Getting motivation to start

[Katie87]

Hi all

I was diagnosed with crohn's disease last summer. I have been on prednisone, then on Humira. My weight went from 120lbs to 165lbs. I want to start exercising to try to lose it. Diets do not work for me..

The problem is, I don't know where to start!

I've never exercised in my life. I've tried wii fit, but I gave up after a week..

How do you get the motivation? I leave for work in the morning at 7:30, and get home at night at 6:30 and I am dead beat. I cannot afford a gym subscription.

Any tips or tricks? Maybe ipod/iphone apps that could help me motivate myself to do something? I get home from work and just want to go nap..

Thanks

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Hi, welcome to the forum. Why did you give up on Wii Fit? Was it too hard, or boring/repetitive?

As for how to get motivation, I feel like I have an endless supply. I lost my health completely from being so ill for so long, and now I fight hard every day to get it back. That's all the motivation I need, really! When I'm working out, I can forget for a little while that I'm ill. I feel so great during & after a workout that I can pretend for a bit that I'm a normal healthy person, and that's an incredible feeling. I kind of feel like I'm a warrior, fighting a battle for my health, and every workout is a victory for me. Kind of cheesy I guess but that's what works for me.

Those are some long work hours you have. Do you get breaks, a lunch hour? Could you take walks or do some yoga on your lunch? Is there a gym near your workplace or even a park where you could do some squats, lunges etc while on a break? With your long work hours, I'm sure you are tired at the end of a long day. This may sound crazy, but I find that working out seems to give me more energy. Some days I go to the gym on my lunch hour, and on those days I find that I'm much more alert during the afternoon and don't get sleepy. Other days I hit the gym or go for a bike ride after work, and yes I am tired afterwards, but I sleep great on those days.

I hope that was helpful. You may want to check out this thread too, there are lots of us here who are trying to get fit & healthy.
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=47978

 

[Trevor]

Hi!

I'm going to preface this by saying I've gone from 290 to 220 in the last few years.

It's all about the diet. Exercise is great and good for you and your health and there are also some hormonal components to weight loss but at least 90% of the deal is diet.

If you want more info on what worked for me as far as diet I'll gladly type it all out but I'll leave it there for now unless you want the advice

Exercise I do know a bit about. I've played team sports all my life and that's what usually motivates me, getting out and having fun with other people. Is there some sort of group you can join?

I also really like the YAYOG app (you are your own gym) as I hate going to the gym and hated paying to exercise like some sort of hamster on a wheel.

I go for 30 min. walks around my neighborhood quite often and find that to be relaxing and less like work than other form of exercise.

Good luck! If I can do it anyone can. I'm as lazy as it gets.

 

[AlexJ]

Abs are made in the kitchen :smile: i recommend tracking your calories on www.myfitnesspal.com and eating at a rate which will give you 0.5-1lb weight loss per week (around a 300 calorie deficit per day)

To start out eat a consistent number of calories per day, you can eat absolutely anything you want (Try 2000 a day to start out) and weigh yourself on a weekly basis. If the scale doesn't move for a few weeks try lowering the daily calories by 100-200. Eventually you will start to see results and you probably won't even notice that you are eating less (100 calories is a tiny chocolate snack bar)

It's not a crash diet, it's a lifestyle change and it will definitely give you the results you want :smile:

 

[amrycrohns]

Work can be a huge obstacle to exercise, and even more so if your work is taxing on the body. Can you walk on your lunch breaks? Just take a small meal you can eat while walking.

Depending on the exercise you choose there are many ways to get motivated from music to books, get your kids or significant other involved. You may have to try many exercise's to find one you like. Walking, hiking, running, cycling, weightlifting, zumba, yoga and the list just goes on and on. Find something you enjoy and it's easier to do.

My motivation is exercise keeps my crohns symptoms at bay, if I don't do it I am always worse off.

 

[Katie87]

Thanks everyone! I will download the apps you mentionned..
as for wii fit, i gave up on it because it hurt when i did it and i would feel nauseated.. People have told me its def not normal, i have the same endurance as someone who weighs twice as much as me. It feels like im worse than just out of shape.

There is a college campus next to my work with a huge park. I can try to go for a walk on my lunch time.. I dont want to pay for a gym, as its very expensive where i am 130/3 months, and im out of the country 2 weeks a month