I’ve been sick for the last week and a half, with a bad cold that has made my chest hurt. Bronchitis, perhaps? I haven’t exercised during that time, and I’ve actually enjoyed the excuse to be lazy and lie on the couch. Yesterday morning I felt much better, so I got up at 6am desperately seeking an excuse not to go out and run. Oh hooray! It was raining! I grabbed a book and some coffee, and read on the couch for a couple hours until Mike and Danny woke up.
This morning I woke up early, feeling good and hoping for rain. Unfortunately it was a beautiful day. I looked at my book and considered scrapping the run and reading on the couch again. I’m really enjoying this book. (It’s ironic that I didn’t want to run because I was too engrossed in the book Born to Run.) But I was healthy, it wasn’t raining, and the heat wave is over. I was out of excuses. Now I needed to work on getting my exercise motivation back.
For me, finding motivation to exercise comes in three steps:
1. Just suck it up and do it.
This is obviously the hard part. The good news is that it’s the only hard part. I’ve read several times that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So you need to make yourself do it for 21 days, even if you’re just forcing yourself to go through the motions. 21 days will pass quicker than you expect.
When I started running, part of my initial motivation was just counting down the days to 21. Fortunately running makes me feel so good that it took me only two weeks to get hooked.
2. Pay attention to the things you enjoy about it.
Look around you, and look inside you. Millions of people love exercising for their own reasons. What do you love about it? Is it the distance or time goals? The energy rush? The friends you’ve made doing it? The change of scenery? The “me time”? Pay attention and focus on those things instead of the “work” element of working out.
When I started running last winter, I was running on a treadmill in our basement, watching Parks and Recreation on Netflix. The things I enjoyed about it included mileage goals, time to myself, and Amy Poehler.
When spring came, I decided to brave the hills and run outside. Suddenly I was surrounded by countless things that made running fun. I loved the bright blue skies, spring flowers, people-watching, and new discoveries around each corner. Mostly I loved the way I felt when I was moving through the world instead of sitting on my couch.
3. Remind yourself every day of those things that you enjoy, and how you won’t get them unless you exercise.
This morning, when I was trying to come up with an excuse to stay home, I thought about all the reasons that running brings me happiness. I knew that if I stepped out my front door and just did it, I would be glad I did. I would come home having seen interesting things that I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. I’d feel accomplished. I’d be proud of myself.
This morning I was back to Step 1. I decided that I would run two laps around Lake Anne, for a total of three easy miles. I forced myself to run that first lap, but by lap 2, I was happy and soaking in the views.
I was attempting to suck it up and walk out the door. That is totally a fake smile. What I was really thinking was, “This better be more fun than reading my book.”
I decided to take pictures of some of the great things that I loved about running in my neighborhood today:
Morning light! The sun is low, so the colors are rich.
Crape myrtles!
This bendy tree that hangs over the water
Tall trees on shady paths
This vibrant hydrangea
Fun garden decor
Fabulous mid-century modern architecture
The lake, obviously
These flowers that remind of late summer in Colorado
Feeling alive
How do you find motivation to exercise when you don’t feel like it? What do you love about it that keeps you going?
Categories: All posts, Heathy Living, Photography - Places, Reston
Tags: lake anne, motivation, reston, running
Some of the things that motivate me to exercise:
1. I look at pictures of myself from 3 years ago. 3 years ago I was 35 pounds overweight and felt every ounce of it. I had a gut, a fat neck and I felt old. I dropped the weight initially just by walking 5 miles a day 5 days a week. The result was I lost the weight, I had more energy than I think I’ve ever had in my life, and I looked about 10 years younger according to others. Whenever I’m in a place where I’m having trouble motivating myself, I look at one of those pictures and remember where I came from and what the cost of laziness is.
2. Routine: I’m no longer in the place of setting goals such as “I must lose x amount of weight” or “I want to run a half marathon” as a means of motivating myself to run. Goals are useful but I’ve found they can also be a trap because once I meet those goals, I find that there’s a sort of “satisfaction” period that becomes a gateway to laziness. It’s as if I am thinking “Well, I did that. I can go back to being lazy.” In order to maintain a good exercise habit, it has to be a part of a healthy lifestyle.
3. Starting the day right. I’ve recently been trying to run in the mornings which is hard to do for a couple of reasons. I’m not a morning person in any sense of the word. If I could, I’d sleep till 12 every day. (Well, ok, that’s an exaggeration but not much of one.) I’m congenitally lazy. However, I also recognize that if I get up early enough to run in the morning and run, I get more done in the day overall. The other reason it’s hard for me to run in the mornings right now is this ungodly heat. Even in a gym, the heat gets to you, though it is admittedly better than running in record heat with humidity.
4. Something is better than nothing. While I have certain measures that I try to follow, I don’t always meet them, particularly in the mornings. Still, if I can only manage 2 miles in a morning, that’s 2 more miles than I would run if I didn’t run at all, and it also gives me a foundation for the next day and the next.
5. Serenity. This is something that is more apropos for when it is cooler and I can run outside, but I’ve found running to be a meditative activity. When I am running along my preferred path, I don’t listen to music or anything. I just run. My mind is uncluttered with the noise of the day, and my world for that time is entirely about moving, breathing, and being. It’s one of the most peaceful moments of my day, and one that I need in order to face the challenges of the rest of the day.
6. Food. After a run, I generally want two things: water and food. When I’m inactive, eating is a less enjoyable activity for me because I feel like I’m basically loading bricks into my stomach regardless of what I’m eating. When I’m active, and especially when I’m running regularly, eating becomes a pleasure again because I know that my metabolism is where it should be to properly absorb the nutrients of what I eat.
Wonderful input, Tom. Thanks for that. You’ve come a long way, and your experience and advice is inspiring.
Honestly, on the days when I really don’t want to jog or do sit ups, I look at pictures of myself that show me not looking my healthiest. When I remember how easy it is to fall back into that body, I push harder to get away from it.
Good for you for coming so far! Maybe I need to frame a “before” picture of me and keep it next to my running shoes.
My motivation is that I KNOW I will feel better in 2 hours if I work out than if I don’t. I can count on it every single time. It always works. It never fails. I know I will feel better physically and emotionally. And I will feel good about myself knowing that I have the will power to force myself — if that’s what it takes on that particular day. And that, too, makes me feel healthier.
That always works for me, too. I feel better 10 minutes after I start exercising, 2 hours later, and 12 hours later, too.
Great tips. #2 is the hardest for me because there’s absolutely nothing that I like about exercise.
Do you even feel that way about taking a walk? Going out and getting a change of scenery? Fresh air? Sunshine? Conversations with a friend? Making a dog happy by walking him?
Or maybe what you can enjoy is knowing that your heart, lungs, and muscles are stronger. Or that you’re helping to prevent disease? Or adding years to your life. There has to be at least five things you enjoy about exercise, if you look for them.
All good suggestions, Charlotte. And very inspiring. I’ll definitely keep them in mind.
I work nights and sleep during the day; most of my friends are unconscious when I’m awake. I hate sunshine/heat/humidity, but love the moon. I live in the country, so there are no sidewalks. And when it comes to things that make me happy, I’d much rather write, read, listen to music, watch a movie or chat over a meal I’ve just cooked than work out.
In truth, the only thing that makes me get up and exercise is the knowledge that I absolutely have to if I want to live a long and healthy life. But it’s always a chore. Like brushing your teeth — for an hour.
Anything to encourage a good friend in a healthy lifestyle. You’ve been fairly inspiring yourself.