I know most of us started on this journey to get ourselves in better shape and in better overall health. Almost everyone hits that "wall" at one point or another where you miss one workout, then two, then you just forget about them alltogether and you fall back into your old habits.

I know for me, my daughter and beautiful wife keep me going. Being able to play with my little girl when as she gets older instead of watching her play is a big thing for me. Also enjoying my beautiful wife is another factor that keeps pushing me :drool:. I got so out of shape at one point that I could not really satisfy her, although she never mentioned it, I just felt it. Now we are back on track and trying out new things, and breaking things in the house....got a little carried away :) She's 6 years younger than I am and I am the one pushing her when we work out together. Feels good.

I was just curious as to what keeps you guys going and pushing through that wall?? You all seem really motivated and you have actually inspired and pushed me on those days that I didn't feel like doing 5 sets of pullups or strapping on the weight vest and repping out on pushups.

Thanks for the push guys :bb:

Two things I've used in the past and had sucess with:

I'm young, am going to have a great degree in another two years, and have everything in the world going for me EXCEPT fitness.

If I ever want to stop mid workout or mid cardio I'll look around the gym, find someone in worse shape than I am, and remind myself that that is not what I want to look like in a few years. If I can't find anyone in worse shape than me I'll use that as a motivator and try to see if anyone in the gym looks like I want to.

It is a bit shallow, but it gets the job done and will make me tough out that extra set or extra 20 min of cardio even when I think I'm out of gas.

I've been at this for about 13 years now. The longest I've gone without lifting weights is a month and that happened twice, once during exams and similar stuff in high school and once starting back after Christmas a few years back. Otherwise, even at the worst I've lifted a couple of times/week.

What originally motivated me was I was a pudgy teen and knew I had no chance getting an attractive girlfriend without getting in shape. In a year I looked great and my plan worked well.

I have since gone up and down in interest, but it's never totally faded. Quite simply, I've always known that if I want to, I can look great and be lean, so when the gut starts to grow out, I feel disgusted with myself.

I am highly critical of our society and its laziness in eating and exercise. I've fomented this criticism to a point where it's inherent in my psyche and so it's almost quite unthinkable that I'd ever become a "typical American". It just does not compute. I love my life and know it's better when I'm fit. I see unfit, overweight people as slaves to impulsivity and undercritical about themselves, blindly going down an inevitable path of health problems.

Also, if I want something and I think it's worth it, I will go for instead of cry about it. So, if I want to look more like men's health cover than the guy at the mall, I go for it.

For the past few years motivation has been consistently very high because I've been competiting in road races and now triathlons and if putting on a _skin tight_ tri suit doesn't motivate a person to get to sub 10% bodyfat, nothing will. I have a race this weekend and in turn my bodyfat is as low as it was last August at my last race :0

I love my kids and I want to be a good role model for them, too. They will always have me active and in shape, unlike most of their friends, so they'll know that it's just something a person should do.

When it really comes down to it, exercise and reasonably healthy eatnig are just something I take for granted as a requirement to lead a fulfilling life. I know that those who haven't come to terms with this are shortchanging themselves to a degree and I've no interest in joining the club.

What motivates me? The sheer size of my butt. Also, the desire to get better. I haven't a competitive bone in my body, I don't want to be better than somebody else. But I need to know I'm the best me I can be.

A mindset.. I have to be thin and muscular, nothing is getting in my way.. I haven't looked back since day one and that was only in August 2006. :)

All I have to do is take a photo of myself naked or look in the mirror and go.. is that even the slightest bit attractive.. current answer is no. HELL NO!. I'm waiting for the day when I can say yes, yes I am!

The whole opposite sex thing is a huge motivator but not the only reason.. if it was I'd never have been able to pull it through.. but I can't wait for this area in my life to start living up to what It could be ;)

I'm going all the way and for the first time ever.. I have strong will and determination.. it's something I REALLY REALLY want and will never stop wanting.

Visual results.. when I see visual results I get all excited and pumped!

