*UPDATE: How come nobody told me that I didn’t include a picture in the original post when there obviously should have been one? You’re all fired.*
First off, WordPress and I were not friends yesterday. I couldn’t post, I couldn’t respond, it NEVER takes me out anymore…we nearly broke up.
Things are better now, but we’re taking it a day at a time and seeing how it goes.
Secondly, I need to lose weight. Not in a “my self-esteem is hurting” way, but a “you’ve gained too much and now your clothes fit funny and you have less energy” sort of way.
Plus, the champagne J.Crew bridesmaid dress for my sister-in-law’s that I bought in October? DOES. NOT. FIT.
Oh, it fits. But in a “Lord, Jesus woman, if you bust that zipper you’ll take the whole room out,” fashion.
Or as Jethro’s dad would say, “Ten pounds of hog in a five-pound sack.”
Her children really don’t need to see how Aunt Alyssa ruined her wedding photos with her backfat and tawdry saloon-girl cleavage. Luckily for me, she’s the most laid-back bride EVER. She’s like, “Eh, get a black dress, I don’t care, just be comfortable.”
Just more proof I’m needing to get moving again. I felt better when I was, anyway. My usual routine is Couch to 5K which is GREAT because it eases you up slowly but at a steady pace. It’s a program you can buy, but you can do it yourself by just following the plan listed or using one of the apps or podcasts you can download to listen to while you run. Mine is “Get Running,” and it also tracks your progress for you so you can know how long you need to walk/run on which day. And the nice lady with the New Zealand accent is very encouraging. But there’s also this one I might try, it seems to be more user friendly.
I was in about week 5 or 6 when I hurt myself and took a break…which quickly turned into, “God, I don’t want to start up again,” which morphs into, “Dammit, I’m going to have to start all over at the beginning by this point,” when segues to, “Running? What? Never heard of it. Ooo, PIZZA! NOM NOM NOM…”
Of course, making things like these don’t help.
WHAT? It was a test run for an event. In three weeks my sister-in-law is getting married (EEEEEE!! <—-obnoxious girly squeal) and for her bridal shower we are doing a waffle bar.
And of course, there must be chicken ‘n waffles.
It’s a rule.
We could get arrested if they weren’t there.
So help motivate me. What’s your exercise routine? What helps keep you going?**
**A college friend used to say, “Push it, Fatty!!!” to herself when she was struggling with a work-out. She also dressed up like a surly Oompa-Loompa for Halloween one year, so I like to imagine her as this smoking, angry orange-skinned elf hollering “PUSH IT, FATTY!!!” at me. Motivating? Eh. Hilarious? Yes.
Kind of a Mess 
I suck at working out anymore. I’ve wanted to do Couch to 5k but could never find the motivation. I had a friend talk me into renting DVDs from the library. My friend argued that I can keep all the curtains drawn and lock my husband in the bedroom or do it when he’s not home. I now formally loathe Jillian Michaels, but damn, she works me and I can see it. Oh, and I bellydance. That’s embarrassing and awesome at the same time.
What keeps me going? The fact that I can workout in a sports bra and yoga pants and no one ever has to see it. 😉
I’m so easily distracted, I’d end up cleaning rather than working out if I did it at home! I tried yoga on Netflix once and ended up chasing down dust bunnies under the bed that I found in downward dog…
I like to imagine her as this smoking, angry orange-skinned elf hollering “PUSH IT, FATTY!!!” at me. Motivating? Eh. Hilarious? Yes.
LOL, YES, hilarious. I just had to stifle my laughter because I’m in my office with other people, who I don’t think I could explain this to. But it totally cracked me up!
I have a picture of her flipping off the camera with a cigarette in her mouth….which remind me, I SO need to put that on Facebook….
