too lazy :(

[glamouretta]

Hi
I am impressed with you ladies, working out, doing lots of sports, being fit. I highly admire what you do and how active you are all seasons.
I admire also other ladies that I see on social media, public figures, etc, they all have an amazing energy.
I do love sports, I tried some, my problem is I'm too lazy :(
I dont have enough motivation to keep going.
When I do, it will be for a short time then I'd stop.
I wonder, how can I stay consistent ? I would love to get back to sports and be more active than ever this summer, but I'm not sure where to strat from, how to make sure I'm consistent, .. I would love to be fit for next season, but not only skiing, i mean, I do want it to be part of my life, to change this laziness, inconsistency and procrastination pattern once and for all.
Any tips? Sources you recommend ?
best

 

[racetiger]

Find an exercise partner whether human or canine - its so much more fun with someone else there to push you and keep tabs on you

 

[ski diva]

You and @SallyCat should get together. See this thread.

 

[Jilly]

Yes to finding others with the same passion for a sport. Pick a summer sport that you enjoy. I love to be on the water. So about 10 years ago I picked up Dragon Boat paddling and racing. It's a team event and the boat leaves the dock at a prescribed time. So literally if not on time, you miss the boat. We practice 2X a week and race in one festival a month if the team wants too. It's not a pro team, so missing a practice doesn't really hurt, except for you're own personal skill level.

From that came Stand Up Paddleboarding. The stroke is the same, so it's great accompaniment sport to the DB paddling. Like skis, you can't have just one board.

I don't golf, that's just like a walk in the park. I did inline skate, but locally the roads and cycling trails are too busy unless you go at 6:30am in the morning. Tennis seems to have fallen by the wayside around here. Cycling is getting big again. But I worry about crashing on the road. I hear of too many accidents, and some are not as lucky as ski diva. The city is slowly adding bike lanes to major roads. I have many friends getting into it big time with expensive bikes. Mountain biking isn't big as there are no trails near by.

So I guess my advice is to find like minded people and find something you enjoy.

 

[elemmac]

In my eyes there are two types of exercise. The exercise you enjoy, and then the exercise you do so you can enjoy the things you enjoy even more. Skiing is what you enjoy, but you need to stay in shape in between visits to the slope in order to enjoy skiing more. The same holds true for summer. My advice would be if you don't have something for the summer that you already love, start by finding something you enjoy doing, something that you look forward to....biking, hiking, kayaking, SUP-ing, swimming, yoga. Just get out there and start trying things you've never done before. Book classes in those sports, join groups, find like-minded people. Once you have something to motivate you to keep moving, that's when the "other" type of exercise becomes easier.

I know it's kind of cliche, but keep in mind Newton's first law of physics; an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion...same holds true to people...getting going is the most difficult part.

 

[SallyCat]

In my eyes there are two types of exercise. The exercise you enjoy, and then the exercise you do so you can enjoy the things you enjoy even more.

Perfectly said. And that, @glamouretta , is where I'm lazy, too. I love mountain biking; it's FUN , it's in the woods, I can do it alone or with a group, and there are so many variations that it's never routine. I'll go to the downhill park for a day for some go-fast, easy fun, gear up for a long, slow, rambling ride, a short after-work burst, or just a session in the driveway practicing basic skills.

The trouble is doing the exercises that subsidize my bike habit. Those: not so much. I love the suggestions to have a partner. That would keep me honest.

 

[RachelV]

The key for me is having active friends and living in an active place. It’s easy to be active when the things your friends are inviting you to do are biking, hiking, etc.

It’s also important not to beat yourself up too much! I say this as someone who beats herself up for being lazy all. the. time. Focus on small habit changes, get out when you can, try to build being active into your lifestyle, and then try not to worry about it too much.

