OK - It's just not happening...

eminenz2

eminenz2

Cathlete
So first I thought I was just bored with Cathe workouts.

So I got some different workouts - a couple of Turbo Jams, I tried Tracey Staehle (a big yuck-o on that one), a Rob Glick, etc.

Nope. Ho-hum.

So I tried exercising outside - bike rides, long walks/hikes on the trails around my house. I could go for an hour or more.

Did I mention how gross ticks were?

I've tried kettlebells, the BOSU, all manner of weight work and step workouts and kick boxing. Plus I've been riding just a much as always (yay, horse!), the only exercise I really enjoy and don't mind.

But you know, I'm just convinced working out sucks. Lifting weight sucks, jumping around like a crazy person sucks.

I am so burnt out it's crazy! I've been dogging my workouts for months now. I just don't get how I'm going to get motivated again.

I never seems to get stronger, or lose weight, or anything. I'm wondering why even try?

Is it because I'm old now? I'll be 41 in a week and a half.

Thanks for reading my pity party!
 
Have you tried taking a full rest of a week or two? I myself and 45, and when I feel burned out, I just take a few days rest, and usually that's enough to get me motivated again. Maybe start back with something more basic/intermediate, so you're not struggling to keep up, and I'm sure you will find yourself wanting to pick up the pace in no time :)
 
Thank you for the encouragement! :) I have taken a rest week - or three, to no avail.

Maybe I need an interesting rotation or something so I don't have to wonder 'what workout will I do today?'
 
I can sorta relate to your post. I used to love working out for years. I would have no trouble working out with Cathe six days a week. I couple years ago I was almost down to my goal weight. Then I started to get burnt out. So I would half heartily work out a few days a week. I would set high goals at the start of the week but when it came down to it I was unmotivated and missed half my workouts. Well I ended up gaining 20 pounds of the weight I lost back and losing a lot of my strength gradually over the past couple years. So I tried to put some new instructors in the blend (Tracey and Amy Bento). That did not work either. I liked their workouts but was just as unmotivated to do them as my Cathe workouts. So I finally tried something completely new and started working out at a gym. It is amazing what the change in atmosphere has done for me. I actually look forward to working outs again. Hopefully after a break from home fitness I will be able to enjoy my workouts again. I guess when you work out sometimes it is hard to keep things interesting but do not give up. Keep trying till you find something you like.
 
i can totally relate to you and i'm only 27! for the past couple of months i have been so unmotivated for both diet and exercise. i just don't want to bother with all of this anymore. i've taken rest weeks, changed workouts, altered my eating and all i want to do is not have to workout and not think about food 24/7. i'm really unmotivated. i used to be so into diet and exercise and now i feel like i could care less about it. i hate this feeling. i have been forcing myself to workout and i hate every minute of it. not to mention i've been binging weekly b/c i'm tired of not being able to eat junk. i'm watching my weight slowly creep up and i care but i don't care at the same time.
 
Checking out a gym, change of scenery is a very good idea.

When I was really unmotivated at one point, I had really let my workouts slip, I hired my trainer again, to "force" me to get to the gym and workout, it took about 4 months to regain the feeling of wanting to do it, but I did, it just cost a lot to get back there. :confused:

Now, I'm 100% at home, but I would go back to a trainer again if I get in that same rut. Keeping appointments is really important to me, so that's what I needed to get to the gym.

Or maybe something in a group setting? Like a bootcamp program. I've been looking into this class at a place called KO kickbox, they are fitness kickboxing with heavy bags, looks like fun.
 
That kind of sounds like

depression. You don't have to answer this question, but. . . .are you sad? Tired? Listless? Nothing much interests you? Or maybe you are actually low on a vitamin? B? A deficiency can cause a lack of interest or general low energy.

Is it possible to just see your horse (pony power!) once a week? For a month?

Yoga? Maybe switch to meditation? Nature hike (not in your target heart rate.) It really does have a good effect.

How about this:
One HIIT workout once a week just 20 minutes. This will maintain your cardiovascular system and its only for a short time :) This can be any cardio such as biking, running, jump rope, elliptical in short what ever!
One nature hike or time with your horse- a length of your choice.
One yoga session (I like yoga today dot com cause its new each time)

The yoga covers the strength aspects (especially if you choose an intermediate/advanced workout.)

This should keep you covered while you work on your emotional aspect. True you may be unmotivated at the moment (I get it.) but if you require this of yourself you shouldn't back slide.

Hugs! Let us know if it works or what happens :)
 
I can totally relate to what you are going through. I JUST started working out again 2 weeks ago. Before that i was eating tonnes of junk food and not doing much of anything in the way of activity. I was really unhappy since my clothes were fitting tight and i felt really unhappy with myself for getting to that point.

