I decided to convert my garage into a gym, I purchased a exercise bike, rower, air walker and a punch bag. I have been using it regularly and have seen results. i usually do 10 minutes on each machince, I have managed to lose weight. I recently added a treadmill and a weight bench (A very basic one). My question is, how do you keep yourself motivated? i found it easy at first but have recently not been interested in the gym at all.

If workouts get stale, you have to be creative and switch it up.

It's always cool at first b/c your expectations are that you're starting an adventure that will lead to an awesome body. Once it sets in how long a road it is, people tend to get demotivated.

Managing expectations is a critical part of the puzzle.

thanks for the reply, you mention switching it up and being creative.....how would you go about that? I do ten minutes on each item, how can you switch it up? do you mean doing 20 mins on 3 machines one night, instead of ten mins on 6 items?

No.

I mean do intervals instead of steady state.

Go outside and run trails or hills or do sprints.

Go on craigslist and find someone who is practically giving away weights and buy them.

Develop a circuit of calisthenics for cardio with a blend or resistance.

I mean be creative.

Thanks for your help, hopefully this will help with the motivation.

I was doing a circuit a while back that involved 30 seconds of activity at different drill stations interspersed with 30 seconds of rest.

Drills included:

Mountain Climbers
Jumping Jacks
Sprints
Med Ball Slams
Throws with a sandbag
Jumps
Abdominal work
Band work
Burpees

The list goes on and on.

Thanks, i suppose it's like circuit training. Thanks for the advice

It's not like circuit training.

It is circuit training.

Circuit training can be set up many, many different ways.

Steve you have some great tips! Yeah I would say to incorporate some dumbell work. That way you are consistently switching between exercises and you are challenging your body and changing it up at the same time.

I think that most people fail at the exercise "Routine" because they fail to realize that without lifestyle changes and a change in viewpoint, exercise is exercise for the sake of doing it and they fail to see the overall health and fitness benefit. You have to look at exercise as part of your life to maintain your life. As you age, without intervention on your part, your fitness level will decline, slowly at first, so slowly that you won't even notice it. Your rocking along and all of a sudden you realize that you can't do something that you were able to do without batting an eye.

I look forward to my, now daily, workout. I can breathe better, walk better, farther, longer. Working out saves me money on health insurance, lower weight=lower premiums. I can lift that 50 pound dumbbell multiple times, now. The road may look boring, but that mountain top view at the end of the road is worth the drive.