Crush Excuses for Not Exercising – InFighting Burnaby

Exercise. Just the word alone is enough to make some people sweat and start getting exhausted. We all need exercise though, in order to live healthy, happy lives – so why is it that we often can’t keep ourselves motivated to exercise regularly?

We’ve all been guilty off falling off of our exercise regimen at one time or another, but a better understanding of the reasons why most people can’t keep up a good routine is the best way to solving the problem. Sometimes we don’t even know the real reasons behind why we stop exercising, because the decision to not go to the gym today, or again tomorrow, and the next day – usually happens subconsciously.

In order to help you better understand what your biggest enemies that are keeping you out of the gym are, we have compiled this list of the top things that make people stop exercising, and how you can prevent them from happening to you ever again.

Let’s get started:

1. I can’t afford it –

The economy is slowly picking up, but it’s still nowhere near where most of us would like it to be. Still though, when you say you can’t afford to exercise, what you are effectively saying is “I don’t have enough money to take care of my body”. While you might truly believe that you don’t have enough money to exercise (you do!), very few people out there would be able to honestly say they don’t have enough money to care about their health. Like it or not, your body is the one you’re going to be stuck with for the rest of your life, so it pays to take care of it now.

The Solution: If you are really strapped for cash, there are a ton of free exercises you can do, and many of them are very effective. Running, swimming, hiking, pushups and more are all things that can be done completely free of charge. If you get bored running everyday, try running today, swimming tomorrow and doing pushups the next day. Money should not have to be a motivating factor for you to maintain your body’s health, but if you do want to spend a little, there’s no better investment you can make.

2. Working out is boring –

While some people live for the gym, other people could’t think of a more boring, monotonous place to spend their time. These are the people that find walking for 45 minutes on a revolving piece of carpet (also known as a treadmill), or lifting something above their head 10-20 times to be utterly receptive and completely boring. This alone is enough to make many people quit going altogether. The thought of “I just did that yesterday!” takes over, and they find something new and interesting to occupy themselves with.

The Solution: If exercising is boring for you, then make it fun! There are many ways you can take a relatively boring activity and ensure you have fun doing it. Instead of walking on the treadmill for an hour, why not go for an hour long walk with an old friend while you catch up? If you can’t stand how boring the gym is, look into joining some of the classes they offer. The group setting is not only a great motivator, but it helps the time pass even faster, not ever letting you feel bored for a minute.

3. I’m not in good enough shape to exercise –

This one is all too common, but also sad, because it is a great way to get yourself trapped into a vicious circle of bad health. If you are severely overweight, then it can sometimes seem like all those exercises you see people doing in the gym are impossible. The problem is, if you think you aren’t in good enough shape to exercise, how will you ever get yourself into shape to a point where you actually can exercise? This is definitely not the attitude to take when it comes to getting healthy.

The Solution: Take it slow, and do all exercises to your ability level. Any fitness expert will agree – a little bit of exercise is better than no exercise at all. Even if you are only able to move 25% as fast and as hard as the people around you, that little bit of movement is a great start. In fact, people who are overweight burn substantially more calories while exercising compared to those who are already in shape, so your effort at 25% might give you similar results compared to the person next to you who is moving at full speed. Don’t get discouraged, remember, even a marathon race begins with the first step.

4. I don’t know how to exercise –

This one is more of an excuse than a reason, but people still use it all the time. They will put off exercising or just stop completely, because they think they don’t know what they are doing, or are afraid of doing it wrong. They see “exercise” as this big, complicated set of movements, that must be followed exactly without fault, or else all that effort would be all for nothing. If this is you, then you really need to read below.

The Solution: Start by standing up, then take a step forward with your right foot. Now take your left foot, and move it forward so it is ahead of your right foot. Guess what? That’s exercise! Walking is the simplest exercise you can do – just about everyone does it. Start out by walking, then start walking briskly, and then kick it up into a jog. If you apply this same principle to all of the exercises you do, you will realize that no exercise is particularly difficult, it’s just about understanding the steps and working your way up to doing them effectively.

5. I didn’t get the results I wanted from exercising –

And you think you’re going to get them by stopping?!?!? One of the hard truths to come to grips with in life, is the fact that it is extremely easy and quick if we want to be unhealthy, but it’s a tough, much longer process if we want to become healthy again. Even if you decide to eat 100% healthy, those results just won’t come if you don’t get any exercise in your routine, so stopping because you haven’t gotten results yet is the most counterproductive thing you can do.

