What keeps you motivated to work out regularly?

41 comments

  5. Stress. I have a lot of pent up anger and when I work out, I release all that anger…

    and then I feel so good afterwards…

  8. I worked hard to get my body to look the way it does and I want to maintain that physique, also wanting to be stronger and faster

  12. It’s kinda weird but David’s body in the later stages of Cyberpunk edgerunners is what I look at when I need motivation

  14. Honestly, I design my own trainings and I love to research on how to make it better towards my fitness goals. Its like I learned all the settings and now Im personalizing my athleticism. Id say allow yourself to be a nerd about it because working out takes different shapes for everybody.

    Once you develop a level of familiarity:

    1- you’ll identify with your work out (& your gym will become a safe space where you belong)

    2- you’ll be in charge of your own competence (you do something you see a result, makes you wanna do more right things just to see what you CAN achieve)

    And that my friend is a direct lane to mother friggin self esteem 😀

  16. Fitness freaks try to sell you all this crap about a “natural high” and it “becomes addicting.” I was waiting for it to become fun, and getting frustrated.

    What helped me is recognizing that it sucks and will always suck, like a chore. It’s something you *need to* *do* like laundry or cleaning. So I simply add a mile run and 50 pushups to my list of daily chores.

  18. It’s all about mental health for me…need the dopamine..love the feeling of doing something positive for me that I can control.

  19. Seeing people my age who look like a complete mess. I just can’t have that. I can’t be the dude with a big beerbelly. Not happening… although a lot of that just comes from the food I eat.

    I like having energy and feeling good too. I know way too many people who seem to do nothing but sit around in their free time. Not for me. I need to be able to randomly go on a 5 mile hike if someone asks me.

  20. To keep my physical appearance attractive, to be healthy and strong, to add something productive and beneficial to my day. Ect

  21. I view it as medicine. I know the routine will help me with my mental health and the consequence of not doing it is going to feel so much worse than showing up and getting it done. I do classes to make it easy to just show up and now it’s become routine

  22. I like how I don’t feel like i got in a car accident just because I raked some leaves or carried in the groceries.

  24. Results….

    Better sleep.

    Better outlook on all things.

    Better feeling physically.

    Better attitude.

    Better and more balanced emotions.

  26. My journey was

    1) dissatisfaction with being unhealthy

    2) some impetus or event to spur for the first workout

    3) Remember that the only way to keep something up is to develop a strong habit

    4) fight the first few impulses to take the day off or skip workouts and stick to the plan (the plan will likely include scheduled off days, those are fine.)

    5) set attainable goals. If you run, track either distance or speed. If you lift, reps and weight, etc. newbies consistently set overly ambitious goals and get discouraged. Make very simple, consistent progress. Don’t kill yourself over missed targets as long as you’re progressing over time.

    Over time, the habit will become more natural, the progress more notable, and you’ll feel better both mentally and physically. I guess my motivation, or really reason for continuing, is appreciation for results, pride in the accomplishment, and sheer inertia of continuing a strong habit.

    You can do it. It’s worth it, it gets better, and you won’t regret it.

    IDK if you have space/cash, but buying some equipment like an Olympic bar, weight plates, and basic rack are way better than gym membership. Saves you time, and better use of money. You’ll probably spend $400/yr for gym, but can get starter weight set for the power lifts like bench/squat/deadlift for about $600 online and it’ll hold some value. I’ve spend $1500 on my full set up I’ve used regularly. The $800 in gym and counting plus convenience of not driving or waiting for weights was a great choice.

  27. Results. No other than that. Going for a workout is no fun at all for me. But the rewards are amazing. Better sleep, high level of energy, more sexual stamina, more self confidence, l look far better, l could go off blood pressure meds, I stopped seeing chiropractors and living on muscle relaxers for my back pain, my posture fixed, l can do far more physical labor without getting exhausted after a short while, my head feels far clearer, l could lose weight and keep it off, my mood is far better and stable, take your pick

  28. I saw some older relatives not be able to move and possibly pass away because they didn’t take care of themselves.

  31. „It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.“ – Socrates

    Also, +1 for discipline. Motivation gets you started, discipline keeps you going.

  34. As a man in my 40s, I’ve never liked working out. I finally found a routine that seems to work for me. Here are the rules:

    * I must work out in some way every day. Doesn’t matter what, doesn’t matter how much, but I must take a moment and do something. I’ve done as little as one push-up. But this builds a routine and in practice I end up getting in a decent amount of exercise most days.
    * I’m not training for the Olympics, I just want to not die. Before, I would push myself really hard exercising, feel the burn right? Well, that always led to me hating it and eventually not doing it. I’m not going to pretend that doing a minimal workout is better then an exhaustive workout, but it’s better then what actually happened in practice; working out hard for two weeks, give up, eat a cake, and try again in two years.
    * The focus is on changing my lifestyle. It’s not a diet, not an exercise routine. It’s a, I plan to do this for as long as I physically can, well into my 80s (fingers crossed).
    * If I injure something, work on somewhere else. If every where’s injured, the physically therapy exercises to heal those injuries count.

    I am not fit. I’m not thin. Last year, I lost 10lbs, over the coarse of the whole year. And that is all fine. If my weight is going down, that’s good.

    The more I’ve exercised, the easier it gets and the more I do. I really think that might be the key I’ve always not understood. When you’re in shape, it doesn’t suck to work out. That’s why those that are really fit don’t hate it as much.

    I’ll leave you with one last quote that hit me hard.

    *Exercise shouldn’t be a punishment for what you ate. It’s a celebration for what you can still do. -some random Facebook meme*

  35. Getting laid by hot girls. Not just regular girls but the hot ones. Also I’m 42 now so my metabolism is slow AF. I don’t really think of it as motivation. I just do it.

  36. A few things:

    – Health/Fitness is the great equalizer, those that put in the effort, reap the benefits. You cannot purchase these benefits.

    – Exercise has a massive multitude of benefits, if it was sold as a drug, everyone would be on it.

    – Exercise improves how much you can do, and how often. I exercise so my other activities feel easy.

    – Aesthetics/Vanity – I like the way I look when I exercise.

    – Studies have shown that children generally model their physical activity after their fathers. So I want to be a good role model.

    – I like being able to walk up steps two at a time.

    – My Dad is in his late 70’s and still hits the gym, and cycles daily, so I can’t let him be more fit than me.

  37. As a martial artist I need to work out for any punch or kick I throw to actually be of worth it I ever needed to defend myself

    That and I like the way I look with visible muscles lol

  38. I like not being depressed first and foremost. I still take antidepressants but a workout just hits different as far as boosting my mood. Physical gains, confidence and having something to consistently challenge me is all great too!

  40. Being the only member of my friend group without back/shoulder/knee pain despite being the eldest, all of the looks and compliments I get in public, and the satisfaction of seeing my own body perform amazing things.

  41. To be completely and narcissistically honest: I like doing the nasty in front if a mirror. And I like seeing myself while doing it.

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