Daily Exercisers of the Datalounge: what is the secret?

For me it has to be the most convenient place otherwise I won’t go. Has to be right beside work or home, or on a direct commuting line between the two. Also - what they say is annoyingly true, you do feel better generally when you’re regularly exercising, so getting used to that feeling and enjoying it helps massively. That’s just how I find it anyway.

Coz you're a lazy cunt

Go in the evening right before bed.

"what’s the secret?"

Drugs.

And don't let any of these roided out muscle queens tell you otherwise.

OP, must you exercise at 530? Everyone has energy at different times of day, so do what will help you succeed.

I love to exercise and mostly do group kickboxing-type classes, garden, and walk dogs at my city shelter (usually hit around 15k steps per shift, 3-4 per week) - I do what makes me happy. Do you like to walk? If so, get some good headphones and audible and listen to a book. Look at the homes around you and the people and the dogs.

On a simpler level, if I put out my gym clothes the night before, it motivates me to get it done early.

I walk, OP. I am like you making resolutions the night before that I don't follow through on. Getting up at 5:30 AM only happens if I have to pee. Figure out your body's rhythm. Maybe you do better to exercise in the afternoon or evening. Or maybe doing it in increments is better than one full hour all at once.

Don’t listen to any of these silly people, OP. There’s no hope. Just give up. Embrace your fatness. Why, I’m on the couch eating a bag of Doritos right now. I expect you to be doing the same. Join me. It feels so good to just let yourself go.

The guy who opens the gym at 6 am is 90 years old, pretty fit, and still has most of his marbles. If he can be there, before me, I can be there at 6:05. There’s only a couple of regulars on the same schedule so little to no competition for the equipment and I’m out of there in 45 minutes. It’s a 10 minute walk from home. The cold does suck this time of year but you get used to it.

Working out at home is my secret, OP. And I’ve been on a religious workout regime for 40+ years,

Yes, you don't need to go to gym to work out!

Start by doing 10 push ups every day

Start by stretching.

Walk back and forth to fridge in kitchen, 100 times a day

We have a fitness center in my complex. It's approximately 2 blocks from my unit. I' ve been there three times in 7 years.

I knew someone who used to wake up at 5 a.m. to go jogging.

I hope her wife put an end to that bullshit with good old fashioned morning sex.

If you can get up to go to a park, breath in fresh air...would be good for mind and soul...you will feel good rest of the day.

For me, it’s having a goal. Because when I get improve my fitness level, I always feel better about myself, so that encourages me to keep it up.

Get a dog that needs a walk.

OP, you obviously don't like going to the gym. I would agree with doing an at-home work-out. Think of all the money you're wasting on monthly gym fees. Ugh.

The secret for me is pure vanity. I don’t look good when I am pudgy. So I work out regularly to stay fit. I think it has also been beneficial for my career to be in shape for a number of reasons — health, mental clarity, appearance, networking and schmoozing.

Forget the gym at first where you have to dress, see people and do what is basically a chore. Pick some errand every day whether it is to pick up groceries or the drug store and walk there. Pick a further destination as you go on. Walk fast. When you get in better shape after a few months add push ups and eventually the gym if you want. Start with just serious walking.

OP, Find a workout buddy. Make sure you both meet at the gym or maybe just walk together.

Exercise is my drug, I'm hooked. Force yourself to exercise and don't waste your entire day at the gym. I'm there 40 minutes tops and I never miss a day.

I exercise during my lunch break and eat lunch at my desk

I had a goal for four years and was absolutely faithful in pursuit of it on the gym, on trails, and on tracks.

Then I achieved it and simultaneously experienced two significant losses — and I completely lost my motivation.

So, I’m positive that you have to have a goal you deeply commit to. The catch is, I don’t know how to get one if it doesn’t appear by itself. Mine did, but it’s gone now.

You might try having some blood work done and seeing how much at risk, if any, you are for diabetes.