I would suggest you not be too hard on yourself although it's easier said then done. If you are really burnt out you need to take it easy for a while but at least try and keep up some "moderate" activity maybe 2-3 times a week so you don't fall into the trap i fell into where you have to start completely over. Maybe check and see if there are some classes in your area that you have not tried before or set a new goal for yourself so you have something to work towards.
 
Somehow, it is comforting that I am not the only one having trouble.

Joining a gym woud be super - there's one not too far away.

However, the do-re-mi is just not available.

I just finished a Turbo Jam Kickin' Core, so I didn't wimp out today.

My worst fear is that the reason I'm feeling so unmotivated without apparent reason is because the cancer has come back. Like while I was working out tonight, I'm wondering, "Am I so lazy because I'm sick again? Oh no, what am I gonna do if I'm sick again? Oh, christ, I don't want to have cancer again..." and pretty soon I'm trying to talk myself down off the ledge! :confused::(

Panic attacks don't happen like that to me too often, but I'm sure I'm not the only post-cancer patient who has these internal monologues every now and again. I think it's part of the 'new normal' that they/we all go through.

Anyway, I did workout tonight, so yay for me. :)
 
I can relate to this totally...I have always worked out and a few months ago I found myself with no energy, no desire AT ALL and I kept asking myself what the heck is wrong with me..Exercise has always been a great outlet for me..I was not only not interested in working out, I wasn't interested in anything I enjoyed..so I went to the doctor and found out I had depression..they put me on a prescription and I found myself back to my normal self..i'm 37 years old with a 2 1/2 yr old and once i started feeling better I realized i had been feeling that way for a lot longer than I acknowedged...

I think exercise should be fun and it should help lift your spirits and make you feel great..if you're bored all the time or not into it, in my opinion it defeats the whole purpose!

Jess
 
I use to take Prozac many moons ago, but I didn't like what it did to me. I felt like an emotional flatliner.

I've also tried Welbutrin, but didn't like that either. It made me feel pi$$ed off a the time.

I did take anti-anxiety meds while I was sick too. But I'm off those now as well.

Maybe it is something I should consider again, too. Who knows?
 
eminenz2 said:
I use to take Prozac many moons ago, but I didn't like what it did to me. I felt like an emotional flatliner.

I've also tried Welbutrin, but didn't like that either. It made me feel pi$$ed off a the time.

I did take anti-anxiety meds while I was sick too. But I'm off those now as well.

Maybe it is something I should consider again, too. Who knows?
Click to expand...

Enimen,

Have you been to the doctor? I didn't understand if you had the cancer come back or if your afraid it has. If you worried it has...go to the doctor, really. Have some blood work and put your mind at ease or if you have only the doctor can put your options on the table

I am a firm believer in see Dr. Horse. My horses are the best shrink I'll ever have. My horse knows when I'm having a bad day...he knows when something is bothering me and he'll give me a tough ride just to bring me back to that moment. Gotta love that about him. Sometimes the ride is tough...but it's what I need. Sometimes, he even knows when to give me a break...but most times he knows exactly what I need when I need it.

Sure wish you lived closer...bet we could ride for hours...if our horses would let us...smile.
 
Oh, no - I see my oncologist every three months. In fact, I'm seeing her in a couple of weeks. As far as I know, I am not sick. I just worry about it a lot sometimes.

I also see Dr. Horse just about every day. Hee.:p I do like how horses are all about the moment, too. I can become competely absorbed in each step he takes and forget about everything else. It can be exasperating - and exhilarating too!
 
Then I think you should stick with the Dr visits :)

Dr. Horse that is :)

Don't worry about the scheduled workouts until you really feel better. And, I know what you mean about the anti-anxiety/anti depressants.

I take St. John's wort that seems to help and doesn't seem to cause weight gain. I've been on it for about 14 months and I've lost more fat in that time period.

(extreme long arm) Hugs. And yay for you for working out :)
 
Eminenz2:

it's OK not to work out for ages and ages, you know. I did it. I'm back now but I didn't work out for a year, three years ago. I moved house and this house is so dark in comparison to where I used to live, there is just not much light. And my whole workout space disappeared, I had to reconfigure it. My job stopped and I lost self-confidence, motivation, everything. I didn't do any exercising, apart from some walking, for a year.

Guess what? My health has not suffered. I just had my yearly physical, my risk of heart disease/strokes, etc is practically nil, my level of healthy blood fats has even increased, which I am told, is really hard to achieve.

When I finally wanted to work out and was motivated enough to do so, everything was there waiting for me, and the fitness world was much as I had left it. You just slot right back in. Yes, you start off as an educated beginner, but you pick up rapidly and start feeling good and wanting to keep going very soon after starting.

I was too unmotivated to even really feel bad about not exercising much. It was an odd year. But the point is, your health won't go downhill if you take a few months off to just be and think and feel and maybe change things in your life, maybe get interested in new things, invest time in being with people, mastering new skills, taking a class, or just sitting reading and thinking. That's what I did. A lot of reading and thinking.

