I don’t need to tell you that exercise is good for you in many ways: it decreases the chances of developing heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Something as simple as doing a few stretches will improve the quality of your sleep and make you feel more energised when waking up. Exercise will even reduce your insurance premium by up to 40%. Even though many people understand the importance of working out, for whatever reason they just can’t seem to find the time for it. They continue to rely on excuses as to why they cannot exercise. Here are the top 5 excuses people use not to exercise and how to beat them.
Excuse 1: “I don’t have time”
You might be a busy bee with way too many flowers to pollinate – maybe you juggle work and family responsibilities, or you care for someone full-time and don’t seem to be able to put any time aside for yourself. Either way, the good news is that exercise doesn’t have to happen at a specific time and place, e.g. the gym. You can do some stretching while watching TV. Where possible, small adjustment like walking or cycling instead of driving to work can have long term benefits on your health. Also, when at work, why not use the stairs instead of the lift? Any exercise in an informal environment is still exercise, and it will help your body remain healthy.
Excuse 2: “I am too tired”
Nobody is asking you to go and lift heavy weights or do 50 push-ups. If you hold in your mind the idea that you are going to do the kind of exercise that will get you tired, you will feel tired before even starting. Very simple yoga stretches in the morning will be enough to start the day feeling more energised. That said, if you are not a morning person or had a busy start to the day and missed out on your morning workout, you could do some warm up exercises when you get home from work and then take a shower. After that you are going to feel really refreshed.
Excuse 3: “I can’t break free from the kids”
You can’t break free from he kids? Why not join them! If you are busy taking care of the kids all the time, you could look out for or create activities that require movement thus turning the time spent with them into an opportunity to exercise. You could do some fun activities with your kids that will require all of you to move around, such as any variation of a tag game. Another example is the game twister, which will require your body to move in ways different from usual. Kids are also very much into console games so if you offer them a family console like the Nintendo Wii, you can join in the action as you will need to perform a lot of movements to be able to play.
Excuse 4: “Exercise is boring”
Not all exercise is fun, that much is true. It is up to you to find out what type of exercise you enjoy and how to make exercise fun. Adding your favourite tunes to any exercise can boost your energy and enthusiasm while doing it. Dancing will give you the opportunity to exercise while having fun. Many gyms now offer Zumba classes; you can join an evening Salsa group or any other dance class for that matter. You could also invite your friends to play tennis or beach-volley: exercising in a group can make it a lot more fun.
Excuse 5: “I always end up quitting”
It happens that you get into a mood in which you don’t really feel like moving at all. It’s ok to miss one or 2 scheduled workout sessions. We can all be under the weather from time to time. Don’t blame yourself for that. You don’t even have to see it as quitting. You should rather see it as a small break. Just make the effort to get back on track after your break. If you choose fun activities, getting back into exercise should be easier.
Have you overcome an exercise excuse? If so, share your experience with he readers of Healthynewage!