I have sex for work, so I exercise and stay fit regularly.

I'm very depressed. Working out helps. I'm on sick leave now due to my depression, don't know if I'm ever able to work again, but we'll see. I take one day at a time. Anyways, having a routine is good for me. I work out every monday, wednesday and friday. I do it no matter how shitty I feel, because I know how important it is, like just getting out of the house. I attend spin classes. I like it a lot.

Find some YouTube workouts that are 15-20 minutes long, preferably with a hot instructor for motivation. You can always find the energy to do that much, just make sure you do it every day. Consistency is the most important thing. Once you establish a good base, then try to challenge yourself a little more. It typically takes 40 days to create a habit.

Start with 10 minutes of walking (even from the car) then start with squats. Warms up your muscles.

End with cardio which is boring as fuck but it’s easier once you have been using the machines for weights and your heart rate is up. Save a specific playlist/podcast/audiobook to make the time go faster. (I personally do 15m max)

What helped me is to no longer ask myself whether I WANT to go to the gym, and start seeing at simply one of the to-do's for the day.

Also, a healthy way to look at it is this: There is no such thing as a bad workout, except for the ones you skipped. No need to be hard on yourself. Just put on your shoes, get it over with, done.

[Quote] Then at 5:30, I wake up, feel defeated, and just live in my squalor.

Sounds like you might have ADHD if you are unable to clean your space. If so, ADHD meds might help.

Find exercises you like doing , are low to no cost and can realistically do most days of the week. It's better to walk half an hour a day after dinner than to run up your credit card debt with a gym membership you really don't want and have to force yourself to use.

Weed is really good for yoga and meditation. Just don’t ruin your good work with the munchies

unable to clean your apt is ADHD?

Due to my chronic autoimmune condition I can no longer do my daily cardio and weight training at the gym anymore. I now do yoga and weigh-bearing exercises. I try to add some resistance bands at least weekly. I do a 20 min set 3 times a week. Only 1 of 2x when my disease is flaring.

4XL is not a natural size.

You need a "Why".

Mine is a mix of wellness and vanity here at sixty years old. I only ask that I show up three times a week and I have for over ten years. I watch my diet and am simply unwilling to give anything over to decrepitude for as long as I can! Consistency is key, plus my gym is all HIIT classes and is very expensive unless I go the maximum number of classes per month.

It has to become a habit. Something you do everyday. During quarantine I needed to get out of the house so I started walking. Over time the walks got longer and my gait faster. Now I do it 3 or 4 times a week for 60-90 minutes. Between 4-5 miles. The weight just dropped off. (Buy a scale - it's a good motivator once you start losing a couple of pounds.)

I then bought some used rubberized barbells and some exercise bands. Days I don't walk, I do weights. Tons of videos on Youtube showing simple exercises to do with both. I distract myself with music and audio books.

One of my goals is more energy, which makes life so much easier.

I had an extremely demanding career and attribute all my working out and running to by ability to attack every work challenge on my front foot.

I have other friends, my age, which is late 50s, who struggle to summon the energy for normal activities and chores.

something to think about as you ponder goals. It really feels good to be able to leap out of bed in the morning, often on little sleep because that’s usually the case for me, and attack the day.

Fuck you R38

You're just born to lose, fatso.

Just not weight.

The secret is a milliliter of gumption.

One can hear the candy wrappers rustling on the mattress as OP tries to roll herself over.

R39, why? Listen, I also experience depression at times, which is another huge reason.

I’m far from perfect but I’m doing the work to help myself.

I’m just not a morning person. I feel groggy and lacks energy in the morning. I can never get myself to workout in the morning. Despite working and standing all day, I’m full of energy in the evening and that’s when I exercise.

You can do 75% of the stuff you do at a gym from home. Get a an over-the-door strap and some exercise bands. They go up to a considerable amount of weight.

