Many people have a million and one reasons why they should not get fit. But are your excuses really justified? Here are some answers to the most popular excuses not to exercise.
Let’s look at each one individually and see why each is not valid to avoid starting an exercise program.
Exercise is boring
With the myriad of exercise venues and types available, there is literally something for everyone. But sometimes it requires thinking outside the box of what you consider exercising. Dancing is exercise, along with gardening, skating or participating in a group sport like couples tennis, or basketball. The key is to try different types of exercises until you find one you like. It doesn’t always have to be walking on a treadmill in a gym.
I’m too tired.
You are too tired because you are out of shape. Start small by exercising 10 minutes the first day. Gradually increase the amount of time you exercise by a few minutes each day. Before long, you’ll be exercising 30 minutes a day five days a week. Also eat a healthy diet as the types of food you eat could be dragging you down.
I tried before and couldn’t do it.
O.K., try doing a different type of exercising than the one you failed at before. If you plan on joining a fitness class, make sure it is at the fitness level right for you. If you are just starting, don’t get into an advanced class, because you won’t be able to keep up and in the end fail (again).
Who will watch the kids?
Many of the gyms today have a child care center inside, so this excuse won’t fly in most cases. Even if your gym does not, hire a babysitter to come over and watch your kids for an hour or so.
Or reciprocate with a neighbor that has kids. You will watch theirs when they exercise if they will watch yours when you exercise. There are many different ways to negate this excuse. Most of the time there are other underlying reasons why you don’t want to exercise and this one just happens to be the most convenient to use.
I don’t have the time.
And this one is the all-time favorite. Usually people using this excuse somehow seem to have the time to watch TV or be on social media for hours at a time, but they can’t seem to find the time to exercise. It comes down to a matter of priorities. When (or if) you decide you want to get fit, you will shuffle all the things you do in a day and find the 30 minutes you need each day to exercise.
And it doesn’t even have to be a continuous block of time. Three 10-minutes workout a day is just as good (and in some cases better) than one 30-minute one.
A healthy lifestyle should be the number one priority for all of us. That encompasses eating a healthy nutritious diet and exercising most days. As once said, “If you have your health, you have everything.” And it is so true, yet many people always seem to find excuses not to take care of themselves.