Best 5 excuses we’ve heard for not exercising – Part 1
We know we should exercise. We know exercise is good for us. But sometimes, isn’t it all too easy to make an excuse not to?
We’ve compiled 5 of the best excuses we’ve heard. How many of these have you used?
“I’m too tired”
First thing in the morning or after a hard day at the office this excuse is the perfect one to make.
Although exercise can’t make up for lack of, or poor quality sleep, it can increase your energy levels? It might make your muscles physically tired, but a great workout will leave you feeling energised and refreshed.
Make sure you schedule your exercise sessions at a time of day when you feel at your most energetic and then you won’t be able to use the excuse. If you’re a morning person, exercise then before your day gets away from you. Extend your lunch break (or even take a lunch break to fit in exercising) or schedule exercise for the evening. In fact, exercising in the evening will calm and restore you. You may even get a better night’s sleep (but don’t hold us to that one)
“I’m too stressed”
In our article on 'How physical exercise works to improve mental health' we explained: “Exercise is a great way to break the stress cycle. As well as the ‘feel-good’ factor, exercise helps relax the muscles and relieve tension. As the mind and body are so closely linked, when your body feels better, you will too.” (Continue reading the article)
And it’s true.
This is because exercise consistently subjects your body to a low level form of stress, which can help your body build up an immunity to all of life’s stressors.
And let’s face it, there’s pretty much no better way to get rid of stress than to kick ass at a really tough workout.
“I’ll do it tomorrow”
Sure, you will.
How often have you hit the snooze button until it's too late to work out before work and then said "I'll do it tomorrow"?
Or had an unhealthy food day, only to think: "there's no point exercising today, I'll do it tomorrow"?
This excuse is used more often than not.
But, not only does this excuse postpone your fitness goals it also unconsciously affects your diet - after all if you're going to start working out tomorrow, you might as well have that burger and fries today - it'll be off-limits once you start exercising!
Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
“I don’t like to sweat”
We agree, sweat isn’t pretty but it is a sign of hard work!
Sweat is just your body’s way of cooling (natural air freshener) and detoxifying itself. The amount of sweat you produce also depends on many factors as well as how hard you are working.
This natural 'glow' is unappealing to many but exercising doesn't mean you have to end up dripping in sweat.
There are many exercises that burn calories and tone muscle without leaving you in a puddle of sweat. You could try swimming or slower-paced workouts that focus more on strengthening and toning as opposed to cardio and pumping up.
If you are avoiding exercise because don’t have time to freshen up you could always work out first thing in the morning, before you shower and get ready for your day.
And if that doesn't help, try investing in workout gear that is designed to soak up the sweat and keep it away from your body, or breaking up your exercise programme into shorter chunks during the day.
“I hate the gym”
Not everyone likes the gym, fact!
And these days wanting to get in shape doesn’t have to mean going to the gym, lifting the same old dumbbells and going through the same boring programme week-in week-out.
Exercise can be any physical activity that you do to improve your health and fitness exercise and can be anything from archery to Zumba.
Of course, here at Combat Arts, martial arts is our cup of tea and we specialise in training mature adults (over 40s) who want to get back in shape and regain their ‘mojo’. (Read our article ‘The secret to getting in shape that other over 40s are keeping close to their chests!’)
Our training programmes are martial arts (authentic and real) but they are definitely NOT about the fight.
It’s about your own training, your body and your mentality.
We use the very best protocols and techniques from some of the best martial arts in the world including Thai Boxing, Pencat Silat, Kali and Jeet Kune Do (JKD) to:
- help you learn how to train yourself
- help guide you to your best shape ever
- give you back your power, focus and intensity
If you’re over 40 and want to get back in shape, don’t use any of these tired old excuses. Combat Arts might just be what you are looking for.
For a no obligation chat to see if we can meet your needs, call Gordon on 07734 057 297 or email us.