With those you can do chest, back, triceps, press, row, etc. Then get some adjustable weight hand weights - 15-30+ lbs. You can do shoulders, more back, biceps, upwards pull, etc.

I've been doing that for over 5 years because the equipment is 6 feet from my bed. I live in a warm climate - but I still can't get my ass out of bed to go to the gym. But since it's right there - there are no excuses. And with a yoga mat, you can do squats, abs, and a lot of other things.

Are you going to get huge and be a power lifter? Hell no - but who wants to be that big anyway? You just need to prevent muscle atrophy - get them built up and keep your bone density up from the weights as well.

I find it helpful to:

(1) Plan out your day ahead of time and block in that gym/exercise time, get it in writing somehow

(2) Consume a pre-workout energy boosting drink (not a supercrazy one that feels like 5 cups of coffee, but enough for a lift and better stamina). That costs $$ and after you’ve gulped it down, well, the train has left the station and now you’d be that much more stupid not to follow through.

Also mid-Feb is a good time to get back into a gym routine, even 2x a week; Something is better than nothing. By now most of the January New Year Resolution people who crowded up the place have fallen away.

Here’s the pre-workout supplement I use. It says stim-free but you do feel a helpful lift of energy for about 2 hours.

Best exercise is the walk back and forth to the kitchen fridge!

It takes a complete lack of intelligent thought, curiosity, desire to learn academically or historically.

Pilates, one to one tuition, equipment based. It's expensive so it encourages you to actually turn up for your session and it really sorts your body out.

I walk Every. Single. Day. 3 or 4 miles a day.

I just have to. It’s either that or die from some horrible complications from that fucking diabetes.

You just have to do it. There’s no more apt catchphrase than the one Nike came up with. Just Do It.

After a while it becomes a habit. You feel guilty whenever you’re not able to complete your walk.

Unfortunately , weather determines what I can do. Fortunately for me, I live where there’s about 300 days or more of sunshine a year. Today was too windy to walk, so I didn’t. 🥴

You have to set your mind to do it. There’s no other way to think about it. Some are lucky to afford gym memberships, I can’t.

You can do it, OP. 🥳🥳

You don't lose weight with pilates

It is easy - I rationalize it as only one hour. I can watch tv or exercise. TV I gain nothing, one hour of cardio or weights I get benefits. It is just one hour.

I not only religiously exercise but watch what I eat. Nothing tastes as good as the feeling of being slim.

R50 OP didn’t say anything about losing weight. Even thin people need to exercise daily

Maybe walking. Maybe some lightweight adjustable dumbbells/barbells ( study how to use safely). You don't have to do too much. Work up to a 1/2 hour walk a day.

The issue for me was leaving the cozy, comfy house to go to the gym, so I bought an Elliptical and workout almost every day. I put it right in front of my big-ass TV, and I haven't missed a day yet.

I walked by a 24 Hour Fitness today and no hotties were exiting. Like ugly real people actually work it.

It’s a “two kinds of people in the world” thing. Some of us love to exercise, some of us hate it. I hate it. The only thing I ever took to naturally was running. And then I blew out my right knee.

I have gone to the gym over years, but I always hated it. I even hated myself for doing something I hated because of the impression it might make on someone else.

Find something you actually enjoy - or something that you can easily build into your day naturally like walking to work or the shops. I find the gym extremely boring, so I couldnt stay motivated to do that. I tried a rowing machine but got bored of it

I started swimming about 15 or so years ago to combat depression, and found I enjoyed it. Its an exercise that you can do without sweating as you are immersed in coolant. And quite often there's some sexy eye candy in or around the pool which helps. I do 2km of laps every day, 5-6 days a week. It does help to have music, I have a waterproof MP3 player and have set up a number of Motivational music synchronised swimming playlists with music I enjoy swimming to, everything from Black Sabbath and Discharge to Mayhem, Megadeth, Venom, Hellhammer, Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, Severe Torture..... you may prefer to swim to something different of course.