When I’m on the elliptical or treadmill at the gym I tend to talk myself through my routine by saying things (in my head of course) like, “Just a few more minutes! You can do it!” or “Just push to the end of this song, then you can stop.” Even if I’m “lying” to myself, I end up fooling my mind into thinking I can stop if I just keep going a little bit longer. So I do it a few times, and somehow make it through. As for finding the motivation to get started in the first place- that takes a little more work. Some days, it’s easy- other days it’s really tough. On those tough days I try to think back to why I need to do it in the first place. Feel better. Be healthier. Look damn sexy. Etc. And if none of that works, I watch a bit of “The Biggest Loser”. Surely if people can lose hundreds of pounds, then I can get off my bum and work on losing twenty.
I have totally eaten pizza and watched the Biggest Loser. I’m only slightly ashamed.
I actually have begun to loathe that show, just because I hear they do some terrible things to their bodies just to drop the weight. The only part I like is after they get kicked off and they talk about how they’re motivating other people. That makes me all warm and fuzzy. But Jillian hollering at someone AGAIN? Can’t take it…
I don’t know too much about the show and I don’t follow it religiously or anything, but it is motivating because 1) I have people that overweight in my family and it scares the bejeezus out of me and 2) the people on the show do seem to end up doing good things for others once they’ve left (like you said). Essentially, as a last resort when I can’t find any other reason to get moving- the contestants struggles and goals motivate me, mostly because I don’t ever want to get to that point.
For me, it’s really about being healthy. Looking good and dropping sizes is a bonus, but essentially I want to FEEL amazing- for as long as I possibly can.
I’ve heard different views on the show, but I saw this one episode of Heavy that was SO inspirational because the trainers were crazy encouraging and the ladies in it were struggling but really trying to be more healthy. It was awesome.
And you’re right on the feeling part, that’s the best thing about exercise. I just wish I could remember that when I’m sitting on the couch! 🙂
I’m right there with ya. Stupid clothes “shrinking”. Psssh.
I’m right in the middle of couch-to-5k. Which is fine and dandy until you get to week 3 …. that freaking jump from running 90 secs / walking 2 mins cycle to running 3 MINUTES AT A TIME? Eff that. That is NOT a gradual step up.
My legs hate me. Like seriously hate me. I bought them new shoes and everything, and still, they’re not speaking to me. Enough that I revised my goal of running a 5k on May 1st to …. a 10k on OCTOBER 30th. So there, stupid legs.
The keeps me going thing? Well, there are 2 …. 1. I want to be back in the shape I was PRE-EFFING-ACCIDENT. Rawr. And 2. Running is a love of Jon’s, and I want to be able to share it with him.
All together now … AWWWWWWWWW.
But seriously, if I’m with him, the skanky little bitches stay away. ::winks::
Um, I may have been on Week 6, but I’d been using it for about 9 weeks. I have repeated weeks just to get used to it, because I knew if I pushed too hard I would injure myself or get discouraged and it would be worse.
And I don’t think I can take it if you get any hotter. I’m so jealous of your outfit tweets that I want to drop weight just so I can raid your closet….
I’ve also been struggling to find motivation to work out lately. Once I get myself out the door or to the gym or whatever, I can usually keep myself going. I’ve never been a big fan of C to 5K, but I play mindgames with myself that have pretty much the same effect–I have to jog til the end of this song/til that lamp post/til the time on the treadmill says x and then I can walk for a minute/block/whatever. Sometimes it works better than others. Good music is also CRUCIAL for me. I seriously find that running becomes noticeably easier or harder depending on how the song currently playing makes me feel (which means I skip a lot of songs on my workout playlist if I’m not in the right mood.) But mostly I struggle with just getting my butt off the couch. I’m hoping someone else out there has some suggestions for that!
I used to sleep in my gym clothes if I was going to work out that morning. That way I was already up and dressed, so I might as well go. And I bring my clothes with me to work sometimes so I can go straight to the gym or park. That way I don’t get home and find something to clean or something on TV and then never leave…
And I’m with you on the music! My running list is so weird, I’ve got like Stereophonics’ “Dakota” right after Nine: Movie Soundtrack’s “Be Italian.”
Skipping right over all that “exercise” stuff to the chicken and waffles stuff. HELL YEAH! I forced my mom to have chicken and waffles at my bridal shower. It made me happy. Also made my relatives more secure in thinking I’m nuts. I’m totally jealous of your sis’ bridal shower right now. Invite me. I’ll bring a gift and everything.
