Originally Posted by
is304
A big part is showing up. Even biger part is feeling good about working out. Here are a few advises from a former yoyo gym user:
1. Make space for your workouts. I used to work out in our garage, but after my third kid was born we had too much clutter there. I would spend 30-40 minutes after work cleaning up the space I needed, then I would decide that I've done enough for the day and skip the workout. Next time, lo and behold! all the bags and boxes were back. I would go for months without workouts, but finally I decided that I've had enough and joined a gym that's in the same building where I work. Problem solved.
2. Make time for your workouts. To the point where you schedule it and tell everyone you're busy. Stick to your schedule.
3. Remove obstacles. When choosing between a not so nice gym next door and a really good one 50 miles away, pick the closer one. When showing up to the gym is a chore in and of itself (such as my example with cluttered workout space) you are much less likely to show up on a regular basis.
4. Pick something that you like. Don't work out because you have to, work out because you love to.
5. Make it part of your daily routine. One reason why people stop exercising is an abrupt change in the daily life - getting sick, going on vacation, doing extensive home improvements, anything that takes too much of our time and effort. Once that period is over, most people fall back to the routine they are used to. If daily workouts are part of that routine, they'll go back to the gym. If they are not... they still should - and once you do it consistently for a year or so, getting back will be considerably easier.
6. Use urgency, not guilt. Let's say, you enrolled in an aerobics class, and you skipped it for a week. Do you feel guilty that your classmates were working hard and you were not, or do you feel the urge to reconnect and work out with them? If your feelings are the former, you are much more likely to skip another week. (By the way, I lost 15 pounds in a year by no-guilt dieting. I simply ignored the days I overate and started again the next morning. This way my Thanksgiving dinner was just a large meal, not an excuse to pig out all the way to the next year. And it worked quite well.)
7. Ignore adverse selection. If you are like me, many people in the gym will be bigger, stronger, and leaner. Don't try to measure up to them - not yet. Don't hurt yourself trying to lift as much as they do - not yet. Don't feed your ego - beat your ego. You are in the gym because you want to be better than you, not somebody else. And, if that does not work, when you step out of the gym, look at the people passing by - chances are they are smaller, weaker, and fatter than you are. You just don't see them inside (because they don't show up).
8. Measure your progress. Set benchmarks, then beat them. This will make you feel much better about going to the gym, and will also help you beat adverse selection impact. If you can't beat them on your own, seek help.
9. Get motivated. If you have a Facebook page (and chances are that you do), simply like some of the athletes and coaches that publish motivational messages once or twice a day. It's not that difficult to find a few of them, pick the ones you like best, and get a couple of daily reminders that working out is good for you.
10. Get prepared. When I show up in my gym I have my jefit app running. I know exactly what exercises I'll be doing - the weights, the sets, the reps, the sequence. Get your technique right - it is very important in the long run. Select the music that you like - it does make a difference. Showing up is much easier when all you need to do is walk in and start working out.
11. Get support. Pick people online or offline who share you interest. Keep in touch with them. They will help you when you feel like quitting. Important: don't make it one way street. Help them when they need your help too.
12. Get addicted. When we work out our body produces a number of hormones. Some of them - dopamines and endorphines - make us feel good. Some of them make us feel bad. The proportion in which our body produces those hormones can make us more or less likely to come back. You cannot change this proportion too much, but right diet and some supplements can shift the balance. For me, I take citruline mallate on a regular basis. It neutralizes lactic acid, so my muscles don't hurt as much after workouts. Creatine works as well. Once you manage to shift your sensations during and after the workout towards good ones, you'll run back for more.
13. Get your life in order outside of the gym. Working out is a high priority for me, but it's not the top priority. If you find that you miss working out on a regular basis, sit down and think, is there anything that stops you on a regular basis. If you spend long hours at work, you family life took turn down, you are not feeling well all the time - take care of that first.
Well, I think that was long enough. Are you still reading? Get off you butt and go work out!