drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
by Matt Weik
I can’t tell you how many times a week I’m told excuses why someone can’t exercise or take control of their health. It’s one excuse after the next. So, what do your fitness excuses say about you? I’m sure this feature is going to make some heads explode. And I’m ok with that. Some people need some real talk right now.
1. I don’t have time to exerciseYou don’t have time to exercise or you don’t have time for “that”? You can easily fit in a workout in less than 30 minutes a day. So, you’re telling me you don’t have 30 minutes to spare? Maybe you just aren’t worried about your health so you don’t make it a priority? I’m not going to sugar coat it and worry about people’s feelings. You’re not committed if this is your excuse. You’re complacent. I’m willing to bet that you’re the same person who watches hours of television every night. You have the time, we all do. Stop making excuses. It will account for 2% of your day. If you don’t have time to exercise (or so you say), then no one has time to listen to you complain when you get sick down the road due to your poor lifestyle choices. Plain and simple.
2. Exercise is boring to meSome people think school is boring. Some people think brushing their teeth each morning is boring. Some people think washing dishes is boring. Some people think making your bed is boring. Some people think meetings at work are boring. But, you know what? They are all necessary and things we do because we have to. Complaining that something is boring does nothing—it’s pointless. Sure, there are things that “aren’t fun.” Yet, we do them every single day of our lives. Are they considered a waste of time? No. So, why would you treat exercise any differently? Your problem is that you are probably doing workouts that you don’t consider fun. With all the different programs available today, I’m willing to bet you simply haven’t found one that you enjoy. Stop making excuses and just go try something new. Do you like sports? Then go play basketball or soccer for cardio. You don’t need to be chained to the treadmill just because that’s the “norm.” You don’t need to follow trends either. Do what you consider fun and you’ll be more likely to continue.
3. I don’t have the money for a gym membershipI don’t have money for a lot of things, but I make sure my health is always taken care of. But, you don’t even need a gym membership to get in a good workout. You making financial excuses shows you aren’t willing to think outside of the box. You can exercise at home. You can do bodyweight exercises. You can do cardio outside by walking, jogging, bicycling, etc. Do you think everyone has money for a gym membership except you? No. There are plenty of people who live paycheck to paycheck who find a way to fit in their workouts and ensure their health is a priority. Don’t fall into the trap of looking at your bank statement and throwing your hands in the air that you’re just going to have to settle for being unhealthy and sedentary because your bank account is showing insufficient funds. A simple Google search will come up with tons of different at-home workouts that you don’t need to pay for and are easy to follow along with no matter your fitness level.
4. I have kids Congratulations, then you have even more reason to make sure you’re healthy. Who’s going to take care of your children if you get sick? Or worst-case scenario you die due to an illness/disease from your unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle? You should want to live as long as you can to help your children grow up. You want to see your grandchildren, right? Going back to #3, you can do workouts at home. AND, you can include your entire family in those workouts. You don’t need a marathon workout. If you go for a family walk after dinner or do a family bodyweight workout you can help everyone live a healthier lifestyle. Make it fun. Your kids model their actions from watching you. If you have unhealthy habits, they are more likely to pick up on them and implement them themselves—not a good plan. Lead by example and get everyone involved and active. Stop using your kids as an excuse. You can only use them as an excuse when your hair turns gray and can say your kids aged you.
5. I’m too old You’re right. And you’re not getting any younger. That’s more than enough of a reason to start exercising and worrying about your health. You’re no spring chicken, my friend. And unfortunately, there’s no fountain of youth. If you want to knock Father Time down a few pegs, the best way to do that is to focus on your health by exercising and eating a healthy diet. If you’re truly “old” then doing weight-bearing exercises will work wonders in preserving your bone density. Weight training will allow you to maintain your strength while cardiovascular exercise will keep you lean and allow you to preserve your endurance as you age.
6. I’m too out of shapeAnd how do you expect to fix that? You didn’t get to that point because you were active. In order to make a change with anything, you need to START somewhere. Do you think everyone out there who is thin was blessed with good genetics? No. There are plenty of people out there who were probably in worse shape than you, who turned their life around. Stop making excuses for yourself. All you’re doing is enabling your own poor behaviors because you’ve accepted the fact that you don’t believe you can get in shape because you’re too far down the rabbit hole. It’s never too late. You need to schedule 30 minutes of activity for five days out of the week. It doesn’t even need to be a consecutive 30 minutes each day. You can break it down into smaller segments if you need to.
7. I’m not overweightYou’re on the opposite side of the spectrum from #6. You think you don’t need to focus on your fitness because you “look” like someone who works out already because you’re thin. What we look like on the outside compared to the inside can be drastically different. There are many individuals out there who are thin who drop dead from a heart attack. There are thin individuals who are diabetic. There are thin individuals who have high blood pressure and never knew it because they believe they are healthy when in fact, they should be going to their doctor every year for a check-up.
Regardless of how you look or how thin you are, you still need to exercise. There are so many benefits associated with making your health and fitness a priority. You can gain strength and lean muscle mass. You can decrease your chance of osteoporosis. You can decrease the chance of illness and diseases. Your immunity gets a boost. Your endurance improves. And most of all, you have a better quality of life long-term. No one wants to get old and need to depend on someone else to do everything for them. Do you have someone in mind who will bathe you and wipe your butt when you’re sick and weak and can’t do anything for yourself anymore? That’s the kind of life you want to live? So, start scheduling a time to exercise today, and stay consistent and dedicated to improving your health.
