Why Do You Miss Workouts? Stop the Procrastination and Excuses and Start Working Out!
by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
I wanted to talk in today's Lean-Body Secrets Ezine about excuses for why many people don't workout or miss workouts frequently.
Here's a common theme I see all the time at the gym...
Somebody that was doing well working out and finally starting to get results at the gym all of the sudden stops coming in for several months.
When they eventually come back and start working out again a couple months later, they're usually back in horrible shape, have gained back all the weight or more, and lost most of their strength gains that they worked so hard for.
So while talking to them, I'll ask where they have been the last couple months, and that's when the excuses start...
- Perhaps it was that they had a special assignment at work and have been "too busy" to work out lately
- Or perhaps it was that they had a shoulder or arm injury so they thought that they couldn't work out during this time
- Or perhaps they had a knee, ankle, or leg injury so they thought they couldn't work out.
- Or perhaps they were busy with house renovations, or family issues, or too busy with the kids, etc, etc, etc... excuse, excuse, excuse
You can see where I'm going with this... if your health & fitness and how you look and feel is important to you, then there is no such thing as an excuse. Either you want it, or you don't, and it's either going to be a priority in your life, or it's not!
After all, your health and fitness determines not only how good you're going look and feel every day that you're on this planet, but also how long you'll exist on this earth to enjoy the time you have with your friends and family... So with all of that said, why wouldn't you make your fitness a priority in your life!
Here's my opinion on the example excuses above...
Excuse #1 - Too busy at work:
Ok, so why don't you squeeze in really brief but really intense 5 minute workouts before and after work each day... after all, that's only 10 minutes of your time, and despite popular belief you CAN stay in excellent shape working out as little as 5 or 10 minutes a day (as long as your time is well spent with the right exercises and right intensity).
Actually, our 4-minute high intensity dumbbell & bodyweight workout DVDs detail high intensity short duration workout plans that you can do in as little as 4 minutes a day and still stay in great shape despite your busy schedule and perceived lack of time.
"Too busy at work" excuse busted!
Excuse #2 - Shoulder or arm injury so haven't worked out:
Bum shoulder... so what... are you saying your legs and abs don't work all of the sudden just because your arm or shoulder is hurt? After all, most of your fat loss and metabolism-boosting results come from lower body based exercises anyway, as they burn more calories due to the larger muscle groups involved.
Your upper body injury just gives you a good reason to focus even more intensely on your lower body, abs, and interval training during this period when you won't be able to do upper body exercises.
Shoulder injury excuse busted!
Excuse #3 - Knee, ankle, or leg injury so haven't worked out:
Ok, so now you're saying that just because you have a leg injury, that somehow your upper body no longer works? Even if you need to walk in there on crutches, and then do nothing but seated upper body exercises, that's a lot better than doing nothing and letting your entire body get weak and soft during while your leg heals.
Knee or leg injury excuse busted!
Now don't get mad at me about these injury excuses... Believe me, I DO understand that there are some serious injuries and disorders that do prevent some people from doing any exercise at all. However, for most minor injuries, there's no excuse not to at least continue doing some form of exercise.
If you are looking for a great program to help rehab, heal and strengthen injured muscles you should check out Dr. K's Double Edge Fat Loss program because it not only helps you burn fat but also helps to rehab injuries. Make sure to pay attention to module 8 "Lose Fat While Injured "
Excuse #4 - Too busy with the house, family, kids, etc:
Once again we need to get back to priorities. If your house and kids are priorities, why wouldn't your health and fitness be top priorities also, so that you can enjoy your life and everything and everyone in it!
Remember, you don't need to work out for hours every day to be in great shape. It's all about maximizing the intensity and amount of full body musculature you work in a given time period, even if that time period is just a brief 4 minute daily workout.
Again, the high intensity 4-minute full-body workouts in our BusyManFitness DVDs are a perfect example of how to do this while maximizing your brief workout times, saving you more of your precious time for everything else in your life.
Excuse #4 busted!
I know I take a hard-nosed approach with this stuff, but if finally getting into shape is important to you, nothing less will do, than to adopt a true fitness lifestyle and mindset.
I hope today's article helps trigger some new motivation if you've struggled in the past with excuses or procrastination to getting in shape.
If you liked todays article, feel free to email this page on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.
Til next time, don't be lazy... be lean.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Author - world-wide best seller: The Truth about Six Pack Abs
On this topic of excuses and procrastination, here's another article I did previously that might help you get and stay motivated...
Get in shape and stop procrastination and excuses!
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