I have to say, the, um, positive reinforcement I get from Mr. Queenie is very motivating.

Hot, hot women.

Hot, hot women.

+1


:tu:

Looking at what I used to look like, what I look like now and what I hope to one day look like.

Pictures really help me. I've been really adamant about taking weekly pictures and comparing the changes. I have a vision of what I want to look like by the time I start my soph. year of college in August, and I won't let a piece of cake, or staying home cause I don't "feel like" going to the gym, stop me. I don't have family yet, but I do want to live as long as I can and have a good quality of life. I see so many people in my family who are living for a long time, but their last 15 or so years of life are hell, often because they have had very unhealthy lifestyles. I just don't see how junk food is worth a stroke, a heart attack...Oh one more thing: I want to build up my self esteem. I think my self-image has been pretty crappy, and it's mostly because I dislike how my body looks, overweight and weak. It'd be nice to not feel uncomfortable taking off my shirt at the beach :)

I was just curious as to what keeps you guys going and pushing through that wall??

I dunno. I'm having fun.

In a word, Women. In more than a word, because after a while it became fun, a game of sorts.

i never want to be fat again.

i dont want to get cancer like my family is predispositioned to.

i like the fact that i overcame asthma and want to keep it that way

and i have little to no self confidence in myself, looking good helps a little, every little bit helps.

There are a ton of reasons...in the interest of avoiding redundancy let me offer a unique one.

I walked the corridors of a hospital one time and there were a ton of guys in their 40s and 50s in the cardiac wing with a myriad of problems. All because they didnt look after their health when they were younger.

Getting the most out of life means you need to stick around long enough to do so! Cant scramble to do a repair job when you're 45 after a lifetime of not looking after yourself and expect that everything will get better quickly.

i want to be confident in myself... also attractive... that would be quite nice!

another big reason for me is health. Not physical health (although this is important) but mental health. Eating clean and exercising are helping me to eliminate my depression and anxiety. And, hopefully when they are completly gone my eating/exercising routines will keep me happy and my disorders far, far away :D

another big reason for me is health. Not physical health (although this is important) but mental health. Eating clean and exercising are helping me to eliminate my depression and anxiety. And, hopefully when they are completly gone my eating/exercising routines will keep me happy and my disorders far, far away

I second that. :tu:

My motivation is that I'm not yet where I want to be, and that if I stop I will go back to being a toothpick, which is what my hardcoded genetic default is. I got tired and angry and embarassed at being 5'11" and never, ever more than 133lbs my entire life.

Also, if I stop what I'm doing and start going back to how unhealthily thin I was, those weird pain spasms along the sides of my neck and along the area between my neck and shoulder will probably return. I haven't had them since I started working out and putting some meat on. I don't know how else to describe them except that it was a flash of semi-intense pain that was felt in every fiber of the whole muscle group. I certainly don't want to go back to that again.

For me the motivation is not in keeping myself going to the gym and lifting weights. I find that easy. It's only an hour or so per day, three days a week. That's 3 or so hours over an entire week. That's nothing. That's easy. That's chump change. The motivation is in keeping my diet up. Diet is 16/7 (the other 8 hours are for sleeping :p). What to eat, how much to eat, when to eat, how often to eat, what ratios to eat, etc. is the hard part. Diet is an all day, everyday thing. That's what I have to keep myself motivated to continue doing - the diet.

My motivation is that all I have to do is eat a lot of food and hit the gym, that way I'll keep gaining weight and will avoid being a toothpick. I so desperately don't want to be that skinny again that all I have to do is think about that for 2 seconds and I'm off to the gym or the kitchen.

At first girls were a motivation, but that didn't last long. I've seen waaaaay too many guys in my life that were either too fat, too skinny, otherwise out of shape or unhealthy, or just plain ugly who were getting girls and poon left and right that there's really no point for me to use what I'll look like to the opposite sex as a motivation. That seems to be more of a case of cutesy talk, sappiness, general douchebaggedness, social skills, con artist skills or some combination of those things.

