How can I stay motivated for gym?

[Anonymous]

what is good gag people,

long story, i started working out again. i lost over 150 pounds about 10 years ago and over the last three years, i gained about 100 pounds. During these 3 years, i unfortunately did drugs that im proud of to say i don’t do anymore and because i don’t do drugs anymore, my mindset is back. But being my normal self again, im blown away that i actually gained this much weight. It’s been a year since i stopped using drugs and my life is a lot better but it has taken up until yesterday to start working out again. i’ll admit, i wanted to work out again but i was embarrassed of how big i got, and it was a mental game. i did my first real workout yesterday and i feel great, i do have obviously some things i used to do easily that i struggled with but im trying to keep it up. i’ve eaten better over the last few months and now that im more comfortable and feel lighter, i started going today and yesterday. i do have a goal weight but i wanted to ask how i can stay motivated without sabotaging myself which is something i always do. a lot of my clothes i can’t fit into anymore which is a huge blow to my self esteem and just general aura. how can i stay motivated so i don’t sabotage?

[Sonorous]

In the past, my only reasons for working out was so that I could impress people. I wanted to be attractive to women & get respect from people who used to know me as the fat kid/guy. But that didn't really happen in the way I wanted it to, so I ended up giving up for a few years. Injuries made it more easy to give up as well.

But recently, I've gotten back into working out. Around this time last year to be exact. Now I'm not doing it mainly for the same reasons I was before. Now I'm doing it mainly for health reasons & because of a promise I made to myself about not being fat again. I notice that I'm way more consistent with working out when I'm eating healthy foods & I still deal with insecurities & anxiety that being in shape helps with.

Right now I'm at the point in my training to where I understand just how easy it is to maintain so I don't give myself a choice not to workout. For instance, today I woke up with a lot of inflammation in my joints so I can't go as insanely hard as I prefer to. But you better believe that I'm still going to train! All it takes is a couple sets giving at least 40% effort in to get results. That, consistency & diligence makes it very easy to start & continue. Emphasis on the diligence part because now it's so easy for me to train in intelligent ways to avoid injury.

I don't quite know what to call it, but when we have many many aspects of our lives intermingled & reliant on one another, it gives more incentive to continue & to not stop. I personally would cringe at myself for making all these efforts to get enough protein & count & track my calories if I didn't also train consistently enough to see results. I give myself no choice but to mainly eat healthily so I'd see it as a waste to not fulfill a certain level of easily achieved potential.

So in my opinion, the best form of motivation is the one that doesn't allow you to tell yourself "no." Make it so that you no longer have a choice in the matter. Live in ways that highlight that your goal is an inevitability.

[Oliverlogan263]

Ay bro, major props for taking those steps to get healthier - both mentally and physically. You clearly have the drive if you already got back in the gym after so long away.

As for staying motivated, a few things help me:

- Progress pics! Snap a shot of yourself now then compare it to a month from now. Seeing the changes will light a fire.

- Set small, achievable goals along the way. Hitting milestones keeps it feel rewarding.

- Find a gym buddy if you can. Having someone to hold you accountable makes a difference.

- Track your progress on apps or a journal so you can look back when motivation flags. Seeing stats rise is motivating.

- Treat yo self - reward yourself sometimes with something non-food related when you crush goals. Makes the grind feel worth it.

- Remember how far you've come already. If you did it once, you got this again no doubt. Don't get down on slip ups.

Most of all, don't be too hard on yourself man. Changing your body is a journey - you didn't gain it overnight, so don't expect to lose it that way either. But if you just stick with it, the results will follow, I promise. We in this together - you got this bro!

[jennifer_bloom]

Illegal recreational drugs make you lose weight, they do not make you gain weight. It's obvious to me to you have brain damage cause you tell 20 lies a day that are so ridiculous that not even a 9 year old child would believe it. You aren't intelligent enough to tell a believable lie due to your brain damage but you are too lazy to work on your personality and be authentic and you think your only option is to fake 100% of your personality 24 hours a day and tell lies over and over and over again.

[Asker]

wtf 😂😂😂😂 u cray cray

[BetaBucks]

My best recommendation for staying motivated for the gym is to not go to the gym with the mindset that you're going there to kill yourself. This is some fake macho shit that might work for a tiny percentage of people, but most of us want the gym to feel good. If you go there thinking "I'm gonna get some kind of workout in. I'll push as hard as I feel like. I might lift for 30 minutes. I might lift for 2 hours. Nothing matters besides sticking with the right muscle group, and walking in through the doors" you feel way better than "fuck, I have to go lift til I'm about to puke for the next 90 minutes."

Tl:dr it's better to go light and be consistent, than go hard and fail.

[Asker]

I like that mindset, thanks.

[BetaBucks]

For sure man!

[Asker]

yesterday when i went, i was very self conscious especially since my gym clothes were really tight and then after yesterday and today, it’s still tight but less tight so im happy. I think it was a fear to take that big step and now that i did, things are going well.

[BetaBucks]

I love hearing this bro. Good for you. Funny, yesterday was my first day back in the gym too. I can see a little pump going, so it gets me motivated to keep at it. One day at a time.

[exitseven]

okay- it is a one day at a time thing. You gave up drugs by making up your mind and then you did it. This proves that you have self control and an iron will. Now do the same thing with your workouts. Get up and go to the gym and grind out another workout.