How do you get back into a fitness routine?

Kayleigh09

I am getting married in August and I would love to lose some weight - nothing drastic, just a bit of toning up here and there!

I am absolutely useless when it comes to motivation - I would love to get into the gym but between being stuck in a crappy job (which I am getting out of in August wooooo :j) and planning the wedding near enough all by myself (H2B is training at the moment for the Armed Forces - so he's never at home) I am finding it really hard to get the drive to get up and go to the gym. It's doing nothing for me and I feel really sluggish all the time, which doesn't help when I know I've got to go and run on a treadmill for 45 mins! I drink at least 2 litres of water a day and I am quite good with what foods I eat.

Does anyone have any tips on what I can do to get back into it? Maybe someone has some tips as to what I can do instead of a rigorous workout?!

Any help would be kindly welcomed!

Thanks all

whatmichaelsays

If you can afford it, sessions with a personal trainer are an excellent investment.

I've had gym memberships for years and, like you, often found excuses not to go. It is very easy to go to a gym and be lazy.

Luckily, my employer offers subsidised gym membership and pays part of my personal trainer sessions. I've been going around 8 weeks now (2hrs a week) and it makes a huge difference to me simply turning up and going on a treadmill for 20 mins. It really helps having somebody there who knows what they are doing, can show you the right technique and, when they need to, kick your !!!! a bit!

Kayleigh09

That's what I had tried to think of, but it's costing too much for the amount of times I would like to go to the gym a week.

It's quite silly really, I am paying for my gym membership and not going!!

I should be a bit motivated as hubby to be is going to be a royal marine, he won't wan't a wobbly wife! Once he has done trainng, we get married and then move in together, I'll be fine... I'll have him to work out with. It's just getting it sorted now!

Gloomendoom

Although Mrs Gloomendoom is still a member of a gym, what we did was buy some home gym equipment and do it at home. Not having to traipse to a gym has certainly made a difference to how much exercise me and Mrs G do. Especially me, because I absolutely hate gyms.

The downside is that you need somewhere to put it.

jenniewb

Work out when your at your most energetic- try going to the gym at different times of the day and seeing what works. I tried several times going to the gym first thing and it was horrible! I had undigested food bloating my stomach, felt achey and groggy. I hated every second of it and it was very painful, I never got to a point where I was sort of at a peak.

I found though that if I go between sort of 4pm-8pm this is when I am at my peak (but sadly when the gym is at its peak: very busy) After 9pm is another good time for me but means I may not sleep well so not really an option. I find that when I work out the fitst 20 mins are hard, up hill battle and its worth reminding yourself the fitst 15-20 mins of an exercise routine are warming up, you work slowly at this then pick up speed as and when you can then really go for it after that time.

Can you do any classes? classes are great for getting back into things as you are working with people so get all sorts of reassurances. You can also pick up some great tips such as the right way to stand, the best way to stretch...etc all of which make you feel more confident when working alone in the gym. I'd recommend a class or two but it depends on what your after and also who the teacher is but for moral support a circuit class is the best thing- I have not done one where people aren't supportive so far (and I have done many) but they are hard core- they will work your backside off, the more you put in the more you get out but when you see everyone else working hard it just feels right to try your best too. But in terms of the hardest classes, circuits tend to be the most intense.

If your just looking to get back in touch with your body then something like Hatha yoga or Pilateas would be good (Ashtanga yoga is much more intense). Aqua aerobics could also be another idea if your gym does that, it doesn't feel that intense but is kinder to your joints. Step aerobics is fun but you need to know the basic steps and requires coordination and concerntration! Normal aerobics can be a great class to get your exercise in.

A few things that help me go to the gym when I reeeeally don't want to go are:

An energy drink: lucosade alert and if I am desperate, planning a nicer drink afterwards (iyswim!) (But requires I workout intensly for an additional 30 mins if I chose that option!)

A magazine to read when I am done: do not read in the gym, if your able to read and workout your not working yourself out hard enough and could do more: don't do yourself a disservice and waste your time working half heartedly, save the mags for the sauna.

Getting nice stuff to use in the shower when I am done. (and now I have a bad addiction to luxuary hair care....)

Nice gym clothes to wear: if I want to wear something and have found kit that makes me feel better about myself then I don't feel rubbish when working out, at least my clothes look OK!

If you can, rope a mate in with you. Having someone to work out with can make a world of a difference.

