What keeps you going?

[Mandie]

I struggled a fair bit to get through my 30 minutes on the cross trainer today. I did get through it, with the help of--

--LOUD music that pumps me up
--watching the clock count down the seconds til I could stop
--concentrating on this gorgeous dress I want to fit into
--concentrating on having a hot body for my new boy
--thinking about improving my fitness to keep up with my fit friends trekking in Northern Thailand
--not wanting the other people in the gym to notice me give up!

What do you guys think about when you are bored/tired and just really really really wanna stop? What keeps you going?

[kate_turner2000]

hi mandie

theyre some really good points to remember mate

before i start to exercise i give myself a time limit and i refuse to stop until that time is up. i cant start something and then not finish! by the time i get my heart rate up i want to stop but its once you get the heart rate up that the fat burning begins! lol

[masm]

- remembering what I was like when I started
- the fact that I need to be fit for my gradings every three months
- sometimes I hear one of my trainers voices in my head saying "ignore your body when it wants to give up, it doesnt know what it is talking about"
- I say to myself just one more minute/ set/ block and then the next minute/ set/ block I say the same

[kate_turner2000]

- sometimes I hear one of my trainers voices in my head saying "ignore your body when it wants to give up, it doesnt know what it is talking about"

haha nice one

[slimmindown]

I keep thinking of how I've made an effort to get here, fitness centre, pool or just for a walk, so I may as well make the most of it, so that it makes a difference. I'd hate to put the effort in to start and then not do enough to shed some fat.(hopefully)

I also think of my health, I dont want type 2 diabetes.
Also going to my home town next christmas looking good in something I've never been able to wear before....

I also love the feeling I get when I finish, what a natural high, something I could never get from food.....

[KimE]

- loud, hard music always keeps me going
- keeping in mind a big part of where I am now is from the very exercise I am doing
- most of all I think about what I am doing, how my body is working, how my muscles feel, my breathing, my posture

[Groovychic]

I set a time limit on the cross trainer. At the moment it is 25 mins, once I hit that I start 5 mins of cool down. Actually the other day I put in 160 calories and counted down from that. And I have put in 10ks and counted down from that as well. I find the counting down better than counting up. I don't know why. Its all psychological I guess! Tho yesterday I was slack and didnt do any exercise whatsoever! My arm muscles are killing me because after I did some laps in the pool at lunchtime on Monday I went to put the solar cover back on and the damn roller fell off its wheels. So I struggled for about 30 mins with this really heavy roller and cover, which was full of water as well!!! I had to lift it up about 1.5m to get it back on its damn rollers! I could hardly move my arms yesterday and today they are only slightly better. So it will no doubt be cross trainer with very little arms this morning. I'll probably hold onto the pulse thing most of the time. I find when I do hold onto that handle I use my thighs a lot more, which isnt a bad thing!

[SarahC]

LOL - not wanting to look bad in front of the other people at the gym is a great one! One of the best reasons for me to excercise at the gym rather than at home

But, when I am at home:
- Music, or something really interesting on the TV. I think about that to distract myself from what I'm doing and how bad I feel (if I am feeling bad that is). That also works if I'm out running - I try to think of something else, then before I know it I'm back home
- The sense of achievement in finishing what I set out to do.
- I know how bad I'll feel if I don't achieve my goal... so I keep going to avoid that bad feeling. I will complete that half-an-hour on the cross trainer even if it takes an hour-and-a-half

[hushpuppy]

I like the bluff it till u become it approach lol . when on bike or others machines i tend to count down backward (weird huh) when i get to the 5 min or less then i go ok 1 km to go then ill stop . If i think of it in reverse it works
NOw i have confused u all lol
Jules

[Groovychic]

I think its a psychological thing with the reverse method. I do the same. It seems to go quicker if you are counting backwards. I put in 10.5ks on the cross trainer this morning. It took me 25 mins. I just want to get through it as quick as possible so it makes me go harder. But I slow down for the last 2 ks to do the cool down. So I will slowly increase my 10ks or so up to about 15 or 16. I read in the book that came with the cross trainer that it is no more beneficial to do an hour or more of exercise as it is to do 45 or 50 mins. It said you should limit your sessions to an hour at the most. So I am thinking if I get to about 45 mins I'll be happy with that. It also said that you should have a session of at least 12 mins of going at a good pace. Which I am doing about 16 or 17 mins at the moment so I am happy with that. Once I get to about 35 mins I should be going great guns. But doing 2 sessions a day should be good as well. I just need to get motivated to do that afternoon session!

[Ally]

I have read about doing that Groovychic, so it is good to hear that it works....thanks

[KimE]

Ok here's something although this may be more in the area of threats rather than motivation.

Today after 15 mins on the cross trainer I felt like I had had enough. So I called myself a lazy cow and upped the level as a warning against bad thinking. Caught the same thought at the 18 mins and upped it again. There so I had to work my muscles harder on the darn thing because of bad thoughts. I know where these sorts of thoughts can lead so that was my penalty.

[Groovychic]

Well done for not giving up Kim!! Good idea about the punishment.

[markymark]

If i'm running and covering the gruelling last few hundred meters, I;

- Change music tracks

- Open up my breathing passages & forcefully begin to take in deep breaths (because thats probably why my muscles started hurting to begin with!)

- Disconnect my mind from my body and get into a rythm with music beat, breathing & run stroke

- Imagine i'm in a race to save someone's life

[KimE]

Hello Markymark and welcome to the forum.

I like those tips especially the last one about racing to save someones life. That is a good motivator and I find I do have these little mind games with myself to keep going. Most of the time I enjoy going to the gym and what I do there just every now and again I have to really push myself to get off my backside.