I also cycle a lot, always have done, this is a byproduct of always having owned a succession of big thirsty old V8 cars, when your daily driver has a 500 cubic in V8 and does 4MPG around town it tends to encourage commuter cycling. I cycle 4-600 km a month normally, to/from work, shops, friends places and the pools where I swim. You can pick up a cheap used bike and save yourself gas and parking money, and get fitter into the bargain.

Sometimes I also get the urge to do some aerobics to 80's music like Black Flag, Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies, but there's gotta be nobody home for that

Discipline.

That’s it, R59. I’ve always been disciplined. Whether it be getting good grades, being better at my chosen profession or doing what I could to be as healthy as possible.

0P unclear where you stand in terms of your age and health. I know for myself a lot of what prompted me to be very consistent with an exercise / workout routine was health-related. Going to my HMO providers and seeing people in the waiting room 10 to 15 years younger than me with congestive heart failure, diabetes and other debilitating issues prompted my focus on fitness. I would say focus on who you want to be physically 5 years from now and work towards that.

Three things from the top of my head ... (I am a lousy exerciser but a busy worker when it comes to a range of projects where I have to set and meet goals for myself.) First off: Don't set goals for yourself that are bullshit. Why exercise at 5:30? Not even influencers who pretend they do this do it. Do 10 pushups three times a day, at home and expand from there. You can't do pushups? Do them against a wall or with a box under your belly so you limit the range of motion for a start., etc. Second: a large part of the trick is really: take "motivation" not out of it but don't make motivation the driving force. Waiting to be stoked for your morning pushups is like waiting to be inspired for a writer or a musician. Make exercise part of your morning or afternoon routine like brushing your teeth or showering. You don't wait to be motivated there (I hope). Waiting for motivation is setting you up for failure. Then: You might be a person who works best for or with others. If so, use this and do a challenge with a friend maybe or something similar where you hold yourselves accountable.

I'm at the gym regularly and can confirm, no one is hot looking there. Including myself.

There are a few who think they are hot and it's genuinely irritating.

The secret is dedication and consistency. You have to push yourself and commit. Discover the best time for you to exercise, establish a routine, and keep at it. A workout buddy helps -- he/she motivates you not to disappoint him/her.

I think of all the hot ass i can get with a trim figure

[Quote] The secret for me is pure vanity. I don’t look good when I am pudgy. So I work out regularly to stay fit. I think it has also been beneficial for my career to be in shape for a number of reasons — health, mental clarity, appearance, networking and schmoozing.

You must be American. All tinsle, no tree.

[quote]Daily Exercisers of the Datalounge: what is the secret?

Lie.

I use a personal trainer and have for years. It forces you to go. Also they help to make sure the exercises you do are done correctly.

Seeing someone you are attracted to is a good motivator because you want to see them again.

I used to live in a high rise in lower Manhattan with a gym off the lobby. I'd go every night and felt great about myself. The some genius talked me into buying a co-op in Hells Kitchen. The gym is a block away and for awhile I went every night, then it got cold and crowded and I stopped going. I kept telling myself I'll go tomorrow. I haven't been in months and can't even look in the mirror anymore. I need help and motivation. No way I can get out of bed and go at 6AM, just not gonna happen. I get to the office at 8 and work till at least 6pm.

Walk up the stairs in your office building, after coffee breaks and smoko, and again after lunch.

I suggest giving yourself 30 minutes per day to exercise, it is not much of a time commitment. You have to find something to do that interests you.

Find the class with the hottest everliving instructor you can find. You’d be surprised how motivating it is to work out when the trainer looks great

Just start with some isometric stretches standing up, twisting and bending back and forth, lay down on your back to deep-breathe and raise and move legs, etc. Sometimes just less is actually equal to more is equal to little steps leading to bigger progress down the road. Keep at it, OP! 👍💪🏼

There is nothing wrong with doing a Richard Simmons or Jane Fonda workout. That’s how I started exercising. I can’t run anymore so I try to mix up walking and gym stuff. Plus, I bought some weights and a kettlebell to use at home.

