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How do I become more motivated to exercising?
I'm a very laid back person, completely lazy with myself. I don't feel like taking walks or riding my bicycle because I'm alone when I do that. The only way I want to exercise is if I had a buddy to go with.. no one is available though. And the only thing I have at home are dumbells to lift, and my mother has a small gym area where she works with machines like treadmills and other things for muscles.
But maybe I should just try to take walks/ride my bike by myself? I'm really lazy with that though.
Is there another way/another exercise that I can do inside the house that will get my heart beating and going, make me breathe a little hard?
I need to get my heart pumping and going every day now because I eat a lot/don't exercise and then my doctor tells me I should really start exercising... this medicine im taking is a smaller dose than the medicine I have to get now, that's a higher dose... (For kidney) but still...
I need some motivation to exercising so I can really start doing this everyday..
If this matters, I'm 204 pounds, male, 24 years old, 5'4 inches.
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Hey there.
I read the answers below, and I just wanted to add a few things.
First, let me tell you a bit about the ideal scenario. Bear with me please, and keep in mind that I am not saying you must do this. However, in the ideal world, everyone should in the very least do 3 cardios per week of at least 25 minutes duration. Everyone should also do resistance training (e.g. weights), preferably at least twice per week.
This is why: Cardio has countless benefits, including for your heart, which nothing else can duplicate (cardio means steady pace exercise done at an intensity where you can just maintain a conversation). Resistance training has other benefits, among them being that it strengthens your muscles, tendons, and bones. It also has a very positive effect on your blood sugar (good for preventing diabetes).
The advice below is good, though the calorie estimate for the treadmill seems way too low. Generally speaking, cardio burns more calories here and now, while resistance training has a better long term effect on the metabolism.
Now, onto your situation. This is going to be a bit of a mess because I do not want to repeat what has already been said. So its going to be a bit of a mix of ideas, advice, and personal experience.
For cardiovascular workouts, have you considered a fitness video? I will be honest, I have not tried one myself because I am fine with going to the gym, but I know others who have used them successfully. Try check it out, it might help with the loneliness & motivation.
Otherwise, music helps a lot when you are on the treadmill or the bike. So does a television... it makes time pass quicker. I find that an MP3 player with heavy metal plus my bike are a lethal fitness combination :D
The important part here is to make exercise a regular thing. Start small and work your way up. Your mindset should be to introduce a lifestyle change. Personally, I cannot imagine a life where I am not weightlifting, yet in my 20s I had huge motivational problems just like you. Eventually I managed to re-program my mind through sheer perseverance. This meant that even in the weeks when I wanted nothing to do with training, I made sure to still go to the gym - I would do a cut down routine, sometimes only a few minutes, but the important part was that I got my butt down there. Eventually, weightlifting became as natural as taking a shower.
If you do get yourself to do resistance training, stick to big, multiple joint movements. Movements like squats, deadlifts, presses (e.g. bench press, shoulder press, push ups) and pulls (e.g. pull downs, rows, pull-ups) use multiple joints. The body responds best to this kind of training, it is safer and more practical, and it will also increase your natural testosterone level (which is good). For best results, I would stick to heavy sets of no more than 12 reps (if you can do more, use more weight).
Remember also to train opposing muscle groups. I.e. chest and back, biceps and triceps, abs and lower back, quads and hamstrings. This is to avoid posture problems, injuries, etc.
If you want ideas for exercises go here:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Oh, one other idea... are there any sports you like? Any sports (or maybe martial arts) you would like to learn? Perhaps joining a team or club of some sort could be the answer. Just a thought.
Anyway, remember, small steps but keep things regular. Try to incorporate both cardio and resistance training on a weekly basis.
Good luck :)
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One of my very good friends is a personal trainer, and she's basically given me this advice: if you don't enjoy it because it's boring, don't bother. If you don't like it because it's hard, keep at it. That's what I've been doing and I've managed to make exercise a part of my life instead of just this punishing thing I have to do every once in a while.
If you're aiming to lose weight, don't limit yourself to cardio. Being on the treadmill for a half hour will burn less than 100 calories. If you were to try some strength training, though, you will put on some muscle which actually burns more calories. You'll also see better results with strength training. I haven't lost any weight, but I've lost 10 inches around and have doubled the amount that I can lift, whereas the cardio regimens I used to go on left me disappointed. It's also a lot more interesting and motivating.
Here are some suggestions for starters:
- Push-ups. Can't do regular push-ups? Do them on your knees. Can't do them on your knees? No problem, neither could I when I started. Start with wall push-ups. [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) Do 3 sets, going to failure each time. You can vary them by having your hands out wider than your shoulders or by placing them the way they were in the video.
- Squats and lunges. I can't say enough good things about squats. I hated them with a fiery passion when I first started doing them, because they're really hard to get the hang of. Then I started seeing results, and I love them. Just make sure your technique is correct. Do them in front of a mirror if you can. Try for 3 sets of 20, or go until failure each time. [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
- Dumbbells. You can do a few different exercises with these. To build muscle, aim for 3 sets of failure at 8 reps, and to strengthen without bulking aim for 3 sets of 12-15. If you can do more than 15, you need a bigger weight. Make sure to keep your shoulders back: visualize a pencil being pinched between your shoulder blades. That's how your back should stay. Some exercises are front raises: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location), side laterals: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) and shoulder presses: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location).
It is always good to get some cardio in, but it doesn't have to be the same ol' bike ride. Do you like hiking? Swimming? Skipping? Hitting a heavy bag? I've started trying to build up my ability to run, so I'm doing interval training every few days. Find your thing.
It's good that you want to start exercising. As I'm starting to learn, it can be a lot of fun and it does feel really good... when you're doing what's right for your body. Don't force yourself onto someone else's routine, but don't abandon moves because they're hard. As my trainer friend says, the hardest exercises are the ones you need to do the most!
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From the infomation that you've given, I'd (personally) use the treadmill as the main thing. If you get bored or such, bring in a radio, or your ipod or evenn put the tv there something and you'll find that 1/2 an hour will go fairly quickly
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