You totally should come.
Screw that, bring a gift for me and I’ll make you all the chicken n’ waffles you want.
My next experiment is putting bacon in them…..I think my face might explode from the awesome.
I was so trying to figure out what that was on top of the waffles til I read down and saw “chicken.” Is that a Texas thing?
hahah but it’s really hard to work out while you’re giggling!
I have a really hard time motivating myself to do anything. I had a gym membership for 3 years that I never used. I run races sometimes but I’m so bad about training for them it’s ridiculous. races are just so much more fun than running by yourself for no reason! well no reason other than Exercise, which is just not reason enough for my lazy brain.
The one workout that keeps me coming back is kickboxing. I take a class (with some other APW ladies whaaat) offered through my county, it’s in this little community center room clearly intended to be a little kid playroom. but it’s awesome. Just paying for this class and not a whole dang gym membership keeps me motivated to get my money’s worth. Anyway I highly recommend anything called “kickboxing” or “cardio kick” or even tae bo. superfun.
GAH, don’t even MENTION tae bo to me. I have cursed Billy Blanks with the fury of a thousand harpies as I worked through that stupid tape….every time he yelled “Double Time!” I wanted to punch him in the chode…
But yay for APW kickboxing! The DC ladies might be the ones to be in the ultimate APW cagematch…unless the game is drinking beer. Then DFW APW has that on LOCK.
Yay! So glad you posted today. You totally made my afternoon. Or maybe that was the chicken and waffles. YUM. As far as working-out motivational advice, I’ve got nothin’. I tune out when the kickboxing instructor screams anything about “BURNING MORE CALORIES.” But if she was dressed up like an angry oompa loompa, I might pay more attention…
I think anything from an angry oompa loompa garners rapt attention…
You described the cycle perfectly – start working out, get enthusiastic, take a break for some reason, lament how long it’s been since you worked out, give up completely and say EFF it.
I know I feel better when I do cardio consistently – it doesn’t even have to be anything fancy, but I know it makes me feel good. My biggest hurdle is getting up and doing it, so my best move so far has been to change into workout clothes and sneakers the minute I get home from work. Before I start making dinner, before I play with dogs, before I sit down. That way, even if it’s a few hours before run, I’m wearing the damn outfit and would feel like an idiot if I didn’t work out. I also subscribed to SHAPE magazine when I was planning my wedding, which helps motivate me. I don’t even always read it, but it’s nice that a fitness mag arrives in my mailbox once a month, usually around the time I’m in a “EFF EXCERCISE” phase. That usually helps me remember – “oh yeah, I want to be fit!”
Ooo, that’s a good tip. I try to take my clothes with me to work, just so I can go straight from work to the gym. Because if I get home and Jethro is all comfy on the couch, I won’t wanna go….
Have you tried Zumba? It’s not for everyone, but the point is definitely to do something you enjoy. Sometimes I get sick of Zumba, so I do something else. (Or, honestly, I do nothing – which is crappy but oh well.) I’ve also tremendously enjoyed kickboxing. It was very difficult but rewarding.
I downloaded C25K on my phone but have yet to actually, you know, use it.
I hear it’s amazing and I do want to try it. But I’m also self-conscious in those classes and I feel like I have to be in shape before I take a class that’s supposed to get me in shape…I’m so neurotic.
I loooooooove the Zumba. Depending on where you take it, you might end up with old ladies (that’s who I wish I took the class with — it’d make me feel super skinny) or young college students (whom I actually do take the class with and make me feel like a clumsy beast).
Once we did the class up in the gym instead of the aerobics studio that has mirrors. Let me tell you how much more I enjoyed working out with no mirrors.
Ugh, I hear you on the motivation. The fact that my reproductive health depends on my losing at least 10% of my weight wasn’t actually the kick in the pants I thought it would be, but that combined with most of my clothes getting snug and hating the thought of shopping has finally gotten to me. Mostly. I think. Working from home makes going to the gym nearly impossible because why leave when I’m already at home? So Jillian Michaels and I are bffs again. With the shades drawn, etc, like Nicole said. I worked out 2 days in a row this week, and that’s more than I have in a while.
