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40 Things to Try When You Don’t Want to Work Out

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SparkPeople members answer: “When I don’t feel like working out, I ___.”

  1. Do it anyway. (This was the most popular answer!)
  2. Tell myself to go for 15 minutes. If I still feel bad or unmotivated, I can quit. I have yet to quit.
  3. Look on Pinterest for motivation! (Check out Pinterest’s Fitness section and follow SparkPeople’s Pinterest boards.)
  4. Ask a friend along to the workout it helps us both with accountability.
  5. Do a heavy house cleaning (vacuuming, moving furniture, scrubbing) so I have a reason to work out.
  6. Watch a Crossfit video on YouTube. It always inspires me. Then I get it done.
  7. Take a 10-minute brisk walk.
  8. Take the dog for a long walk.
  9. Force myself anyway and feel better for it.
  10. Go to a yoga class. It gets me moving, and I always have fun!
  11. I sit by myself for a few minutes and think about all the things I can’t enjoy because of my poor health.
  12. Sometimes I find myself doing it just to get my fitness minutes for the month. Proof that SparkPeople works!
  13. Work out anyway…then bask in the awesomeness!
  14. Find something new to do! If you run then go for a swim or a bike ride. Maybe you are getting bored with the same routine.
  15. Complain about not feeling motivated, then go do it, since I don’t like hearing myself complain.

  16. I drag myself to the gym anyway. Before I realize it, an hour is passed and I’m glad I went.
  17. Post about your lack of motivation on Facebook, and get chewed out.
  18. Do it anyway because this is for me.
  19. Try to force myself to just do something for 1 minute (jumping jacks, squats, etc.). But usually I tell myself I will be happier that I did it instead of mad at myself for not doing anything.
  20. Put on my work out clothes, lace up my shoes and go for a walk. Once I’m out and moving I find my motivation.
  21. Do a SparkPeople workout video! They are always great workouts and I love that they are not super hard and complicated!
  22. Remember a time when I couldn’t work out, and how sad I was when I was heavier, and how I don’t want to feel sad again!
  23. Listen to some music—something with energy that I like. It’s funny how the right music can make you move even when you think you don’t want to, and it usually provides a , too (which is probably why I didn’t want to workout in the first place).
  24. Put my feelings aside and use logic and reasoning. My feelings then change after a good workout.
  25. Follow an “easy” DVD and tell myself I’ll do just one part of it. I end up doing it all usually.
  26. Put on my workout clothes!
  27. Do a workout at home instead of going to the gym.
  28. Remind myself why I started working out and how much better I feel and feel about myself when I am done!

  29. Do it anyway, just not as long.
  30. Remember how easy it is to loss fitness even after missing a few sessions.
  31. Put on  clothes first thing in the morning. Once I’m in them there’s no reason to not work out!
  32. Remind myself of one of Gods promises in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
  33. Think how good I feel after a workout! Nothing else gives me that same feeling!
  34. Go bowling.
  35. I go get my small weights and start toning up.
  36. Do something light and slow, like yoga.

  37. Start working out anyway, and then, I figure I’ve already started, so I may as well finish STRONG!
  38. Put on dance music and move!
  39. Call a friend to encourage me.
  40. Think of all the people who can’t and I go do it and am grateful that I CAN.

You Are What You Eat

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YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
Every 35 days, your skin replaces itself. Your liver about a month. Your body makes these new cells from the food you eat. What you eat literally becomes you. You have a choice in what you are made of simply because YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.

I am all for clean eating these days. I have seen the dire consequences unhealthy living and too much stress (basically, not really taking care of yourself) can do to you. I am still young. I want to experience so many things, including camping out underneath the stars with my family in our Buy Big Agnes Scout tent. I want to finish a marathon. I want to take care of my future grandchildren.

That being said, there must be solid steps to be able to accomplish my goal. I am not going to go vegan and an all-organic person, but I will be more mindful of what I eat from now on.

1. Eliminate soda from my diet.
2. Cut down processed food drastically (hotdog, processed meats, bacon, etc.).
3. Limit junk food to once a week, gradually weaning to once a month.
4. Limit fast food, if we can totally eliminate better.
5. Do detox once a week. A green juice would do wonders.

Nike+ Running

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I have a goal for March: use the treadmill everyday.

We got my Dad’s treadmill a week and a half ago and I have been using it four times since March 1st. That’s a batting average of about 40%. I aim to run everyday, briskly walk that is. So far, I average about 2-3km on a 40min walk. I think that’s good for me.

I have a playlist that lasts exactly 40 minutes. I would have wanted to watch a movie while using the treadmill since our TV is on a turning table standsandmounts, but I figured a good upbeat song can actually make me walk faster.

