Exercise motivation: what works for you?

[ChatChapeau]

I've been following MJ threads with interest. Especially people who have built an exercise habit on MJ.

What are your tips for getting started and keeping up exercise motivation? I'm really interested in people who were pretty sedentary pre MJ, and now exercise regularly.

I'm struggling with being consistent, but know exercise is important for bone health and maintenance etc.

This may not work for you, depends on your personality type but I find keeping a record very motivating. This could be a spreadsheet or an app or even good old pen and paper! It takes a few days or a couple of weeks to build up enough entries to start seeing progress but I personally find it very motivating to see how many steps I’m doing and try to beat last weeks total this week etc. It needn’t be steps it could be minutes walked or km jogged or time spent in the gym, whatever your thing is. As long as you can put a number on it you can log it! Do you have a Fitbit or similar?The Fitbit app will log a lot of stats without you having to input anything manually.

I feel amazing afterwards. No exercise means anxiety through the roof for me. That is the main thing. Maybe take note of all the positives you experience when you exercise?

I use an app called WayBetter where you kind of bet against yourself to keep to a commitment - eg to do a certain number of steps per day or submit a food log X times per week. Other people join the challenges and whoever hasn't dropped out by the end splits the pot! It's small amounts like £10 but I find it weirdly incentivising when at the end of completing the challenge I might have "won" £3!

So, what worked for me was a handful of things:

1. Start slow - I still do NOT love the gym; I will go once-twice a week, but it was never realistic for me to expect to make myself go daily. Walking on the other hand - I LOVE. I can walk for miles and miles. So, I go for a walk every single day. I work from home (which I know makes life a thousand times easier) and I go for an early morning walk every day before I start work. I put on my headphones, listen to music, a podcast, audiobook or call and catch up with a friend. It's usually an hour or so, but I get 5-6K every morning.
2. Find an exercise type/class that you enjoy - if you have a local gym, explore their fitness classes. There's so many in varying intensity. Just try out a few different things and see if you find something that you enjoy. That makes going to that class/activity feel like something to look forward to. For me, that's a dynamic Zumba class. For someone else, it might be mindful Yoga flow. It doesn't matter, as long as it feels like a treat and brings you joy.
3. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good - I cannot tell you how many times before I've suffered from my "all or nothing mentality". It's stupid and toxic. Don't have much time today? Scale it down. Don't have much energy? Do the easy version. Find different ways to show up depending on the circumstances. Adaptability is the way to consistency.
4. This leads from the point above, but just realizing that I won't always be motivated. It's not really about motivation, it's about being a little bit disciplined and a whole lot adaptable.

Hi there

Just agreeing with pp who said that in order to build it as a regular habit not really about motivation.

I had been a very sedentary person for a long time but started working out and home and then in the gym with the support of a trainer and coach.

I could always find an excuse to not do it- so motivation doesn't work for me- I just do it. Just like brushing my teeth- I don't think oh I'll have nice clean teeth after, I just do it because I have to do it.

I know it's a bit of an odd analogy but it works for me. If I waited to feel motivated each time then I just would never do it so stopped looking for that and used it for headspace/ doing spending for myself and for sure the good feeling you have after, but it tends to come during/ after exercise rather than before motivating me to do it.

Fear of muscle loss! I find that a great motivator . Plus bone loss starts with peri menopause and believe me, you want to avoid osteoporosis if you can help it.

I made it a non negotiable. But also started small. Reaching 8k steps a day, averaged over the week. So if I do 10k one day and 7k another that’s ok. Then to 10k and then 12k.

I take the dog out first thing, As soon as I get up. If dp is walking the dog I go on the walking pad for at least 15 mins on a morning. And 10 mins at night. I started walking if I had work phone call on the phone. I got about 3000 steps in on calls today. Also do 10 mins in the walking pad on a night. No matter how many steps I do during the day I made it a non negotiable that I would walk in the morning and at nights

If I am wfh I do 10 mins on the walking pad every 1-2 hours and walk the dog for 45 mins on my lunch hour.

Sounds weird but because I told myself I had to do these things, I just do. It’s part of my routine. Even if I don’t want to, I have to. Like brushing my teeth or washing my face.

When the dogs is older (only 8 months and is a large dog) I plan on doing couch to 5k.

I don't get motivation, I just have to do it and then I feel better afterwards. I never feel worse off when I come back from going for a run or walk.

Hope you don't mind me commenting, I've never needed to lose weight (but I have been unhealthy or 'skinny fat' if that doesn't offend anyone). I've never stayed motivated with healthy eating and exercise because being lazy and eating unhealthy food is easier and more enjoyable. What changed for me at 40 were the following:-

• seeing my young kids copying my unhealthy eating habits
• my very healthy DH almost died from septic shock, if he had been unhealthy or overweight he wouldn't have stood a chance
• I had my over 40 check up and a Bupa health check which showed I was almost pre-diabetic and had very low lean mass despite being a size 8
• and what keeps me motivated mostly with exercise has been finding something that's realistic to fit in to my daily life and that I enjoy. I hate gyms, work full time, and do all the after school activities as DH works v long hours. So for me that has been using Apple Fitness for HiIT and strength training alongside Yoga on YouTube. I do these in the kitchen after tea has been cleared up and everyone has their down time. I can fit this in 5 days a week.
• I also find it motivating to see my results (blood pressure, lean mass, PWV, CV age muscle percentage and BP) get better. I use a total body Withings scale and a BP monitor twice a week to monitor. My cardiovascular age is currently 40 and I'm 46, today I just touched the 'optimal' range for my muscle percentage/lean mass and 1 year ago was at the top end of the low range.