Get fitted with some decent shoes and buy some workout clothes. If you’re dressed to impress you’ll be more likely to go.

I'm doing bodyweight exercises at home. Once you learn how many ways you can use your body as a weight (or counterweight) to broiled lean muscle & strength your joints, you'll see why. I follow this guy on YouTube, most of his videos are "no equipment" workouts. He is a "primal core" guy, so his workouts look like yoga poses but in motion (like yoga warrior sequence if you know it). He focuses on building muscles through range of motion.

I'm 46, and have some body issues (old injuries, bad knee etc) and here's the difference to me:

I was working out regularly last fall, helped a friend move into their 3rd floor apartment in November. Barely broke a sweat, felt great.

Haven't been working out this winter(shame shame! ). On Monday I helped somebody carry drywall into the 2nd floor of their house and did some renovation work with them. It's Friday and my body is still recovering. Joint pain, was not as stable while carrying the drywall.

I've already started back with the exercises; I know I have to.

Life is about maintenance - cleaning your house, cooking meals, laundry, maintaining friendships, maintaining a job, etc.

Your body is no different. People take time to wash themselves and brush their teeth - why is your teeth getting so much daily attention? Because you know it will prevent tooth decay and bad appearance and breath. And it's a discipline that was drilled into you when you were young.

Your body needs attention too - your muscles, heart and bone health. Why actively avoid doing that? You take care of your body and you look better, feel better, and will prevent a lot of aging and avoidable diseases.

Good point, r77.

I exerted myself with stretching and muscle work this morning, and not only do I physically feel better, but I helped my mental and emotional ongoing maintenance, too.

I'm in a phase where I'm struggling to accept some personal circumstances right now and what to do about them.

As I exercised, I let my deeper breathing, heartrate and exertion be the vehicles to expel negative emotion and thoughts.

Not that there is anything wrong with emotions and negative thoughts, but exercise helps process and expel them constructively.

Yes I swear like a sailor when I do cardio.

OP, I used to exercise... lift weights, sometimes hire a trainer, loved attending a Body Pump class once a week. What kept me going back then? I looked good. I'm tall and very lean... with some weight work I could add some mass (never added a lot) and start looking really good. Plus I love how my body feels when it's been worked.

Some disappointments and a good friends death knocked me off my game for a time and then, well, I just didn't go back.

Then during COVID I started to put on weight (I'd never done that before). At 60, i didn't want to go back to lifting. But I remembered a friend used to tell me about rowing. Crazy thougtht, I decided to try it. After several months i was hooked. Plus, I started to lose the weight and put on muscle again.

At my age, nothing better than a full-body, no impact, cardio workout. I do the rowing (indoor and on a river in season) at a club, so there's a social networking aspect as well... making friends is a bonus and also part of overall health.

If not rowing, maybe it's riding a bike or learning to swim (my next goal). Perhaps you should spend the money for Body Pump/exercise classes... you'll attend, you shelled out the cash...

I agree with ByJupiter. Find something that gives you a workout that isn’t ’going to the gym’. That phrase kills everyone’s interest in exercise.

I discovered I really enjoy Pilates. I’ve been going twice a week for the last 18 months and it’s made a huge difference to my life. Much better strength all over, better mental health, and lost weight. Ditch the gym.

I don't have much respect for trainers. I got a free session once when I joined a new gym. The guy was a real jerk because when I told him I would only be having this one session to get a workout plan I would do from then on by myself he lost all interest in being nice to me. When we were finishing up he was even giving repeated eye contact to someone else at the gym, smiling and waving to them, so I just walked away from him. I only lasted a month at that gym because the receptionist was one of those that would not give you a greeting when you swiped your card in. This peeved me off and then something I had told the trainer in private was thrown back at me. So much for discretion.