Keep a log of your workouts. The more you do the more you have and the more boxes you can tick, also keep a log of your progress, I went from not being able to running for more then 2 minutes at 7.5km/h, no gradient before having to stop and go home (that bad!) to now being able to run 11km/h on a 3% gradient for over an hour, the only things stopping me are boredom or my shin splints recurring.

honey06

Kayleigh09 wrote: »

when I know I've got to go and run on a treadmill for 45 mins!

who says you HAVE to do 45 mins on a treadmill to start with??? :eek:
no wonder you cant motivate yourself!!

I have just managed to get myself back to the gym after a fairly long break (had a bad chest infection and then felt too tired/unmotivated for months after) Knowing that i should be going didnt do anything to get me back there, nor did the thought of aching after the first session!! lol:o so i know how you feel!

in the end, rather than focussing on how hard it was going to be and all the reasons why i was too tired/busy/not well etc, i decided to go to a class i had never been to before (dance type class which sounded fun)
My reasoning was that i couldnt be expected to be any good at something new so i had an excuse for being hopeless :rotfl:
yes i was, and yes i did ache a bit the next day, but just finally making a start of any sort made me feel better and got me out of the self defeating rut i was in. since then i have gone twice a week (only for the last week admittedly!! :rotfl:) but it's easier once you have actually started.
maybe think about doing a new class, or just 10-15 mins on the treadmill if you go rather than such a long stretch. No way could i do so long at the moment

some other options which have worked for a couple of my friends -

now that it's summer, get up a bit earlier and go for a power walk with the dog (or without, if you dont have one!) its working for my friend who has struggled with her weight for the last few years, and she feels much better-- i kept inteding to go with her, but couldnt drag myself out of bed

or try one of the trampette/ rebounders that Argos sells- another friend cant bring herself to go to the gym, uses this in front of the TV, much to her OH's amusement intially, though he has been using it recently and now thinks its great for running on the spot as its low impact and doesnt cause problems with his knees. maybe you could start with this at home and work up to going to the gym???

maybe the couch to 5k running program would be a good start for you and you could use the wedding as a target to do the 5k by??
much more achievable than thinking you have to launch yourself into 45 mins on the treadmill on day 1 week 1!!
you probably have a plan/list of things to do for the wedding, you could build the 5k running program into this list??

HTH, and hope you have a fabulous time on your wedding day

Kitchenbunny

Hi there, I would alternate different things on different days. It keeps things interesting. I know exactly where you're coming from because I find motivation for exercise difficult, gym memberships expensive and doing a fitness DVD not always do-able because of other time priorities. I do get more exercise in though. I do a few yoga moves - sun salutation is quite a good full body toner - on one night, and today I've powerwalked to work to give myself a cardio boost and did the same at lunchtime to go to the supermarket (just for a look around, but did buy some carrots). Then, if you feel energised after doing these smaller things, you'll feel a bit more motivated to go on and do a longer workout. Yes, perhaps even at the gym but if you don't, don't worry about it. I try to make sure to get a good mix of toning and a bit of aerobics and that usually does me.

Hope that helps.

KB xx

Kayleigh09

Hey guys,

Thanks for all your help! I can say that I don't start off on a 45 minute run, it's usually 43 mins fast walking and 2 minutes running ha. I usually to be fair aim at calorie burning at every gym session and aim for between 4-500. So usually 45 mins on the treadmill is an easy way to burn them off!

I think that the whole walking in the morning with the dog wouldn't work - I am USELESS in the morning! I am usually still dressing myself as I walk out the door on a good morning!

I think it's an early night tonight, good day tomorrow at work, prepare myself for the gym and then just get in and go. Take an easy hour or so in the gym and see how I get on and then take it from there!

I know once I get myself back into the routine it will be fine - but its GETTING into that routine that's the problem!

Kitchenbunny - at moment I am walking about 3/4 miles a day and I always powerwalk everywhere. I am terrible for it, my friends always shout at me to slow down!

I have got a Pilates DVD, and I have got the wii fit, but I find it even harder due to the fact that it's in my own home! So maybe I should start off goign to the gym and then the night's I don't fancy it get on the wii for 30 mins?!

scubaangel

I absolutely hate the gym.

I tend to go out for a run in the evening, or mornings before work, I started off huffing and puffing my way around a mile circuit and have worked up to 3 miles fairly comfortably over a few months - don't know if thats practical for you but where I live there's just so much countryside to enjoy it seems insane to shut myself up in a gym.

If you have the wii how about aiming to use it for 10 - 30 mins while dinner's cooking?

Kayleigh09

honey06 wrote: »

HTH, and hope you have a fabulous time on your wedding day

Thanks - and that couch to 5k running challenge sounds good. Where do I get more info on this?

scubaangel

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2503031 Couch to 5k - I've recently joined the thread myself but havent started working on the podcasts yet.