ME TOO! I’m all, BABIES.
And then the doctor was all, Lose weight before you have babies.
So then I was lke, “Eh, babies are overrated. Gimmee candy.
Jillian is the DEVIL. Does she yell at you in her workouts?
No, she doesn’t actually yell. PLUS: the 30 Day Shred DVD has an option for music only, so then you don’t have to hear her at all. It’s pretty nice. 🙂
I can’t do negative motivation – too many years of pressure to always be doing “better” in order to just be okay – so what works for me is positive motivation:
I want to eat good healthy food in moderate proportions because I feel good when I’m eating plenty of protein and veggies and healthy fats. I love food that is good for me AND tastes good too.
I do exercise that I like doing, exercise where I’m working FOR something instead of against something, whether it’s a stretch or a balance in yoga or a heavier bar in weightlifting or a slightly longer run (I like Podrunner, because I hate running and techno makes it just a little less sucky).
Also, working out with someone else is the best ever, if they are the right someone else. Company, encouragement, and commiseration is what you want, and definitely not someone who makes you feel soooooo slooooooow because they can run circles around you and always will.
Oooo, I don’t like workout buddies. I think because running is my alone time. But that’s a good idea for other things, I’d probably be more motivated to do Zumba if I had someone with me.
Healthy? Moderate? What’s this crazy talk?!?
I kid. I feel better too, I just have a hard time not picking up Jethro’s bad food habits. Which are going to change because if I have a picky, processed food eater for a husband AND a child, I’m leaving them both and moving to Canada.
Ooh! We would be glad to have you in Canada! 🙂
you are gonna ROCK it, lady. isaiah and i recently started weight watchers and it is working like a CHARM. i recommend it whole heartedly..i don’t feel deprived at all, i’m full…i’m losing weight. it was just time for me as well, you know. that food does look delicious though…
I used to do WW, I probably should go back! The problem is I spent ALL my time thinking about food and calculating, it was exhausting…. Has the system changed, or do you have to carry that big book around with you all the time?
My husband and I are on WW as well. After the first few weeks it was quite easy. No more big book, you can do it all obline or on your iphone. We got into such good food habits that we went on a two week cruise, stuffed ourselves (or so we thought) full of pizza and desserts and cocktails but only gained 3 pounds overall. Not too shabby. Of course, getting back on track after the cruise hasn’t been much fun.
Dude! I did couch to 5k starting on Jan 1 and on Sunday, I ran FIVE MILES! WITHOUT STOPPING! I’ve dropped 10 lbs and am feeling great. (Pro tip: I also stopped eating nachos for dinner.)
So… you should totally do it! Now I’m a little obsessed with running and I have a 10k on the horizon in May. 🙂
SHUT UP! That’s amazing! YAY FOR YOU!!!
Now I want to go run!
And eat nachos. Dammit…..
Ok, wait, wait! I forgot the most obvious part of the exerciseness that has been happening in my life besides running… BALLET! I started doing ballet last month and let me tell you, it is TONING AS HELL. So, you can still eat the nachos sometimes!
Also, it was a little goal of mine to do some brave things this winter and putting on a leotard in front of strangers fit the bill.
So… ballet! Do it! 🙂
GAH. No ballet. I worked in a dance studio for a couple years and even the thought of being in another one gives me hives.
But YOU. You are awesome for doing it, very few people try ballet (or go back to it!) as an adult! There’s a ballet/yoga fusion that’s super popular, you might like that too!
Hang on…
Chicken and waffles?
Am I just the uneducated Aussie who doesn’t really know about waffles anyway but thinks chicken and waffles (and syrup!?!?) is… bizarre?
Then again, thought it bizarre when Canadian-born fiance put syrup on his eggs, but he swears by it, so each to their own I suppose.