I can’t tell you how many times a week I’m told excuses why someone can’t exercise or take control of their health. It’s one excuse after the next. So, what do your fitness excuses say about you? I’m sure this feature is going to make some heads explode. And I’m ok with that. Some people need some real talk right now.
1. I don’t have time to exerciseYou don’t have time to exercise or you don’t have time for “that”? You can easily fit in a workout in less than 30 minutes a day. So, you’re telling me you don’t have 30 minutes to spare? Maybe you just aren’t worried about your health so you don’t make it a priority? I’m not going to sugar coat it and worry about people’s feelings. You’re not committed if this is your excuse. You’re complacent. I’m willing to bet that you’re the same person who watches hours of television every night. You have the time, we all do. Stop making excuses. It will account for 2% of your day. If you don’t have time to exercise (or so you say), then no one has time to listen to you complain when you get sick down the road due to your poor lifestyle choices. Plain and simple.
2. Exercise is boring to meSome people think school is boring. Some people think brushing their teeth each morning is boring. Some people think washing dishes is boring. Some people think making your bed is boring. Some people think meetings at work are boring. But, you know what? They are all necessary and things we do because we have to. Complaining that something is boring does nothing—it’s pointless. Sure, there are things that “aren’t fun.” Yet, we do them every single day of our lives. Are they considered a waste of time? No. So, why would you treat exercise any differently? Your problem is that you are probably doing workouts that you don’t consider fun. With all the different programs available today, I’m willing to bet you simply haven’t found one that you enjoy. Stop making excuses and just go try something new. Do you like sports? Then go play basketball or soccer for cardio. You don’t need to be chained to the treadmill just because that’s the “norm.” You don’t need to follow trends either. Do what you consider fun and you’ll be more likely to continue.
3. I don’t have the money for a gym membershipI don’t have money for a lot of things, but I make sure my health is always taken care of. But, you don’t even need a gym membership to get in a good workout. You making financial excuses shows you aren’t willing to think outside of the box. You can exercise at home. You can do bodyweight exercises. You can do cardio outside by walking, jogging, bicycling, etc. Do you think everyone has money for a gym membership except you? No. There are plenty of people who live paycheck to paycheck who find a way to fit in their workouts and ensure their health is a priority. Don’t fall into the trap of looking at your bank statement and throwing your hands in the air that you’re just going to have to settle for being unhealthy and sedentary because your bank account is showing insufficient funds. A simple Google search will come up with tons of different at-home workouts that you don’t need to pay for and are easy to follow along with no matter your fitness level.
4. I have kids Congratulations, then you have even more reason to make sure you’re healthy. Who’s going to take care of your children if you get sick? Or worst-case scenario you die due to an illness/disease from your unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle? You should want to live as long as you can to help your children grow up. You want to see your grandchildren, right? Going back to #3, you can do workouts at home. AND, you can include your entire family in those workouts. You don’t need a marathon workout. If you go for a family walk after dinner or do a family bodyweight workout you can help everyone live a healthier lifestyle. Make it fun. Your kids model their actions from watching you. If you have unhealthy habits, they are more likely to pick up on them and implement them themselves—not a good plan. Lead by example and get everyone involved and active. Stop using your kids as an excuse. You can only use them as an excuse when your hair turns gray and can say your kids aged you.
5. I’m too old You’re right. And you’re not getting any younger. That’s more than enough of a reason to start exercising and worrying about your health. You’re no spring chicken, my friend. And unfortunately, there’s no fountain of youth. If you want to knock Father Time down a few pegs, the best way to do that is to focus on your health by exercising and eating a healthy diet. If you’re truly “old” then doing weight-bearing exercises will work wonders in preserving your bone density. Weight training will allow you to maintain your strength while cardiovascular exercise will keep you lean and allow you to preserve your endurance as you age.
6. I’m too out of shapeAnd how do you expect to fix that? You didn’t get to that point because you were active. In order to make a change with anything, you need to START somewhere. Do you think everyone out there who is thin was blessed with good genetics? No. There are plenty of people out there who were probably in worse shape than you, who turned their life around. Stop making excuses for yourself. All you’re doing is enabling your own poor behaviors because you’ve accepted the fact that you don’t believe you can get in shape because you’re too far down the rabbit hole. It’s never too late. You need to schedule 30 minutes of activity for five days out of the week. It doesn’t even need to be a consecutive 30 minutes each day. You can break it down into smaller segments if you need to.
7. I’m not overweightYou’re on the opposite side of the spectrum from #6. You think you don’t need to focus on your fitness because you “look” like someone who works out already because you’re thin. What we look like on the outside compared to the inside can be drastically different. There are many individuals out there who are thin who drop dead from a heart attack. There are thin individuals who are diabetic. There are thin individuals who have high blood pressure and never knew it because they believe they are healthy when in fact, they should be going to their doctor every year for a check-up.
Regardless of how you look or how thin you are, you still need to exercise. There are so many benefits associated with making your health and fitness a priority. You can gain strength and lean muscle mass. You can decrease your chance of osteoporosis. You can decrease the chance of illness and diseases. Your immunity gets a boost. Your endurance improves. And most of all, you have a better quality of life long-term. No one wants to get old and need to depend on someone else to do everything for them. Do you have someone in mind who will bathe you and wipe your butt when you’re sick and weak and can’t do anything for yourself anymore? That’s the kind of life you want to live? So, start scheduling a time to exercise today, and stay consistent and dedicated to improving your health.
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