I love the Nike+ app since it can monitor my pace, my mileage, the duration and the calories I’ve burned – no more manual input in MyFitnessPal app.

I will give you an update about everything as I finish!

Advantages of Drinking Water in the Morning

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1. Balances your lymph system. These glands help you perform your daily functions, balance your body fluids and fight infection.
2. Glowing skin. Water helps to purge toxins from the blood which keeps your skin glowing and clear.
3. Helps with weight loss. Drinking at least 16 ounces of chilled water can boost your metabolism by 24% in the morning.
4. Increases the production of new blood and muscle cells.
5. Drinking water on an empty stomach purifies the colon making it easier to absorb nutrients.

Tips on Buying a Home Treadmill

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Because of my quest to be healthy (really healthy) this year, the subject of investing on a treadmill has come up more than once. I work from home and do not know how to drive, so going to the gym is a negative (and there aren’t even gyms around our neighborhood). I have been reading on various nordictrack treadmill reviews to help us choose which model to buy.

Note that I am on a lookout for a quality and heavy duty home treadmill. There are a lot of cheaper ones in the market but I am concerned that 1) they will not be able to hold my weight 2) they do not measure heart rate and calorie burn accurately 3) they easily break down and repairing them would not be an option or will cost more than the initial buy. This is why we prefer to invest on quality treadmills even if they are slightly more expensive. I am sure it will be worth it.

Here are some guidelines I can share with you if you are on the lookout for a treadmill too:

nordictrack-t7.0
NordicTrack T7.0 Treadmill
1. Read as many nordic track treadmill reviews as possible. You can search online for real consumer feedback or customer reviews.
2. Decide the space available to you for putting up the treadmill. Treadmills are available in two types – folding and non-folding. In general, folding models come in a price range of $500 to $2000, with majority of them priced between $700 and $1500. For a normal workout, these machines are ideal and serve the purpose of regular exercising perfectly well.
3. Make that the buttons and controls are easy to read, easy to operate, and entirely user-friendly.
4. Find out the period of warranty for the treadmill and also the facilities for after sales service by the manufacturer/supplier in your area.

But most of all, make sure you use your treadmill!

My Fitness Pal

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I have been using the My Fitness Pal iphone app to track my calories. It’s easier to keep track of the calories I consume (very much like how a mechanic does tracking of his current toyota parts) and its database is very extensive – yes, even local food dishes are there (laing, Monde mamon and everything else).

You can add you water consumption and exercises too – cardiovascular and strength.
Your screen will look like this:

MyFitnessPal_610x386

**not my screen**

I need to keep my calories at 1380 calories or under to be able to lose two pounds a day. Bad news – I still go over 200-300 calories a day, even with exercising. I need to find ways to cut down or replace meals (I think the snacks are the culprit).

Bob Harper’s Skinny Rules

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1. Drink a large glass of water before every meal. No excuses.
2. Don’t drink your calories. (Say goodbye to sodas and colored drinks).
3. Eat protein at every meal – or stay hungry and grouchy.
4. Slash your intake of refined flours and grains.
5. Eat 30 to 50 grams of fibers every day.
6. Eat apples and berries every single day. Every. Single. Day.
7. No carbs after lunch.
8. Learn to read food labels so you know what you are eating.
9. Stop guessing about portion size and get it right.
10. No more added sweeteners, including artificial ones.
11. Get rid of those white potatoes.
12. Make one day a week meatless.
13. Get rid of fast food and fried food.
14. Eat a real breakfast.
15. Make your own food and eat at least 10 meals a week at home.
16. Banish high-salt foods.
17. Eat your vegetables. Just do it.
18. Go to bed hungry.
19. Sleep right.
20. Plan one splurge meal a week.

T-7.

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I weighed myself last Saturday and found out I was 2 pounds less.
So I allowed myself to have a sundae, french fries and cake on my birthday :)
I also did not log my eating in FitnessPal this weekend.

So I am seven pounds less from December.

A few observations:
1. Even if I eat all the correct/healthy food, I am still over my target calorie count of 1380/day. I usually am between 2000-2600. And I still lose. (I think this is because I am still very heavy that I need many calories even when I am resting to keep up with processes. This will need to go down as I lose).
2. It is better to exercise everyday so my sore muscles can finally stretch. My husband keeps telling me this for the longest time but it’s only now that I am taking this to heart.
3. Strength building is important. And usually this is the one that kills me. I hate pain. But in fitness, you call this the “burn”. (HA!) I think this helps me lose more. I’d rather walk or use the elliptical (which is missing screws so we need to have it fixed or have new levers)

Goals for the week:
1. No colored drinks.
2. Three to four liters of water a day.
3. Track eating via FitnessPal.
4. Exercise everyday from Monday to Friday.