The Solution: If you aren’t getting the desired results out of your exercise, there is definitely a kink in the chain somewhere. If you can, try to book an appointment with a personal trainer – they will be able to tell you what you’re doing wrong so you can correct it, and what you’re doing right so you can keep doing it. This is a much better route than simply taking advice from your buddies – most of the time, they don’t know what they’re talking about!

6. Working out is so exhausting! –

Well, not to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s supposed to be, that’s the point! What good would a workout be if when you finished you feel like you just woke up from a long nap? Wouldn’t it be better to feel like you need a long nap once you finish your workout?

The Solution: If you are feeling overly tired after you finish exercising, then you might be pleased to know, there is such a thing as exercising too hard. No matter how much you might curse it sometimes, your body is smart and it knows what it needs. If you are extremely or unnaturally exhausted after you finish working out, then you might just be pushing yourself a bit too hard. You would be much better off toning down the intensity for the next day, rather than just up and quit altogether.

7. I have a job and kids, I have no time to keep exercising –

This one is a really common one, and out of all of the things on this list, it might be the most reasonable excuse people have for stopping exercising. Work can be tough enough on its own, but when you also have kids, it can sometimes feel like your days are never ending, without a spare minute to yourself. When you come home already exhausted, who has the motivation to hit the gym?

The Solution: Of course you can’t create more time in the day, so your only option is to use the time you do have more wisely. Instead of waiting until the end of the night, when all you can think about is putting your feet up and relaxing, why not get that workout out of the way in the morning, before you go to work and the kids wake up? If you wake up an hour earlier everyday, you can probably afford to also go to sleep an hour earlier, while still seeing your kids off to bed. As an added bonus, an early morning workout will give you lasting energy throughout the rest of the day.

8. Working out at the gym is embarrassing –

For people who are not in the greatest shape, or are self conscious of themselves, the gym can be a very intimidating place. There is definitely something offsetting about being the only person struggling around a bunch of people who look like they are in the best shape of their lives. It’s no wonder some people go to the gym just a few times, lose confidence and end up never going back.

The Solution: There really is no solution to help you overcome feeling self conscious, but you should definitely know that those super fit people you see in the gym probably didn’t always look that way. Most of them had to train for years to get in that kind of shape and many of them probably felt the exact same way as you do now, when they first started. If you are still self conscious about going to the gym, then simply do exercises that don’t involve a gym. Sit ups, pushups, jogging or just playing basketball with a friend are all great ways to get a bit of exercise without having to go to the gym.

9. I HATE exercising –

Really? Even more than you hate not living life to it’s fullest potential? It’s natural that you don’t like exercise, nobody does in the beginning. Your results won’t be immediate, so you won’t always feel the benefits of exercising right away, which doesn’t help to make things more enjoyable. Even if you hate exercise, you will still love the fringe benefits you get from exercising.

The Solution: The best way to stop hating exercise is to find a certain type of exercise that you actually enjoy doing. Most people enjoy playing sports.  Maybe try something new like a dance class or Kickboxing. Things like Wii Fit, while not the best workout around, are still a big step above simply being a couch potato, so do whatever makes you happy.

10. I can’t stay motivated to exercise –

Believe it or not, even some of the most hardcore gym rats find it difficult to stay motivated and going to the gym all the time. Life is full of temptations, not just temptations to eat things we should’t, but temptations to do things that will keep us from exercising.

The Solution: It might sound overly simple, but for most people it’s all about finding out what motivates them. Lots of people find that having a workout partner motivates them and holds them accountable for whether or not they are exercising. If other things like food or money motivate you, try rewarding yourself for each week you don’t skip a single workout. Just don’t go overboard on the rewards!

Hopefully seeing all these common reasons written out like this will help you to realize why you might have stopped working out, and prevent you from doing so in the future. If you still manage to keep quitting your workouts, maybe it is time to admit to yourself that you just aren’t ready to be healthy. That may sound like a terrible thing to say, but when you acknowledge the fact that you are the one who is in control of that decision, it makes choosing the right decision even easier.

InFighting Training Centers in Brentwood Burnaby offers Strength and Conditioning classes and Kickboxing classes

Check out out website for details on how to get started!