If you consistently exercise, where does your “discipline” come from?

Routine/habit. Monday is yoga class, Wednesday is aquafit class. Friday is swimming.

It has to be something you don't hate, and it has to fit on with the rest of your life. I pay for classes, because thst means I've committed to go, so I'll be letting others down if I don't, and I'm not that well off that I could justify the price if I wasn't using it.

It helps I'm a morning person so I can get my exercise done before the family wakes up. I don't always enjoy exercising but I never regret it. Just turn your brain off and get it done. Tomorrow's you will thank you for it.

I’ve run 5 miles, 3 times a week for nearly 30 years (apart from the pregnancy and early baby months). I wouldn’t say I enjoy running particularly, but I enjoy the feeling of satisfaction afterwards. And I’ve had to watch my weight since my teens.

Also, as a previous poster said, I’m an older mum, having had my kids at age 37 and 41, so if I’m going to be able to play with my future grandchildren I need to stay fit.

I think I could easily have given up any time in the first couple of years, but after that it became such a habit, I’d be scared of not doing it. These days, if I can’t run (eg if I’m ill, or there’s something else happening on one of my running days) I get a bit panicky, worried that I’ll lose the habit and never get it back.

So that’s my advice - force yourself to do something for long enough that you actually start to fear not being able to do it!

I've built it up slowly. I got to the ripe old age of 57 before I found a routine that suited me and I actually enjoy.
I was looking for exercise to help me lose weight so I started going for longish walks (5 miles +) last autumn, combined with a Walk At Home youtube session three times a week early in the morning.
We then started going for an early-morning walk every day and added an after-dinner walk when the evenings lightened. We now walk around 5 miles a day, every day at least. At weekends, we tend to drop the morning and evening walk on at least one day and try to get out for a longer walk.
By March/April, my fitness levels were much better and my legs are pretty toned (for the first time in my life!) so j decided to drop the Walk At Home sessions and concentrate on weights workouts fir my abs and arms. I did these three times a week.
What has been revolutionary to me was reading about The 5am Club, which advocates really early rising. Amazingly, I find this easy as I was waking early anyway then going back to sleep. I find getting up at 5am much easier than 7am (really) and I now do abs and arms sessions alternatively every single day. I even took my weights on holiday, it's become part of my routine.
The above is something I never, ever thought i would write

I've built it up slowly. I got to the ripe old age of 57 before I found a routine that suited me and I actually enjoy.
I was looking for exercise to help me lose weight so I started going for longish walks (5 miles +) last autumn, combined with a Walk At Home youtube session three times a week early in the morning.
We then started going for an early-morning walk every day and added an after-dinner walk when the evenings lightened. We now walk around 5 miles a day, every day at least. At weekends, we tend to drop the morning and evening walk on at least one day and try to get out for a longer walk.
By March/April, my fitness levels were much better and my legs are pretty toned (for the first time in my life!) so j decided to drop the Walk At Home sessions and concentrate on weights workouts fir my abs and arms. I did these three times a week.
What has been revolutionary to me was reading about The 5am Club, which advocates really early rising. Amazingly, I find this easy as I was waking early anyway then going back to sleep. I find getting up at 5am much easier than 7am (really) and I now do abs and arms sessions alternatively every single day. I even took my weights on holiday, it's become part of my routine.
The above is something I never, ever thought i would write

I manage somewhere between 2 and 4 trips to the gym a week and have done for about 6 years now. I also try to walk as many places as possible locally.

Probably not very useful to you but my discipline comes from being very hypermobile in my upper body and if I don’t lift weights a couple of times a week I’m in agony and get referred headaches…and the parking near my house has gotten really shit recently so I don’t like moving my car unnecessarily

These tips are all well and good but what if there’s nothing i love? What if looking good is not a strong enough

can anyone suggest anything more concrete?

This is going to sound a bit twee but for me I’m a slightly older mum and I don’t want to be decrepit before I need to be. So my child is my motivation.

I discovered recently that the research now shows that being fit is significantly more important than weight for cutting risk of heart and premature death. I’m not skinny (just under top end healthy BMI) but my VO2 max is great for my age.

its a rule - if exercise is in the diary I have to start it

if you can book a class it’s easier
or set the alarm for 730 for exercise

I work out x3 per week.

1. find what you love and stick to it. I simply can’t do what I don’t enjoy. I swim and do weights. Sometimes throw in some cycling.
2. plan it. I write down the day/time/style of workout in advance so those decisions are no longer holding me back. And I stick to it.
3. if you skip a day, don’t give up. Come back and continue. Consistency is key.

For me it's knowing I'll feel better for going to the gym.
I recommend doing a number of sessions with a PT because it will make you keep going and pushing yourself. Hopefully by the time you stop having a PT you'll have started to see/feel the benefits of exercise and it will make you want to keep going.
I also recommend headphones and podcasts. Seeing it as my time to go and be on my own, listening to a good podcast makes it more enjoyable.
Also, find the thing that works for you. Maybe that's swimming or running or a team sport.

