Stop Hiding Behind Excuses and Start Working Out Now!
I have been working out for the past six years now. It has come to the point that if I stop for a few days, I feel bad about myself as well as unhealthy. Yet, not everybody thinks that way. In fact, a lot of people do not even do exercise. When was the last time you did some sort of physical activity? When was the last time you ran a mile?
I do not understand why so many people do not want to take care of themselves. I feel as if it is mandatory to move. There are so many benefits to physical activity. The benefits include reduced risk of heart diseases, better control of weight, better sleep, better mood, increase in energy, etc. I feel like people are missing out. It is as if there is free money on the table and nobody is taking it.
My point of view is: if I am going to be stuck with my body for the rest of my life, I am going to make sure that my machine is in the best shape possible.
A great number of studies have shown that the mind and the body are linked together. If the body is not at its best, the mind is not going to be at its best and vice versa. This is why therapists often recommend exercise to their patients.
There are plenty of excuses to prevent you from doing exercise. I am going to go through a not-exhaustive list of excuses that might be highlighted by your little devil whenever the idea of physical activity kind of wanders in your mind.
EXCUSE 5: I am too tired/I have no motivation
Doing nothing is going to get you tired. Sitting in front of a screen is going to make you tired. Why not tempt your chance with a quick workout if you are going to feel tired anyways? Doing physical activity is going to give you more energy. In addition to that, it is going to improve your sleep, you are going to feel way more motivated and happier. Sleeping seems to be 10 times more powerful when you exercise.
Most of the time, motivation comes after the first action. You need to make the first step. Then, you are going to be able to “snowball” from there. I am telling you here, it is worth it!
Maybe you had a bad day and you do not feel like working out. On those days, I usually still stick to my workout regiment. Why? Because my time exercising is literally a sacred time for me. It is time that I invest in myself, time when I can reflect on where I am and on what happened recently. I guess we could say that it is like little therapy sessions for me.
Quick tip: if you are missing motivation, simply do a quick YouTube search: “[name of preferred celebrity] working out.” I guarantee that you are going to feel 100 times more motivated.
EXCUSE 4: I don’t have time
Good one! Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is waking up around 5 AM every morning to get the grind on and he is probably busier than you and I. Note that this is just an example among plenty. In fact, there are many more successful people who do the same thing.
Now, to the previous paragraph, people might say: it is literally their job to work out, they need to be camera ready. To which I am going to respond: even people like Elon Musk take the time to work out. He has workweeks of more than 80 hours to manage both of his biggest companies Tesla and SpaceX and he still manages to do some quick workouts.
If you are a parent, you can include your children in your working out routine. You can create some little family games. There are no excuses that you can make about time.
In short, you do not have time because you do not make the time.
EXCUSE 3: I can’t afford a gym
You do not actually need a lot of material to start doing some sort of physical activity. In fact, you can start running, you can follow a circuit training on YouTube, you can go swim in a pool, you can play tag with your children, you can do some street work out, etc.
If you absolutely want to start lifting some weights, you basically need a bench and some adjustable dumbbells. Nothing more, nothing less. If you do not want to spend anything, you can put a couple of books in some old backpacks and start doing some sets.
I am positive that you can find something that is going to make you move at an inexpensive price if not free.
EXCUSE 2: I am too old
Kind of funny, I recently saw a 73-year-old bodybuilder on America’s Got Talent 2020. In fact, Josefina Monasterio stated that she started working out at the age of 59 years old.
Another example, Arnold Schwarzenegger, often considered as the best bodybuilder of all time, is still training at the age of 72 years old.
Age is just a number. You can exercise to your rhythm. You can still benefit from working out at that age. In fact, you are going to keep more of your mobility, you are going to live longer, you are going to have more energy, etc.
EXCUSE 1: I hate working out
I absolutely hate running. However, the aftermath of running is so good that I still do it. In fact, if I run in the morning, I feel like every breath I take from that point is filled with 10 times more air. Also, I found a way to multitask whilst running: I am listening to podcasts. It makes my runs so entertaining.
The type of physical activity that you do does not matter. In fact, I just want people to start doing some sort of physical activity. It does not matter what. If tennis is your thing, that is great. If you would rather do some hot yoga, do it! If you want to start with some jumping jacks, go ahead!
My point : I am sure there is something out there that is going to make you happy.
If you are not physically active, I strongly advise you to start working out now. For my part, I am going to make sure to stay in the best shape possible because there is no point in using a rusty body.
The one thing to get out of this article: move!
