WOW! Thanks for all of the comments everyone! They're all appreciated and welcomed.

Several good points were brought up, and a few of them are already put into practice with me. For example when I go to the gym I tell myself that I'm going to commit to 30 minutes and see where it takes me from there. So far I would do my 30 min and end up staying longer.

They have equipment in a darkened room with a huge movie screen where they show a different movie every day, so I like to go in there and walk on the treadmill in the dark watching the movie but with my headphones on. I have a diverse playlist of 'workout music' on my blackberry that I use. Everything from hiphop, rock, and techno.

I think my biggest thing is getting over the not being use to a walking routine, so far that yields the best calorie results. The more I do it, the easier it'll become.

by NEXUSNRG

Sorry. One more thing. I've always enjoyed walking. About five years ago I started walking around my neighborhood. One lap was 1.5 miles. After awhile I started doing two laps (every once in awhile, not often) . After a year or so, the two laps sort of became the rule. When I moved three years ago, I found a route in my new neighborhood that was 3.5 miles, so that was my new routine. Some days I would do two of these. (Not often, usually a day I was bored and the weather was really nice.) About a year ago, I charted a 5-mile walk, and that's sort of become my 'go to' walk in the past few months. Sometimes I'll do the 3.5-mile walk, if I'm tired or bored with the other route, but normally it's the 5-miler now.

Long story short, I didn't wake up one day and start walking 5 miles. It's taken awhile to get here. But as I mentioned in my (other) epic blog below, I enjoy walking, so it's not as much of a chore for me. Hope this helps.

by CHARKY

Hi Jimmy! :hi: This is my first time commenting on your blog. I came across it in the highlighted blogs section. I wanted to give you some ideas for making exercise less of a chore.

1. Try to find an exercise you enjoy. Even if it burns fewer calories than another exercise, use your most enjoyable exercise (or least reviled exercise :laugh5: ) as your 'go to' workout. For me it's walking, even though I know I burn more running or doing a workout video. But some days those just aren't in the cards.

2. Workout to music or some other diversion. I love listening to audiobooks, so I commonly walk/run listening to someone read to me. :dork2: It takes my mind off of the 'task' and makes me focus on the plot. If I opt to listen to music, the beat can help keep me going even if I'm not all that into the workout at first.

3. Try to change things up. Doing the same workout over and over again gets boring (unless you *really* love it) .

4. Get outside! The outdoors makes exercise much more enjoyable for most people (rather than exercising at a gym staring at walls, or mirrors, or other sweaty people, or (worst of all) thin people in carefully coordinated workout clothes trying to impress one another :frog: .

5. Find a workout buddy, one who is roughly at your fitness level and who is similarly committed to getting fit and maintaining that fitness for the long haul.

6. Take note of the positive changes in your body as your workouts continue.

7. When a workout gets hard, try focusing on the repetitive nature of the movement you're doing. Think about *how* your legs are moving (above the knee, below the knee, ankles, etc. ) , how your arms are moving above the elbow, shoulders, wrists, etc. Alter the movement slightly and note the changes in how it feels. I don't why, but this helped me a lot when I started running, which I just started when I was 37. (One of the hardest things I've ever done--and one of the things I'm most proud of, which I'm guessing is no coincidence. )

Long story short (ha! ) , don't get discouraged. No one gets addicted to exercise in two weeks, and a lot of what goes into how long it takes to become 'addicted' has to do with the person's starting fitness level and his or her weight. This is a journey, not a destination. I wish you the best of luck. :wave1:

by CHARKY

I wish I would've realized, when I was 17, that I didn't have that much weight to lose, too. But we didn't, did we? I'm so glad that you chose this route rather than the surgical intervention. So many gastric bypass patients never learn to eat, and end up gaining so much back. You've chosen the delayed gratification of doing it yourself, and that will serve you so well.

As for the exercise, Jimmy, I still don't LOVE the act itself. I crave it because of the way I feel when I finish. That's what I focus on. I hated exercise when I first started CK. It's a matter of not thinking about it too much. Don't think about it before you do it. Just get up and go. And while you do it, if you find yourself thinking of how miserable it is, replace that with a positive thought. Sometimes, over and over, I just tell myself "you are doing something great for your body. You feel amazing, this is fun" and anything like that. It sounds silly, but a lot of it is in your head. And you have to play these little games. But they work.

Also, I would think about exercise while at work, lying to myself and saying "oh, I can't wait to go to the gym" "the gym is going to feel so good." After long enough, you convince yourself a bit. You drink your own koolaid, so to speak.