I do a full shower at the gym. I have a quick shower every morning at home but wash my hair, shave and scrub after a swim, sauna and jacuzzi. Also a full body moisturise and blow dry at the gym. It definitely makes me want to go 3-4 times a week for that pamper.

I also have some tv shows downloaded onto my phone that I watch on the treadmill, bike and cross trainer. Makes the time fly past.

Habit - build it into your life and it becomes part of your routine. Also find what you enjoy.

For me exercise has to serve a practical purpose such as getting me somewhere otherwise I don't stick to it. I cycle to work, I stick to it because I know it is the only way I will make nursery pick up on time.

This is me. Even though I have been really fit at various points, I never love exercising and never experience this so called endorphin high. Perhaps some people don’t. Nonetheless I find ways to keep going. This is what I do currently.

I regularly volunteer at a warehouse where I need to lift heavy things.

I have transformed my garden and grow veg, fruit and flowers.

I walk or use an electric bike for local journeys.

I am in a sports team, playing weekly, and if I don’t go, I let everyone down, so I go.

My DD is learning to play golf so I go along with her for support sometimes.

I am currently in bed thinking I have to get up to go for a swim. I really really don't feel like it but what will propel me out of bed is focusing on how I will feel afterwards (relaxed). One thing I like about swimming is focusing on techniques. I watch YouTube videos of people helping to improve techniques and then I try it in the pool. The other thing I enjoy is having little races with other swimmers (they are unaware) to see if I can win. It's particularly satisfying when they are young and fit looking.

I also agree with people who say if you don't feel like it, tell yourself you can quit in 5 mins. It's enough to persuade yourself to get out there and start and you might do more than you planned.

I also get strong guilt feelings if I don't go that's a motivator too.

Sometimes I'm tempted to skip out on exercise because I feel the pressure of other things that call to me (like housework or other perceived obligations). Take the last day. I took the kids out for several hours, did some food prep including making dinner so it's ready to go, did some other things then felt tempted to go put some washing on and change my bed. I wanted to meet my personal exercise goal too but was pulled towards obligation. I'm making it a practice to say, "No. I am putting myself first." I'm pretty bad at that, so it's something I'm consciously doing. So that's what I did, put myself first. Got on the treadmill for an hour, listened to my audio book while doing it, and got it done. Then sat down and had a tea and only then put on washing and changed my bed. Yes, I might get one less load of washing done today but it will get done. This only works with slightly older children that don't need constant supervision.

As a woman who is aging every day, I know I need to do 3 things to be as fit as I can for my old age.
1 lift weights to work against muscle loss and give me arm strength.
2 do something to get me leg strength, so for me it’s spinning, walking and squats/lunges.
3 something for balance to prevent falls, so yoga/pilates.
Its about being pro active and doing it for older me.

I put my exercise dates into my phone calendar along with all other events. Then I just treat it like a job. If it’s in the calendar it’s a non negotiable. I also have a rule that if I absolutely have to miss a session I can only miss one. Can’t do two in a row for example.
For me, getting up and getting it done first thing works. Less time to procrastinate.
Some days it’s a big battle with my head, some days it’s not, however I 99% of the time feel better having got it done. Treating it exactly like work and having the same attitude to it (some days the thought of going to work is tough but you just have to get it done) works for me.

I do a full body weights workout three times a week. Other than that it’s walking the dog and I have an active job. I started because I hit my fifties and didn’t want to end up unable to carry my own suitcases like my Mil, and with dodgy legs like my my mum. I kept it up as I love the feeling of being stronger. I can only do it first thing in the morning. I’m lucky that we have a lot t of equipment at home. I know I’d be unlikely to carry on if I was having to go to the gym. I can wear whatever I like and I’m done in an hour. I make sure to look at my schedule for each week and put it on the calendar when I’m planning to work out. If I have an early start at work for example that won’t work for me. It’s kept me consistent.

Join a club or make plans with friends - my social running club run might not be the toughest workout but it guarantees that I’ll run that evening. It also encourages me to sign up for events which means I then have motivation to train. I also have a regular ‘strong girls club’ evening (strength training/gossiping/letting off steam) with friends every week.

Home workouts - I’m super lucky to have a full home gym set up but even a mat and a couple of kettlebells and some YouTube videos can be brilliant. I really like the Workout with Roxanne and Caroline Girvan videos on YouTube. It means that you can roll out of bed and be working out within minutes.

Take the pressure off - If I don’t feel like running, I’ll put on my run stuff and ‘go for a walk’. Usually within a few minutes I will feel like running but if I don’t, at least I’m outside and moving my body.

Because the muscles I am using and the movement I am doing in the gym or walking or whatever are the muscles I’ll use to get me out of my chair and on and off the loo independently when I am old. I want a good old age, as much as I can control that of course.

I agree with that- partly I consider it like a job

I’m on Mounjaro which has helped massively, but simply put I’d rather be sweaty and uncomfortable than 25 stone again