Maybe, as a result of your cancer history, you are resentful of the fact that you feel that you HAVE to exercise to make sure you stay healthy and cancer free? And as a result, you are finding it hard to do because you resent feeling that you MUST do it? If any of this rings true, then all you have to do is be kind to yourself. Demand a little of yourself, but not an excessive amount. Do the horses-thing, because, emotionally, that's incredibly healthy. Go for walks with fabulous stories on CD. This is what I do, and I get so involved in the narration, I could walk all day. I easily cover 5-6 miles. It does not have to be hardcore. Forget what anyone else is doing and simply do a little something 4 times a week for yourself. For your mood. To connect with yourself and your body, or in the case of the book on CD, to totally disconnect with everything. There's value in that too.

Go rollerblading, just because it is fun. Get active because it is fun, but don't think of it as "exercise" or even "working out" because those terms imply daily routine and the dreaded "must do's." I don't know about you, but I have the most rebellious personality. The minute something becomes something I am told "I must do," I rebel against it and find reasons to avoid it. So, turn it around in your mind and view activity as something you CHOOSE to do, enjoy doing and which, for many people in economically-undeveloped parts of the word, is a luxury to be able to do because we have the gift of free time.

Hope you start to feel more positive toward activity soon. If not, so what? Forgive yourself and find out what it is you really want to do instead.

All best wishes,

Clare
 
I don't have any great words of wisdom -- just a {{{{{HUG}}}}}. I think Clare hit the nail on the head, though. ;) My best to you and I hope you're feeling spunky about your workouts soon. :)
 
One word: YOGA. I, too, felt so burned out my so many hard-core workouts. And it just felt like the more hard--core workouts I did, the hungrier I got. So, first I mixed it up a bit. Then I started to do more yoga... and more... and more, until it just clicked with me, and I can't do it enough. I still get my cardio in (LOVE Patrick Goudeau's super complicated step), and some weight work, but I could do yoga (vinyasa) every day and be perfectly happy.
 
eminenz2 said:
So first I thought I was just bored with Cathe workouts.

So I got some different workouts - a couple of Turbo Jams, I tried Tracey Staehle (a big yuck-o on that one), a Rob Glick, etc.

Nope. Ho-hum.

So I tried exercising outside - bike rides, long walks/hikes on the trails around my house. I could go for an hour or more.

Did I mention how gross ticks were?

I've tried kettlebells, the BOSU, all manner of weight work and step workouts and kick boxing. Plus I've been riding just a much as always (yay, horse!), the only exercise I really enjoy and don't mind.

But you know, I'm just convinced working out sucks. Lifting weight sucks, jumping around like a crazy person sucks.

I am so burnt out it's crazy! I've been dogging my workouts for months now. I just don't get how I'm going to get motivated again.

I never seems to get stronger, or lose weight, or anything. I'm wondering why even try?

Is it because I'm old now? I'll be 41 in a week and a half.

Thanks for reading my pity party!
Click to expand...

You know, I had the same problem a couple of months ago, then I started taking martial arts because I needed the change. I had been taking Chinese Kung Fu and doing workout videos for about 20 years and I got burnt out too. So I decided to try something different. I now take a Korean art which is totally different from anything I had ever done and after a few months I started missing my video workouts so now I mix them in on days I really feel like I need those type of workouts. I guess I'm just saying maybe you are in a fitness rut so keep looking until you find something that clicks...it worked for me. I think the fact that you have tried so many different things already says that you do want to workout you just haven't found what is fun for you yet...keep looking, there are so many different ways to workout you will find something that you fall in love with.:D
 
Hi,

I have been exactly where you are! Usually when I am feeling burned out, I have been over training and taking time off - usually two weeks does the trick. Sometimes I need a chance of venue. I work out a home and I also have a gym membership. If I have been spending more time at home then I go to the gym more and vice versa.

I am a person who always needs a challenge and I get bored easily, so constantly changing my workouts helps a lot. I just recently worked swimming and water volleyball back in my rotation and that helped me with burn out. Also I recently began fencing again and that too has helped.

Find a challenge - something in the fitness realm that you want to accomplish and set up a program to achieve that goal. I wanted to compete in a triathlon and training for that helped me overcome burnout, boredom and lack of desire to exercise.

Maybe working out with a partner will help. That person can help with boredom and motivation. Also it is always nice to have a spotter for heavy lifts.

Regina
 
Sniff! :) You guys are the bestest cyber-buddies a cyber--girl could have!

You know Clare, I think there is a lot of wisdom in what you said - that I feel I HAVE to exercise to keep the cancer-cooties away. I think that might be part of it.

Lots to think about...thinking, thinking, thinking...

Roller blading sounds fun. Is it as easy as roller skating?

Thanks!


Susan L.G.
 
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