivated in spurts of enthusiasm that quickly die out once the uncomfortable body changes start taking place.

My technique has always been to surround myself with skinny ass bitches, then keep up with their schedules. You find that they are rarely thinking about or eating food. Engage in other activities. Don't organize eating either thats bad. Just eat something small and healthy when you are hungry then go do something else for a while. Don't think about it.



*Although I am not really one to talk since I have gained 20 lbs. But whatever, that's how I USED to be skinny.
 
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