I see trainers with the same clients at my current gym. They seem to spend most of their time chatting sitting on machines. I just think it's pathetic to need to pay someone to motivate you and you still end up looking like shit.

R81, your pilates workout is body weight only? Does it involve any machines? I think the workout looks really interesting and could be really intense...

you have to do the hot pilates or floor mat pilates, burns more !

R82 - you're not totally wrong. I've used a lot of trainers - but I also workout without them. Trainers will push me to do certain exercises I would not do.

I would live in a world with no squats or reverse flies if I could. But I know I have to do them. After you're in your routine with them, yes - 90% of it is just chatting and watching and about 10% is correcting form or other things.

Using a trainer for me is more about accountability. I WILL find any excuse in the book - need to work, I'm too tired, I'll do it tomorrow, etc. - to not workout.

I've been using a remote trainer (via phone camera) 3 days a week for about 3 years now. I know he's going to call my phone endlessly at 545am if I don't answer and get up and start working out.

it's a LOT less expensive to do it virtually - gyms usually take 50+% of the trainer's hourly fee so it's better for them as well. I see the expense as an investment - it keeps me focused and my workouts on a regular schedule. That money each month helps me feel good, look good and prevent aging-related issues from inactivity.

The harsh reality is that 90% of people are NOT self-motivated to workout - that's how all gyms make their money. If everyone who had a membership showed up to workout, you wouldn't be able to use any machines.

So yeah - trainers do become more 'coaches' after awhile and workout buddies. But most people need to be held accountable to another party to get things done.

So that's me - paying some guy to get me out of bed and workout for an hour before 6am three days a week.

Yeah, R85. I foolishly paid to join a gym and never once, not once, did ever step foot inside it.

When my debit card expired and they couldn’t collect their money, they had the unmitigated audacity and balls to call me to say they couldn’t collect their fucking money.

I was fucking appalled and beyond pissed.

I’ve thought about joining a gym and actually going but the fact that they want a yearly fee plus monthly payments ( that you have to give your checking account information for, including the routing number of your bank) a complete non-starter.

I thought of doing those gift card visas or Mastercards but you can’t use them. Fuck that.

R86 - I've said this up thread - but buy resistance bands, a hook to secure them over a door, a set of adjustable handweight barbells, and a yoga mat - and you've got 90% of what you need.

You can look up online trainers. Mine's relatively affordable - but it's not 'cheap' - it's $300 a month, which comes out to $25 per workout.

I look at it like this - I either pay for it now or I pay for it later. The latter payment is in feeling bad, looking bad, not fitting into clothes and having medical issues that will cost me thousands and prescriptions that I don't want to take for the rest of my life.

Whatever $$ you spend, it's like body and mind insurance. An expensive gym isn't going to do anything if you don't go. And frankly - it's a mental feat to get out of bed on a cold morning to go to the gym before work. Or even after work - after your commute and a long day, I don't want to spend 90 minutes in a crowded gym. But if you don't go, then once your ass sits on the couch - you're done for the night.

R83 - I started doing Clinical Pilates but now do a Matts and Ladders class. We use ropes, ladders attached to walls, kettle bells and floor work. I don’t do Reformer Pilates because I have some movement restrictions in my elbows so can’t do 25% of what the class does.

Great thread, thanks OP, and I wish you well.

I turned 50 last year and I'm struggling with motivation. Just bored and burned out with what I usually do at the gym. I know I need to change it up, and this thread is giving me some ideas. (I also need to grab a few sessions with a trainer.)

Am I obese because I am unhappy? Or am I unhappy because I'm obese? It's a classic Datalounger's conundrum.

R89, you made an interesting comment, that you're struggling with motivation, bored and burned out.

I posted about finding rowing and loving it. I think what I'm going to type relates to your post. I have had, probably, 10 conversations with guys who compliment/admire by build. I tell them I row, they should too (I'm 62 and rowing is a no impact, full body, and all cardio). I get the, "I go to the gym" and/or "I use the rowing machine at the gym."

