Re: No Motivation to Exercise

Some good ideas there, one thing I forgot to mention, it is very important to warm up with some gentle exercising bending and stretching etc.
I certainly enlisting the family idea but would be worried they would know exactly you needs.
Someone mentioned swimming excellent, that is all you need really of course accompanied by diet.
Omah, you are right about health walks etc. I used to take a group of oldies who were recovering from heart and other old age operations, it amazing how easy it is to get back quicker, we used to make it fun with music and dance.

Re: No Motivation to Exercise

I found that, if you walked with a formal or informal group, the members always said at the end "See you tomorrow/Tuesday/next week, etc", so the onus was on me to show up or have a good excuse not to .....

Nowadays, I do about 15 miles of countryside walking per week in winter and 25 miles in summer. I keep a log, take photos and compile my own maps/routes as a hobby .....

Walking literally keeps me off the streets .....

Re: No Motivation to Exercise

Hi Playtheman

You appear to be caught in a spiralling problem because sleep is a very important factor for losing weight.

First off though the notion that "I am overweight therefore I must exercise and go to a gym" etc is typically a knee-jerk reaction and often a bad analysis of the situation.

No-one is overweight because of lack of exercise.

We are overweight because of bad diet choice which in turn is often due to bad food education. People often think they are eating "weight losing" foods when in fact they are doing the exact opposite.

Your primary goal imo is to understand what you are eating, by which I mean checking the ingredients, and then, when that reveals the really bad things you have been eating, just cut them out. Only you can do this.

Sugars

Most likely, like so many of us, you have been caught by the "Sugar Trap" which means you are eating what appears to be innocent foods which are actually piled high with sugar.

Here's what you need to know. 1 teaspoon of sugar = 4g.

So look on your tins, packets and other products at the sugar content per 100g, and divide that number by 4 to see how many teaspoons of sugar are in every 100g of the product. Then factor that up by the actual weight of the product. You will be staggered at how much sugar you have been taking in.

If you have been drinking soft fizzy drinks of any kind, I advise you to cut those out completely. They are piled with sugar and generally they will mess with your body and its metabolism causing hunger pangs which lead to snacking.

If you put sugar in your tea/coffee then definitely wean yourself off that addiction. You are really poisoning yourself when you do this. I used to do it, thought I could never enjoy tea/coffee without sugar in it. I was wrong. Giving this added sugar up was easy.

Typically it is the other less obvious foods that have large sugar content that can be hurting us. Take a look at the pictures in this thread to see some horrific examples:

http://www.over50sforum.com/showthread.php?t=27681

e.g. A simple 1 litre bottle of apple juice contains a staggering 22 teaspoons of sugar !

A seemingly innocent carton or tin of chopped tomatoes contains 3 teaspoons of sugar !

Important at this point to understand that sugar is sugar no matter what the form. There is no "natural sugar" vs "table sugar", sugar is sugar and has the same chemical formula no matter where it is from. The reason apple juice is bad for you is because it contains all the sugars from apples and none of the fibre you find in the rest of an apple.

When we eat sugar we need to also eat fibre which changes the speed at which the sugar is digested by the body. Sugary products eaten on their own get changed into fat quickly. Sugary foods eaten with fibre give the body far more time to use the sugar so it gets used for the body's energy needs instead of being stored as fat.

In short, get sugar out of your life as far as you can. Doing this one step will do more for your weight and health than any exercise.

The Importance Of Sleep

Many people are still unaware how important sleep is in the weight losing stakes. When you sleep your body is burning energy and thus you are literally losing weight whilst doing zero exercise. It happens through the process of your body staying warm.

A recent study found sub-par sleep could undermine weight loss by as much as 55 percent!

The University of Colorado found that dieters consumed 6 percent fewer calories when they got enough sleep. For someone on a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s 120 calories per day, which could amount to nearly a one-pound weight loss in a month!

Eating meat helps to trigger the production of Tryptophan which makes you sleepy. Turns out that just 1/4 gram—about what you’ll find in a skinless chicken drumstick or three ounces of lean turkey meat—is enough to significantly increase hours of deep sleep.

Since you are having sleep problems, you are losing out on this most natural and easy way of losing weight. I'm guessing the sleep problems are due to a combination of what you are eating/drinking, and domestic/work stress issues. You probably go to bed and just lie there with a gazillion things running around your head ! You are not alone.

Getting a good nights sleep, with real deep sleep, is very important. Try having a cup of milky drink like Horlicks etc before bed or alternatively one of those herbal teas which promote sleep such as the ones containing Valerian.

Also, to maximise the weight loss, don't cover yourself with lots of warm blankets. You need to be cool so that your body will burn energy to keep you warm whilst you sleep. Your metabolism will be raised automatically to achieve this.

Anyway, I hope at least some of the above helps. Good luck.

Re: No Motivation to Exercise

This looks interesting .

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...t-obesity.html

Re: No Motivation to Exercise

What nonsense !
We are talking about gentle exercise here not marathon running.
There is absolutely no need at all to warm up before taking a stroll, you are more likely to pull a muscle 'warming up' and injure yourself whilst by trying to 'walk it off'
Remember your age and act accordingly and not like some silly teenager showing off,
Walking is a natural exercise and needs no preparation.

Re: No Motivation to Exercise

One concern i have is perhaps the lack of motivation is indicative of something that needs exploring further.

Re: No Motivation to Exercise

Very good point, Nom.

Re: No Motivation to Exercise

Hello Chris and welcome
I think people look at exercise and dieting to lose weight from the wrong perspective and they often set themselves impossible targets which can't be met then give up .

Better to look at a permanent life change.
This encompasses walking whenever you can and eating small healthy meals most of the time not as part of some diet.

With a 'demanding family of 4' I am sure there is plenty of opportunity to play games /walk/ swim with them /and to perform household tasks that will provide exercise and serve a useful purpose at the same time .

When I have cleaned the windows of the house inside and out or washed all the paintwork in a room or dug the garden I feel I have had a good workout The 'motivation' is seeing a job well done with the added bonus of helping me to keep fit .

Re: No Motivation to Exercise

Enquire about over 50's classes at your local leisure centre. At mine they do a Circuits which is good fun. It involves spending a minute doing different activities - stepping up & over a step - push ups against a wall - air boxing etc. You just move round in a circle from one thing to the next. Lots of giggles and chat.

Another thing that is really good exercise is aqua fit in the pool. You don't need to be able to swim as it takes place in the shallow end. Why not make enquiries at your local centre or look online for details.

Exercise doesn't have to be boring.

Re: No Motivation to Exercise

I agree, Carol, I do the circuit training 3 or 4 times a week for as little as 30minutes a time. You have to move quickly and always someone to have a laugh with - the best way to exercise is to make it fun !