As for exercise, I find I can’t stop. Not as in I’m on a treadmill right now typing this (ever tried to read on a treadmill? Typing ‘aint gonna happen), but as in, even if I have a ‘rest day’, I need to get out and walk, or do something small… cos if I stop altogether, then the starting is hard. It’s really, really easy for me to have one rest day, and then for the next day to feel too tired, or to have hay-fever, or to be busy doing Uni work… and then the same thing the next day, right? But if I don’t stop, if I do something every single day, even just walking the dog briskly on the days I feel crappy, then I don’t fall into that excuse cycle… Sometimes I trick myself, I get into my sport stuff to ‘take the dog for a walk’, and once I’m out there, I’m already in all my running gear so that walk might as well be a run, and if I don’t run far or for long, then that’s ok- I’ve already done more than I was going to anyway, and if I just end up walking, well hey, at least I went for a walk.
And I cycle to Uni a few times a week which is a 20km round trip. But it took me a while to figure out I could do that and that it wasn’t actually self-imposed torture.
I think people have probably said it, but enjoying what you do is super important, too.
They’re all my tips, I think you have to know yourself, & when you get past the “Ow, it hurts and it’s hard” part, then you end up loving it.
I don’t know why you don’t know chicken ‘n waffles, but you need to learn it quick! It’s totally not bizarre, it’s salty sweet chicken-y goodness. Introduce it to Australia. You’ll be hailed as a visionary.
And I so feel ya on the not stopping. At least, I did; before I HAD to stop because I hurt my foot, it was like a drug. Even when I didn’t want to go I HAD to go, because if I didn’t I’d feel like crap again. I just gotta get past that hump…and hope it doesn’t last for like 3 weeks. Don’t wanna not fit inmy clothes AND be sore and bitchy.
I saw this yesterday and though it is about what kind of method works best for stopping a habit, the inverse seems to be kinda true for starting a habit. Some people seem to be better with the cold-turkey or everyday approach, and others seem to have more success with a moderate approach. It made a lot of sense to me, and now I just have to figure out what approach works best for me in various areas.
http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2011/04/quiz-are-you-a-moderator-or-an-abstainer-when-trying-to-give-something-up.html
1. For real, the dress should fit YOU. You do not need to fit the dress.
2. I had to break up with a lot of good food and eat egg whites ALL. THE. TIME. They don’t taste like anything.
3. I just keep running/walking/biking/sweating. And while I watch tv, I do situps and pushups. No big program or anything, I just sweat for an hour a day, one way or another.
4. I peed when you said chicken and waffles. I will half to run 10 miles that day, cause I’m eatin it all.
1. This is why I get to keep you when I divorce Jethro.
2. BOO.
3. I need to do this while watching TV, instead of Words with Friends or the Ebay app on my phone…
4. We’ll bring extra. And I think I already told you about that, which is why I posted it, but if not, act surprised when you see it.
Is there one of those Crunch fitness gyms near you that pretty much just have machines and treadmills and are crazy cheap? I swear, the only thing that gets me motivated to do cardio (and I use the term motivated lightly) is the fact that I can watch the small tv attached to the treadmill. Plus, I won’t let myself watch anything on Bravo unless its at the gym. Embarrassing to admit, but it works.
That, and pilates. I swear I come home from that class able to see muscles that weren’t there before.
You have willpower of steel. No Bravo until you’re at the gym?!? I’d probably be okay, but if you did that to me and A&E we’d be in a fight….
I’ve found that variety really helps keep me engaged. If I do the same thing every day, not only does my brain get bored but so does my body. That’s why I like going to a gym that has a lot of cardio classes. Different types of classes with lots of different instructors. The variety really helps. Sometimes it’s actually exciting (rarely).
Also, if you are really serious but seriously lacking motivation, get a personal trainer for a month. Even just once a week will really help. They’ll teach you new exercises and push you harder than you normally push yourself. I had one when I got back into shape two summers ago and it help me in leaps and bounds. I’m thinking about getting one again for a few weeks just to give me that extra push and remind me of some exercises I forgot about or to learn new ones. Once you get over that hump, it’s easier to keep it going. Oh and since trainers can be pricey, you’ll never break your appointments because you can’t stand to waste the money.
