Comments on Cranky Fitness: The secret to motivation?

haha it's funny that you posted a pic of jillian -...

2009-05-18T16:26:00.000-04:00

haha it's funny that you posted a pic of jillian - she must be the universal motivator...i wrote about her too: http://snapsanddaps.blogspot.com/2009/04/buff-bully-crush-jillian-michaels.html

Thanks, Arena Fitness, for taking the time to writ...

2009-05-13T10:31:00.000-04:00

Thanks, Arena Fitness, for taking the time to write. I really liked what you said about replacing "motivation" with "commitment."

So that Jabba picture totally motivates me NOT to ...

2009-05-12T18:53:00.000-04:00

So that Jabba picture totally motivates me NOT to look like that. haha

Write a book!!! :)

Hm, what motivates me? 1. Cute guys in class (I i...

2009-05-12T16:09:00.000-04:00

Hm, what motivates me?

1. Cute guys in class (I in fact joined a boxing class for this very reason...yeah yeah, I'm supposed to work out for me, right? Well, I can work out for me AND get eye candy at the same time, right?)

2. I get paid for it.

3. I feel fat if I don't.

4. If I'm in a bad mood, exercise makes me feel better.

5. The gym is one of my social zones.

6. I love food.

7. I'd rather be strong and kick ass than get blown over by the wind.

No, she never got busted, but she did quit right b...

2009-05-12T15:47:00.000-04:00

No, she never got busted, but she did quit right before her division was due to be audited so she probably thought she /would/ be busted. She wrote the book about a year or so afterward, apparently because (like Jody), she couldn't take the feelings of guilt.

The link up at the top of the post takes you to an article about her experiences. She really lied extensively -- even her husband and her mother believed that she had a college degree.

I second the motion for a cranky fit book! But no...

2009-05-12T15:42:00.000-04:00

I second the motion for a cranky fit book! But now I'm curious - what happened to the author? Did she finally get busted?? And is she now writing a book on karma?

In the past I worked at a job where a guy faked hi...

2009-05-12T15:35:00.000-04:00

In the past I worked at a job where a guy faked his degree as well. He faked it for almost a year, and got paid the same as I did before they figured him out. I couldn't believe that he could get away with it for that long, but, that's what cons do! Love your blog! I'd love to fake exercise, too, and reap the benefits! Hehe!

I have seen this fake it till you make it & yes, I...

2009-05-12T14:09:00.000-04:00

I have seen this fake it till you make it & yes, I have been there when I was younger but I could never keep it up because it felt morally wrong to me. My parents raised me too good!

As for motivation, it has changed with time. When I was heavy & younger, it was just to be "skinny" and get dates & feel better about myself. As I got older, the health benefits kicked in too & when I got into weights, it was that I just loved having muscles.

BUT, I must admit even now, I see that fat kid in the mirror at times & hear the teasing at times & that does sometimes still motivate me. Amazing how long those feelings can stay with you!!! But, mostly, I just like feeling healthy & fit & having arms that are better than some of those young guys in the gym.. HA!

Funny post. I agree with Annabel--this woman used ...

2009-05-12T14:02:00.000-04:00

Funny post. I agree with Annabel--this woman used other people (in a bad way) but I like to use other people (in a good way) by having several different workout buddies who 1. make me feel bad if I don't exercise with them and 2. are fitter than I by a little bit so that they inspire me to keep working out. It's why you are always smart to spend your life around people who are smarter than you. Same goes for losing weight.

jen
Boda weight loss blog

Yes, yes, yes on the "fake it 'til you make it" ap...

2009-05-12T12:25:00.000-04:00

Yes, yes, yes on the "fake it 'til you make it" approach. I think motivation is an improperly used word. In my gym I hear all too often (I wish I could deny this and assert my position as the ultimate motivator, but I can't), "I'm just not motivated right now." Got it. But "motivation" is a moody creature that comes and goes and is often mistaken for "inspiration." Look, here's the deal: NO ONE wants to work out (except a very small percentage of people). That's the reality. But EVERYONE wants the benefits of exercise, so what to do? Maybe we should retire the word "motivation" and replace it with "commitment." Commitment doesn't require motivation, it's a characteristic that means that you will take action on something whether you "feel like it" or not! It's like school and work; in general we don't want to do either, but we want the benefits from both, ie, education and money. Next time you know you need to exercise, don't ask yourself if you "feel like it" or if you are "motivated" to do so, just ask yourself if you're "committed." If you are, then desire to exercise is immaterial, you'll do it anyway. If you aren't, then don't, but accept the consequences of your decision.

Great topic. Thanks.

Oh, I WISH I could delegate the exercising and the...

2009-05-12T12:16:00.000-04:00

Oh, I WISH I could delegate the exercising and the dieting, sigh.

What motivates me at the moment is feeling fitter after a lengthy period of ill health. I can hardly wait to be able to get up my first mountain with camera attached to one eye!

Oh, and my much younger boyfriend takes a fair bit of keeping up with (now, I am not delegating any of that activity, ahem).

Well, I'm motivated by music, so I only allow myse...

2009-05-12T11:54:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm motivated by music, so I only allow myself to listen to my favorite songs while running. I'm not sure whether that's a reward or a punishment, really. I notice a lot of runners at local races do the equivalent of lying about their degrees-- ahem, lining up at the front of the pack despite a pace that's slower than even me.

Ooooh, the Delegating to an Invisible Playmate app...

2009-05-12T10:46:00.000-04:00

Ooooh, the Delegating to an Invisible Playmate approach. I like it. :)

I delegate my invisible play mate to exercise for ...

