Yesterday I walked 2 km to the store and today I can feel it in my glutes ()
...I clearly haven't been doing a lot lately...
It's a good feeling though, knowing that you accomplished something, no matter how small that thing is. I've had a hard time the past several years but yesterday not only did I go to the store, I also managed to change the sheets and wash all my clothes, and even cleaned the kitchen and scrubbed the sink from all the hard water deposits.
It's a good feeling and so I don't know why I don't do those things more often... I guess it's just easier to watch TV shows, movies, and play Fortnite all day long.
I have been on break from school for over a month now, and have another entire month left before it starts back up again. I'm 25 so you'd think I'd've gotten used to it by now - but nope. It's still ridiculously hard to stay motivated and to keep going with a proper, healthy routine day-to-day.
I think everyone should take care of their health to a certain degree. I just got started again trying to get fitter. It's just a great feeling to not be exhausted all the time.
Congratulations! Keep it up!
Here's some things I do whenever I feel I'm getting stuck in a rut:
Limit TV time - Really, two hours a day is loads, three is pushing it. If you're on holidays then whatever, but even then I'd keep that limit.
Limit social media time - Try this, give yourself an hour a day for social media. That's LOADS. I spend a lot of time on reddit, so in the beginning I gave myself an hour for reddit then an hour for everything else. And I'm not talking about online learning, or research or that type of thing. I mean sites like reddit and facebook where you tend to keep scrolling just because. I've limited my facebook to 15 minutes a day, reddit to 30. And, as of about 4 months ago I'm having trouble filling the remaining 15 minutes with social media.
You know what I miss??? NOTHING.
I noticed with a strict 15 minute limitation of facebook, and by blocking every meme page that everyone shares stupid jokes from, the actual 'news' from my 300+ facebook friends can be read in its entirety in less than the 15 minutes. Sites like that really are just a time sink.
I find gaming a bit better. But then I don't play those MMO's, so it's easy for me to play a few hours a week without getting hooked.
The key to getting fitter and more active is routine. Build a daily/weekly routine and stick to it no matter what. It doesn't have to be intense. Start off simple - go for a 2km walk 3 times a week. Then as you get comfortable with that, increase the difficulty - go for a 4km walk 3 times a week, etc...
Many years ago I forced myself to take up running, because I was quite unfit. I hated it, but it only cost a pair of runners an willpower. So I started running intervals - 1 minute walking, 1 minute running for 3km. It was hell. I hated it for the first 6 months. But after 6 months I'd increased my tempo, my intervals eventually ended up at 1 minute walking, 3 minutes running. Which is what I currently do, except now I can do 12km and barely break a sweat. When I started my 3km took about 40 minutes. Now I can do a 10km run in 55 mintues. And now I actually like it. Once I developed the habit (took about 2 years to become something I want/need to do rather than something I should/have to do) I actually feel guilty if I miss a run. It's like I've just missed my favourite TV show or something. I'm really happy being this way. It takes a while but it's well worth it.
Funny story - 7 years ago my wife and I emigrated. One day after we'd settled we went to a local park and hiked through this valley and up over the hills in the area. It took us a couple of hours in total. We were wrecked after it, but we felt great!! Fast forward to now, and we decided to go back, we got prepped with our gear, ready for a grewling hike - We completed it in about 40 minutes, and it was a casual stroll. We couldn't believe it. We were both shocked at how unhealthy we must have been back then. Didn't even break a sweat this time. It was nuts, in a good way!!
So keep it up, push yourself a little more every now and then, get out a little more often. Future you will be very grateful!!
Edit: if you decide to try running, watch some videos about jogging technique, or you'll damage your knees. Pro tip- run on the ball of your foot, not heal to toe.
The real pro-tip re: running form is to not bounce. Try to keep your feet underneath you. Running is really controlled falling when you're doing it properly.
I feel that it's really important that you acknowledge how hard it is. I think changing is always associated with anxiety, no matter how badly you want it. It's part of the human condition.
It's great news that you're feeling better and getting a bit motivated. The "small" things do count! :)
Having been struggling myself, I'd just like to say you're not alone. And I really appreciate this conversation topic, as I see I'm not alone either. Thank you!
About 10 years ago, one of my neighbors put an old bike out on the street as trash. I just happened to spot it and asked if I could take it. It needed a lot of repairs, but it just barely ran as it was. So I rode it up to one of my favorite restaurants to grab dinner. Half a mile. Half a mile and I was wrecked for days after. But I was also hooked.
Within a few months, I learned to work on it, stripped it down, spiffed it up, and was regularly riding to go visit my friends, 30 miles round-trip.
I ended up with a pretty ridiculously bike addiction for a while, with over a dozen project bikes and three main riders that I had set up for different occasions. Unfortunately, my love of riding was eventually overpowered by fear of death. Drivers around here aren't the most friendly towards bikes (there are worse places, and I've heard some pretty messed up stories). So now I just have my main bike set up on a bike trainer (like a rolling stand), and I work out on it when I feel motivated enough. But it's been ages since I regularly rode on the streets. Went from logging over 5000 miles in a year to almost nothing in the course of a few months.
Different motivations and interests come and go. At least for me, I have difficulty maintaining consistent levels of devotion to activities. But I don't necessarily see that as a negative. It may have negative aspects, to be sure, but the positive offshoot is that I end up with diverse interests and experiences. I'm skilled and fairly knowledgeable across a large range, but never have the depth of knowledge or experience acheived by long term specialization. It's the curse of the jacks of all trades. Still, I think it's a useful way to live. So I'm all for following my motivations wherever they take me.