Also keep in mind that what you’re seeing on social media is not the whole (or even entirely real) story. I definitely follow people that go on one 30 min hike and then milk those photos for an entire week. ;) Which is great in that they’ll be lovely photos, but if you weren’t paying attention you might think they were getting out there every day.

 

[Kimmyt]

The most motivated I've ever been with strict workouts was when I was injured and it was the only thing I could do and I was also doing a lot of free weights and compound lifts. It was really fun to work on increasing weight, very motivating to watch those numbers go up. I still didnt stick with it, because it was too hard to fit into my schedule. But I do find in general that if I have set days for workouts, I'm much more likely to do it. So, every Monday and Wednesday from 9:15-11:15 I go to the rock gym like clockwork. Even if my partners bail, I go. Its in my calendar, its what I do.

 

[ski diva]

In my eyes there are two types of exercise. The exercise you enjoy, and then the exercise you do so you can enjoy the things you enjoy even more. Skiing is what you enjoy, but you need to stay in shape in between visits to the slope in order to enjoy skiing more. The same holds true for summer. My advice would be if you don't have something for the summer that you already love, start by finding something you enjoy doing, something that you look forward to....biking, hiking, kayaking, SUP-ing, swimming, yoga. Just get out there and start trying things you've never done before. Book classes in those sports, join groups, find like-minded people. Once you have something to motivate you to keep moving, that's when the "other" type of exercise becomes easier.

I know it's kind of cliche, but keep in mind Newton's first law of physics; an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion...same holds true to people...getting going is the most difficult part.

I agree with this completely: Use it or lose it. I take a lesson from my parents, ages 95 and 88, who've reached that age without a lot of the problems most elderly people have. This is partly through the genetic lottery, but it's also because they've remained physically active.

I think key is making it a priority. Do something every day. As @Kimmyt said above, if it's on the schedule, you're more apt to do it. At least I am, anyway. There's a rare day that goes by that I don't do some sort of physical activity. You'll find that makes a big difference, in the long run.

As for motivation, that's your call. I know it's tough. But I exercise for better physical and mental health (so many studies show it helps with all sorts of things), and really, so I can eat. The more calories I can burn, the less likely I am to put on weight when I eat something. And I love to eat. So there's that, too.

You just have to do what works for you. Good luck.

 

[MrsPlow]

Whatever you try to do exercise-wise, unless it's really, really fun make sure it's convenient. I used to go to a gym before work that was about a 15 minute walk from the bus and then another 20 minutes to work. Add in the time for a shower and seemingly rain every day, and I found it pretty easy not to go. Now going to a gym that's on the way home and only a few minutes out of my way, and I'm managing 4 or 5 times a week. Additional motivation provided by the fact that it can take 2 or 3 times longer to get home on the bus if I skip the gym...

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

A completely different way to approach this is to just make sure you will have lots of days in early season skiing on a cheaper (hopefully nearby) mountain. Nothing conditions you for skiing like skiing, and this will get you ready for the more interesting trip. No guilt.

And the exercise does not have to be "working out" or "sports". Doing something consistently, even if it is just a walk around the block or a bike ride to the grocery store, with some gradual increase over time, is useful in maintaining your gains. Once you are doing something regularly, you may start to get an itch to do something more involving. Or not, and that's OK.

I actually have a chronic injury from a "conditioning activity" I tried. I loved it. I was decent at it. Worked all the right muscles. Would have been great. Made things worse. So, being diligent does not always pay off...

 

[newboots]

@Fluffy Kitty - I am afraid of exercise. I've been injured, like you, by exercise designed to keep me fit for my fun sports. More than once. Never injured hiking, skiing, ice skating, or hockey! I did have a lot of scrapes from a nasty fall inline skating, which caused me to add elbow pads to my protective gear the very next day.

@MrsPlow - I second the recommendation to make it convenient! I bought a treadmill desk (it's not a running treadmill, just walking, so you can read or type easily while you use it) and when it was in a usable spot in my house I loved it. I realized I spent way too much time on the internet (ahem!), and I loved walking while I did it. You can also work at the computer or watch television.