So my motivation is that as long as I keep going, I won't be a toothpick that the Santa Ana Winds will break in half anymore.

This was too long. No one will read it. I suppose it's more of an affirmation to myself, since I had to say it out loud (as it were). 10 peanut butter cookies to anyone who reads this (they go with your cheat meal).

edit: Forgot to mention, health and aging are a motivation too. Our culture sucks for that. There are way too many older people who are hunched over, walk funny, get winded easily, can't lift a cat or gallon of milk, or who just generally die earlier than they otherwise should. For most of them I'd wager it's lack of good diet and excercise throughout their life. I am SO not going to be one of those. That is another big motivator for me. When I die it's going to be because of something beyond my control.

hey Ectomorphic, i read it all... so where are those cookies?
I hope you achieve your goal of non-toothpickness... be good to see some pics when your done (if your comfotable with sharing).

ive got my fingers and toes crossed for you! best of luck!

hey Ectomorphic, i read it all... so where are those cookies?
I hope you achieve your goal of non-toothpickness... be good to see some pics when your done (if your comfotable with sharing).

ive got my fingers and toes crossed for you! best of luck!


Thanks. :) I did start a thread earlier last month in the media forum about my progress thus far, which has "before" and "during" pictures. As per my profile, I'm currently around 169-170, and the pictures were at about 162-163.

The Thread (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=35686).


Oh, and here's the cookies. :D

Thanks. :) I did start a thread earlier last month in the media forum about my progress thus far, which has "before" and "during" pictures. As per my profile, I'm currently around 169-170, and the pictures were at about 162-163.

The Thread (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=35686).


opps, sorry! i didnt see that there. your looking really good. 7-10 more lbs... wow! you must be smokin' :tucool:

... thanks for the cookies... cheat meal tomorrow :D

Well, I've set a goal of getting 16 inch arms, and when I know I've not hit that yet it means I can't quit now. Another thing that motivates me is the tight feeling I get when my muscles are engorged, I take a N.O. supplement and so it makes me anticipate my next workout.

I used to be a puny bastard and now I have muscles jiggling around on my butt, chest and legs and it is sort of a turn on because it constantly reminds me that I'm getting bigger. I hope I never get used to that feeling!

The reasons why I started was, in no particular order:

1. I weighed 138lbs and I'm 6ft even, feather weight.

2. Got tired of comments from people, even if they are in jest (who's kidding who, put downs aren't jesting)

3. Improve my looks, increase my confidence, and increase respect and first impressions when meeting new people and yes, new women.

4. Ensure good health, history of heart problems on my dad's side.

5. Able to do my job with ease, have more energy left over. More mental energy too. (job is very detail oriented)

The reasons are myriad:

1. Dad. I love my dad; he is the greatest man I know. He also has no idea how to take care of himself. He drank until the doctor said his next drink would kill him. He smoked for years before I was born. He ate and gave himself diabetes, and still eats a tremendous amount when we go out and regulates with medicine. Knowing that those choices are what's probably going to kill him, I don't want to repeat it.

2. Society. We are judged by how we look as much as what we do. Why not give yourself every advantage?

3. For it's own sake. The time I'm working out is time away from a computer or tv or anything else- it's time alone in my own head, which is scary enough (;)), but as theraputic as anything else.

4. To test myself. This body I inhabit- what are it's strengths and weaknesses? How hard can I push myself? And if it fails, can I get back up and try again?

-L

My reasons?

To lose the spare tire and be able to effectively sit, squat, bend over, etc., for long periods of time while being able to breathe normally.
To prevent myself from hitting the 300-lb mark. I don't want that hanging over my head for the rest of my life.
To be able to go outside without a shirt on and not feel embarrassed.
To ditch this heartburn problem that's plagued me for the last few years.
To be able to go into a clothing store and pick up something off the rack instead of ordering it online because they don't carry my size.
To prove to myself that I am indeed strong enough to do whatever I put my mind to, no matter the difficulty.