You are awesome! It's going to get easier. I don't know when, but it will.

by AUBRIEANNIE

Jimmy, I think many of us feel the same way...time wasted with extra weight. Keep up the good work and life may surprise you with a second chance...

by DIAMONDWOMAN

I had a really bad week last week and gained 6 lbs and then this week I dumped 7 so I think if you only did 3 and just go back and do what you have been doing it will be all good! *hugs*

by ANIMOSUS777

I can't say that I crave exercise (I don't really like sweating that much, to be honest) but I do crave the way I feel after exercise. That's what gets me to go back. Overcoming inertia is the hardest part for me. Once I get my exercise clothes on and get to the gym, I'm okay.
Do you have a friend that would go with you? That helps too.

by MARJORIEO

Treadmills and machines aren't very fun for me either. But I think I go in cycles - maybe it is seasonal. Anyway, there are times I HAVE to make myself just go to the gym. I say to myself "just do 10 min and if you still don't want to be there then you can leave". The first 10 to 15 minutes are the hardest for me to get into it. But once I am passed the first portion I typically end up staying for a full workout. But there have been a few times I actually walked into the gym and turned around and left. :$ I know not very helpful. But it is about progress. Sometimes it is baby steps. But every time you do go to the gym or exercise or move, it brings you one step closer to your goal.

by MAURABARTLEY

After about 10 minutes on a cardio machine I ALWAYS find myself wishing my workout was already over. haha. Sometimes you just have to power through that initial bump in the workout, and it's easier to keep going. That, and I usually set a calorie goal for myself, like 400 calories burned. After 10 minutes, I'm not there, so I force myself to keep going! After a few weeks, you'll get more used to it, and your endurance will get better, so you'll enjoy it more. I promise! Don't use the same exact routine each time - change it up! Some days do only cardio for 45 mins, some days do cardio for 15 and weights for 30, etc. Try different machines and different kinds of weights. A trainer to meet with once a week or once every other week can be good because they will show you new things to try so you don't get as bored :)

by REBECCASUZANNE

I always thought I was a couch potato. I guess there are varying degrees, huh.

I would say, if you hate the treadmill, find something else.

by GOODKAT

wow I'm not getting any hopful words here. lol...

I was hoping everyone would tell me in 2 weeks I would magically begin to enjoy and even crave walking on the treadmill and riding the cycle etc. ooooh well c'est la vie.

by NEXUSNRG

Jimmy, I have been exercising regularly since April and am still waiting for it to not be a chore. :bang:

But I do it anyway. I do like the changes I see, especially in my arms. I just hate the activity. Oh well, just another one of those things I do because *its good for me* :P

by THORNEAPPLE

Oh, Jimmy, I would say give it two weeks with a couple days off. You will start to notice...

by BDEMOTT

Jimmy,
Don't make exercise a job. Change the kind of exercise and just replace things you do in the car with walking, or walk up a few stairs instead of an elevator. Incorporate in little ways too will help and it won't be such a shock for your body.
But also remember how much your body has changed already and you are young!!!!!!!! You have a future in which you will only get better; I have to look at trying to postpone the decline.

by BDEMOTT

You can do this... one day, one step at a time. I was a regular couch potato most of my life and now people mistake me as someone who's been athletic all her life. It actually shocks me sometimes.

I don't know when it happened that I started to like exercise... but it did take quite a while... mostly after it didn't feel so awkward (as leslie is saying) to move around. I lost 40 lbs 6 years ago just from swimming 20-30 minutes a day. I went at 10am when it was just me and all the seniors in the pool. I figured if I they didn't care about me seeing their saggy bits, they won't care about seeing mine! :laugh5:

A good friend of mine lost 30 lbs just from walking. The power of just *moving* is big. =D

by PLATEOFSTARS

Oh-- also I noticed that the smaller my body got, the more comfortable I got with movement. Maybe TMI, I used to get chafing and infections really bad when I was larger.
When i was about 328 I didn't move alot at all... it was uncomfortable and my body hurt. I made excuses.

I walked. Walking was not fun, I found music I liked or tried to walk with a friend. Some movement is better then no movement. Walking and swimming are great because there is not as much stress on your body, even if it's not fast! :love:

by ANIMOSUS777

I still do not like it. I make myself do it. Once I get to the gym I like it. My whole thing is getting in the mood to do it. Find something you will enjoy. For me it was dance, I started out dancing in my apartment every single day when I first started CK. I love to dance.

I didn't really like the treadmill but I made myself do it. I don't even really like running but I make myself do it. When I do it I feel blech, but it's the after feeling that I want to have! I feel empowered, I feel the burn of energy, adrenaline, I feel so strong.

Just keep at it!

by ANIMOSUS777

For me right now just being there doing anything is 'fresh' but my problem is I hate moving my body, it's rebelling, yes I feel better after words but just before getting there, or during I feel like stopping and driving home to go to bed. My body is not use to all of this movement because for the last 5 years my most movement was moving from the house to the car, and from the car to the desk at work. I'm talking very minimal movement.

So I'm just curious just when someone like me who is very sedentary would begin to get more comfortable, exercise with ease rather than constantly trying to control my breathing and the 'burn' feeling in my leg muscles... I know it's not shin splints because the 'burn' isn't there after I stop, only while walking/riding. Lifting weights is no problem for me, but right now I totally HATE the treadmill!

I'm lucky to get 2000 steps in a 24 hour period if that gives you any indication just how out of shape I am.

by NEXUSNRG

Jimmy,

I think the key to loving exercise is to keep it fresh. If you're doing the same thing everyday, be it the treadmill, bike, swimming, you will soon find yourself bored and hating it and finding excuses to not to do it anymore.

When I really found I loved exercise was when I could feel that it was making a change in my body. This didn't happen until I started lifting weights. I mean, I didn't see any changes for a while, but I could feel that I was stronger. I had a bump of a bicep and it excited me and I wanted more.

So find something, or find a lot of things, that you like. Try anything at least once. Do a different routine everyday so that it isn't routine.

Kat

by GOODKAT