I think I'd better find a good spot for it in the new house, too! It's been in the garage too long here.
It's not hard-core exercise, but it's a whole lot better than sitting on the couch!

 

[SallyCat]

A completely different way to approach this is to just make sure you will have lots of days in early season skiing on a cheaper (hopefully nearby) mountain. Nothing conditions you for skiing like skiing, and this will get you ready for the more interesting trip. No guilt.

I've heard many, many people say this about thru-hiking the AT. That you want to be in a reasonably good state of fitness, but ultimately the way to get in shape for hiking is to go hiking.

But of course, there's the too-much-too--soon danger (with skiing as well) in that you could get an overuse injury if you push yourself right away.

I noticed that by the time they got to New England, most thru-hikers also had a stretching/fitness routine that they stuck to diligently every night. One guy carried a golf ball the whole way so that he could massage his feet. I've been trying to be better at that stuff.

 

[volklgirl]

I literally load up my car for pretty much everything, and just keep it there all summer long. Each night before bed, pack clothes in my back pack and take it all to work with me. Then I decide what I feel like doing for the day and I do it.

If I go home first, I'm usually sunk, especially if I sit down.

Here's my car from last year - In there is gear for running, hiking, road biking, and kayaking!

 

[SallyCat]

^ That is inspiring!! I'm the same way about going home after work.

 

[newboots]

I love it too! (My mind won't quit saying that you'd get better gas mileage without all the stuff in the car. I tried to shut it up, but after driving a Prius and a Volt, it won't be silenced.)

But carrying your kayak, bike, and whatever else is essential is more important!

 

[KathrynC]

Find a sport you enjoy - you are far more likely to do it regularly than slogging away at something you don't enjoy.

Join a class/club or make arrangements with people - you are far more likely to go if your absence is going to let someone else down. You could also pay a subscription for something, but personally I find that making arrangements with real people is more motivating.

Make a medium-long term goal, something that you really want to achieve. Make it public, or book it in advance so you have to do it. I have booked a trek on Mount Kinabalu in October, which is currently keeping me motivated to run and hike through the summer as I want to be fit enough to enjoy it. Other friends have done things like signed up for running races or bike rides (at your own level, doesn't matter if it is 5km or an ultra-marathon), or one friend pledged to swim 22 miles between 22 Feb and 22 May. Making these kinds of goals public and possibly using them as an opportunity to collect a bit of money for charity will help you stick to them.

Make exercise easy on yourself by keeping your stuff available and making sure your gym or whatever is easy to get to. Make it part of your regular routine, not something special.

Try to build something into your day. Doesn't have to be high intensity, just regular. A lunch time walk or something would be perfect. I cycle to work 3 days a week and the other two days I walk around 30 mins to the railway station. I realise this isn't possible for many people, but for me it means I am doing some exercise even on days when I don't do a workout of some kind.

@volklgirl love the car - sadly I can't take all my climbing kit to work on my bike!

 

[SallyCat]

I do love sports, I tried some, my problem is I'm too lazy :(
I dont have enough motivation to keep going.
When I do, it will be for a short time then I'd stop.
I wonder, how can I stay consistent ?

Of course, if you find something you're really passionate about you could end up trying to work but staring at your (let's say) bike and wondering how fast you can get your work done so you can go out and play.

 

[tinymoose]

As others have said, finding something you enjoy goes a long way. I've had trouble with this myself, and I've never been good about going to the gym for the sake of going to the gym, but I do much better if it's an activity that I like and I'm working on skills/towards goals.

 

[SkiBam]

Volklgirl's car reminds me somewhat of the winter a few years ago when I was living in a small apartment with not much storage and had in my car: two pairs of downhill skis, two pairs x-c skis, two pairs of poles, snowshoes, and - for some reason that now escapes me - a camping chair and a life jacket.