Sounds like a good plan!
I did have a trainer once, but I had to stop going after one session because I ended up having abdominal surgery like two weeks later.. I think she thought she broke me or something because I didn’t explain what I needed it for….
I am addicted to The FIRM, and lately the FIRM Express. I work 3 days a week for 20 minutes, and on the other two days I intersperse a 10 minute ab workout, or some other sort of lighter workout. They are really fantastic workouts, and they don’t take a huge time commitment.
Ooo. It sounds omnious. The FIRM…
OK, there is a lot of wisdom in this thread. For some reason my clothes aren’t fitting either… depressing because I actually lost weight (very slooowly) last summer for the wedding (oh vanity!) and now I’m back to not fitting in half my wardrobe.
I loathe the gym, but I can usually manage to exercise outside. Unsurprisingly I have found my weight is tied to the weather . . . now that I live in the northeast I gain pounds each winter and (usually) shed in the summer. So I’m trying not to be too hard on myself for gaining back the pounds this year. And I need to find a better climate soon!
So thanks for the motivation. Now I’m wondering if I might like Zumba.
btw, you rock. I’ve been reading for a few weeks (from APW) but am shy about commenting. I LOVE your writing. and sass.
You’re not putting on weight, you’re adding padding for warmth.
And DON’T BE SHY! How do you think I got the gig at APW? I was all, I have stuff to say, blah blah blah. And Meg was like, You don’t suck. Write for me.
There’s slightly more to that story. But VERY slightly more.
Just popping back over to say, GREAT job with your comment over at APW today! You articulated what I was thinking. And in the meantime, inspired by this post I’ve been exercising a tiny bit … While watching Buffy, of course!
I find audiobooks really motivating to listen to while working out. I find some terrible books that I am ashamed to tell people I like. And I get really into the stories so I keep going longer. I also try to force myself to only listen to them while working out and it makes me actually want to go to the gym or go for a run so I can find out what happens next in by book.
Good luck getting motivated. I always find it hardest to get back into it after a break. I want to invent a drug that makes it hurt worse to get out of shape then it does to get back into shape. To prevent me from stopping working out. Wouldn’t that be nice?
I can’t handle audiobooks. I have no idea why! I want to, very badly, but I love reading so much that audiobooks just irritate me. I’m a freak like that.
And I want to be a test subject for your new drug. Sign me up.
Hi there. I’m on the same boat… I told myself I want to get back into shape after having our second child. I want to look like when i wad pre-baby…. It’s more for me than anything.
Started to run around the neighborhood. Need to incorporate yoga in a studio to make sure I’m doing it right. My cuz swear on hot yoga … Helps melt the weight faster … Need to try that. Just want to let you know – YOU CAN DO IT!!!
I know I’m late to the party, but I have to recommend livestrong’s daily plate for tracking caloric input/output. You can put exercises in and it calculates calories for you, and charts them.
It is free.
I lost ~10 lbs (and 4 inches off my waist) in 3 months just by paying more attention to my net calorie intake and adding 30 minutes of cardio 4 times a week. I kind of stop when I get busy (I totally get what you’re saying with how it’s hard to track everything, even if you’re just entering things into a website) but even being aware of what I usually eat on balanced days, and knowing what blows my whole day’s cal allotment (box of mac& cheese, I’m looking at you) helps me stay on a maintenance diet.
Hmmph, I wish I had too much booty in the pants, mine is more of a too much gut in my front-butt sort of an issue but that’s another time & place. I can relate to the stop & start of it all – I’ve been working on dropping 30pds for the longest – lost a bunch in 2010 but fell off & it came back..suks. I like 10 Min Quik Fix Cardio Kick – 3 10min routines to work the core, upper body & lower body. That’s ALWAYS my starting point – I do 1 for 3days then 2 & then 3 & once I’ve hit all 3 for 3days (kinda only happened once so far).. then I’ll move on to something else. Oh how I wish I was as thin as I was when I first thought I was fat… talkn’ a mere 5 pounds… those were the days!