I walk away thinking, they may go to the gym, say they work out or use an erg... but the gig is, they are doing the same work out over and over and over... and no one at say, Planet Fitness, trains them on how to use an erg correctly. My PF had crappy ergs. Those guys make no progress on losing the extra 20lbs becuase (I believe) their bodies are used to the same old same old. Going through the motions, buring the same calories...

As we get older, best to shake things up, shock the body with an exercise routine that really kicks your butt, burns calories.

Recommendation... find something new, something you find exciting and tiring.

I find that it's much harder to lose weight as you get older. I used to be able to drop the vacation weight (around 5 pounds) fast but now it's a struggle to lose 1 pound.

Or it would be like lose 3 pounds, gain 2 back

Thanks, R91!

I do 40 minutes of yoga every day, and I walk almost everywhere. I follow a reasonably healthy diet, but I’m not the type to deny myself. If there is any interruption to this, I soon feel and see it. It’s something I do for myself, not to myself.

I run or go to the gym every day. I have been doing it for years, and have become more "obsessed" with it since I retired back in 2019. Even though I don't have to get up to go to work, I am still up each morning by 4, and out the door by 5 to either run or go to the gym. I have to work out first thing in the morning though. And, my gym, which used to be literally right across the street from me, closed in January, and opened a new gym that is now about six miles from me. On these cold, icy Northeast mornings, it's been a lot tougher to get my butt out of the house early, when staying in my warm house drinking coffee would be a lot less trouble. But I do it - guess with the hope that staying fit will help me live longer, and maybe actually be comfortable enough to (gasp) ask someone out.

I'm trying to do yoga too!

I like the idea I'm going to see dick when I change and when I shower. It's a nice motivator.

Best workout is in the steamroom. 45 minutes of sucking and fucking tends to keep one in shape. I do it each day on my lunchbreak.

I’ve never been a morning person. When I was working, I’d go right after work. As I got older it was hard working and exercising at the gym. I like being outside so we’d go for bike rides or walk the dogs after work.

I’m retired now and I go 3 times a week in the afternoons. On occasion I’d rather stay home and nap but I go. I had four surgeries in the past few years and I appreciate the opportunity to exercise at the gym. I turned 65 and now have Silver Sneakers with my Medicare supplement. I can go to any gym in town for free. I’ve signed up for two.

Today I did a kickboxing class, a kettlebell class, and I walked on the treadmill for an hour. Then for dinner I had chips, queso, ranch water and wine, ha.

OP, there really is no secret. Once something becomes a habit, like going to the gym, it is easier to do it than not do it. My advice to you is to join the least expensive gym available to you and start by going 3 X a week. To begin with just commit do doing a few simple things 15 minutes on the treadmill or Nordic track and maybe 2 strength training exercises. These beginning workouts need only last 20-30 minutes at first.

Once you see results and get the endorphin rush that follows, you can add more but keep it short and sweat at first. The idea is to create a habit. takes about a month to establish a habit that is easier to do than not do.

Also the exercise helps me sleep. I'm exhausted!

r102 here apologizing for the unintentional pun in "short and sweat" I hate puns. I meant "short and sweet"

Just do it!

Action creates motivation, not the other way around.

I've been rowing! It's been good. I'm sore in places I haven't been sore in before.

(insert pussy joke here)

R107, hopefully you've got a coach to work on form... but you'll have a great ass in six weeks! After 3 onths you'll have an ass worthy of a good, hard, smack!

I can bend myself backwards into the shape of a perfectly round lowercase Arial Narrow font “o” and go around the world in 80 days, all within the span of 1 minute. But really, I meditate.

Thanks, R108! I think my form is okay, I learned good rowing form many years ago and I think I remember. But I'll look at some YouTubes.

Debbie knows.