How do I find motivation?

http://www.fluther.com/disc/47130/how-do-i-convince-myself-to-go-out-for-a-run/
http://www.fluther.com/disc/32400/help-me-decide-whether-to-go-running-right-now-or-not/

Poke a Rottweiler through a fence with a stick and then have the owner let it out.

I am pretty sure that will motivate you.

There is no effective way to make you like something that you don’t want to like. Either grit your teeth and do it, or look for something else. If you simply want to keep your friend company, ride a bike alongside her. If you want the exercise, find something you like doing.

Amazingly, many people find that once they begin exercising, really like it. It can almost become addictive.

Maybe nothing. Is there a form of exercise you like better?—say, swimming? Or is the real question not how to like it but how to make yourself do what you don’t like? A lot of people who go to work every day could answer that. You could think of it as a job.

So, I just read the response you wrote today to the question: Do you run for fun?

“I hate running with a passion. Not so much because I am damn out of shape, but more because my face turns beet red with the slightest form of exercise. It really is a mood killer. I know I could feel so much better, too, if I tried it.”

If your attitude is that you hate running, then there’s nothing I can say that will make you love it. Change your attitude or change your sport. Don’t waste our time.

@La_chica_gomela

If anyone’s face turns beet red with exercise, they are definitely out of shape, regardless off their opinion regarding their fitness.

I didn’t see the other thread.

Choose to spend your life doing activities you are passionate about, and you’ll always have the motivation to do them. If you hate running, you won’t stick with it. If you like some other kind of exercise, like dancing, swimming, yoga, or whatever, then start a program doing that instead.

The progress you will inevitably see after just a few sessions will motivate you. When I decided to incorporate slow jogging into my walking routine, I was only able to jog for about 45 secs til I ran out of steam. Each day I tried to increase it by 20–30 seconds, and within a month I was able to go 20 mins without stopping.

If you’re out of shape, before you start running you should improve your general fitness and stamina, I would start by walking everyday (about 30 mins) and increase the pace as each week progresses, soon you’ll find yourself being able to work for longer and longer distances.

The part about jogging for 30 secs against 2 mins of walking comes next, and slowly you increase the amount of jogging time against less walking time. As you start to feel fitter and breathing deeper/longer, you’ll automatically feel better about yourself and your overall fitness level.

Then if you start doing some running, you’re more likely to enjoy it as it won’t be such a shock to your system… there’s no point in setting yourself an unrealistic goal that you won’t stick to…

Instead choose something that you can do and maintain (not your friends)... I’ve signed up to the Race for Life this year (5 km) which I’m walking (not jogging or running) and next year I’m signing up for the Moon Walk (26 miles) which again is power-walking… following year I might think about jogging/running!

Good luck however you decide to do it! But just do it!

start out small and work up to a fitness level where you can run in 5K road races benefiting a favorite cause/charity…then 10K and so on

My face turns very red when I exercise or exert myself even a little a bit; I think it was my trainer that said there’s a name for it… I’ll try to find out more.

@hearkat My face turns very red when I exercise or exert myself even a little a bit;

It is usually “Exercise Induced Hypertension” – not a good thing.

…I despise running.
Try cycling…

My face has always turned red when I exercise and I am still going at 64. Did another mini triathlon again yesterday. I think if it were lethal, I’d probably have succumbed by now.

@kerrylynn – With regard to hating running, I am reading a really interesting book, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougal.

“Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt?

In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.

Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence.

With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a 50-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons.

Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.”

I am loving the book and it is inspiring me to run more.

@DarkScribe lotsa lurve for poking a Rottweiler through the fence and have the owner let it out. If that doesn’t motivate you, then nothing else will.

Personally, I used to hate running, but once I really started to try I changed my mind. I think it’s just hard the first couple times, because you’re so convinced that you hate it. But just force yourself to try it a couple more times and you’ll probably like it after that- it does release endorphins and all. Look to the endorphins for motivation? Happyyyyyyyyy… haaaapppyyyyy…...

Running is good as long as you prepare for it with stretches and you wear the right clothing and shoes. If you don’t then you won’t enjoy it at all.

@Girl_Powered – if you read the book I mentioned above, you may change your mind about all of that! just sayin….

Your question inspired me to go running today… in my sleep. It was very painful, and the pain in my knees woke me up.

I ran cross country in high school, and wish arthritis hadn’t already set in…

I think a common mistake people make with wanting to work out is that they wait for motivation to find them – or they need some sort of overbearing reason to actually start doing it. To me, this is just another excuse and only prevents you from doing what you set out to do; work out.

So I say consider the Nike slogan “Just do it”. If you’ve been wanting to do this, you have to set aside some time and hop to it. It’s just like anything else that doesn’t do itself.

If you want me to eliminate your current excuse – there are other ways to work your cardiovascular health other than by running. There’s biking, swimming, dancing, martial arts, etc. What is it that you HATE about running exactly?