2009-05-12T10:44:00.000-04:00

I delegate my invisible play mate to exercise for me.
She's working hard and looking goooooood. I get to relax and enjoy my laziness.
It works for me at the moment. :-)

The biggest motivation for me right now? An easie...

2009-05-12T10:40:00.000-04:00

The biggest motivation for me right now? An easier labor and delivery. *sigh* Unfortunately it hasn't been working very well when I'm up half the night with the toddler. Although all the painting I'm doing at the new house ought to be *something* of a workout!

Long term - being able to run and jump and play with my kids. Their energy is boundless. While they're little that means I have to add in some of my own cardio/strength training before they wake up. I expect as they grow up we will do more as a family.

To stop and think about what motivates me has to b...

2009-05-12T10:07:00.000-04:00

To stop and think about what motivates me has to be a better tool than thinking about ways I can't fit in my workout every day.

I have a friend who had surgery to replace a heart valve (it had been close to useless for 60+ years)- because she is vigilant about staying fit and healthy, her recovery has been really swift (not fast enough as far as she's concerned).

Much of my motivation for staying fit is to keep my doctor (as nice as she is) out of my life as much as possible.

I think the mind, and thinking the right thoughts,...

2009-05-12T10:02:00.000-04:00

I think the mind, and thinking the right thoughts, is very important when it comes to getting motivated. But it seems that it's much easier to have that work at the start - the problem is more about keeping it going. It's one thing to get your brain motivated today but how do you keep that going long term?

One of the biggest things for me, as far as sticking to workouts, is to have a goal to work toward.

And having something I actually enjoy doing is also big.

Running on a treadmill, looking a wall, going nowhere - it would be super hard to want to keep going back to that everyday.

Damn, Merry, you are a hoot. So would Tom Sawyer ...

2009-05-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

Damn, Merry, you are a hoot.

So would Tom Sawyer be able to get someone else to exercise for him? I suspect he'd get someone to stay home and doing the boring cycle or treadmill so he could head outside and have an adventure. Little would he know he was really exercising himself.

What motivates me? The way I feel afterward. Lifting heavier than other women in the gym. Having the "gym rat" guys tell me I work very hard and they admire that. (vanity and external validation, so sad.)

Truthfully by now it's a habit. I listen to my body and have taken almost 2 weeks off. Wondered if I'd go back. But I do...

The only thing that got me to run this morning was...

2009-05-12T09:57:00.000-04:00

The only thing that got me to run this morning was the fact that my friend was waiting for me at the park gates. And she cleverly left her mobile off so I couldn't call and cancel last minute.

I have really smart friends. :)

Awesome post - the jaba photog is FABULOUS! And Ji...

2009-05-12T09:39:00.000-04:00

Awesome post - the jaba photog is FABULOUS! And Jillian's body is just rediculous. I wish exercise could be delegated, too. Sigh. Loved how that lady took the old Tom Sawyer thinking to a whole new level of BS (bullshit not bachelor of science haha). Wow.

This post cracks me up. It reminds me of all the m...

2009-05-12T09:21:00.000-04:00

This post cracks me up. It reminds me of all the managers I've had, the incompetent management that as long as they pretended they knew what they were doing and hired good people, they got all the credit. Yet priming a incompetent manager's brain pre-meeting can be a task almost as insurmountable as a Mt. Shasta climb by a 400 lb person.

Having said that, this post is kind of a rehash yet at the same time, what motivates me to exercise is death. Death can be very motivating. Can you write a long drawn out tome about how motivating death can be? I'll bet you can!

I loved your chatter round midnight about blackbean brownies. I have the recipe but have not been that tempted.

Oh, you are too funny! Love the Abby Normal pic. ...

2009-05-12T09:08:00.000-04:00

Oh, you are too funny! Love the Abby Normal pic. And speaking of Abby Normal, I know full well from experience that the shrinking violets get stomped on. So one day I read this quote from a woman admiral that went something like "It's easier to apologize than get permission" and it changed my life (I know I'm starting to sound like a laundry detergent ad now). I can still get intimidated by alpha dogs but find if I call their bluff they back right down.

But how does this motivate the Ruebenesque me now? That little extra bit of confidence clears the decks of much self-doubt and meekness that has been holding me back for so long.

And yes, I'd gladly fork over $19.99 for your book.

[whine] Apparently nothing motivates me to use the...

2009-05-12T09:07:00.000-04:00

[whine]
Apparently nothing motivates me to use the BORINGBORINGBORING exercise bike during the pollen season when I can't walk outdoors (preferred exercise) if I want to breathe through my nose the next day.
[/whine]

Mary Anne in Kentucky

LOL!!! The jabba the hut (god, I don't know how t...

2009-05-12T08:57:00.000-04:00

LOL!!! The jabba the hut (god, I don't know how to spell star wars characters' names) and Jillian pictures cracked me up! Yeah, she's pretty much a motivator for me. She's hot. I was also watching the female runners who finished first at a 5k on Sat and their stomachs were ripped! They all had 6 pack abs. I want to look like that. I look like I have a tub of Jello hidden under my shirt when I run. "Don't pay any attention to the Jello. It's really not fat. Just a dessert I'm delivering down the street here. Carry on."
You know, underneath all of this extra "padding" I DO look like Jillian. I have 6 pack abs. I just have to unwrap myself and get down to that layer.

I'm not motivated at all...but I still make the ef...

2009-05-12T08:38:00.000-04:00

I'm not motivated at all...but I still make the effort because the alternative will lead me to looking strikingly similar to Jabba.