Everyone knows exercise is essential for a healthy life.
But, knowing and doing are different things. Everyone knows they need to exercise, but too few actually do it.
Why?
As a fitness coach, the most common explanation [excuse] I hear is, “I don’t have time”
Bullshit!
In this article, I’ll give you a little tough love to help you kick the shit out of your excuses. C’mon you know you need it [insert evil grin]. I’ll even toss in a little of the touchy feely stuff about finding your why to soften the blow.
You’ll stop making excuses and start taking action.
Sound good? Let’s get started.
Between work and family responsibilities there are so many things demanding our attention it can be hard to find time for yourself. Something has to give. So, exercise falls by the wayside.
Sorry. But, I’m not buying it.
It’s funny how the same people who complain about lack of time to exercise seem to have plenty of time for Netflix binges, scrolling Facebook and spending time in pubs.
It really comes down to priorities.
Why do you make time for everything else and not the number one thing to most impact your health and longevity The one thing that could drastically improve your quality of life!
The problem is, the consequences of not exercising aren’t immediate. Nothing happens straight away when you skip a training session. Or a decade of training sessions.
But, then you get a rude wake-up call when the doc gives you the news you’re obese or diabetic and need to do something about it. Or you get a less dramatic wake-up call like seeing an unflattering picture of yourself.
You finally decide to take action, but…
To help make exercise a priority, it can be helpful to attach a why to exercise.
You know you should exercise, but why?
Imagine you’re one of your kids for a minute. You know, when they say, “yeah but why ?” over and over until you give them the look.
Ask yourself, why do I want to exercise? What’s in it for me?
Is your answer going to get you out of bed in the morning? Yes? awesome! Read on and I’ll tell you how you can make exercise a part of your every day life.
No? You need to keep digging. Maybe, it’s making sure you’ll be around to walk your daughter down the aisle. Or being able to crawl around on the floor with your grandkids. Or, you just want to feel like you used to.
If you can’t find a big enough why, you’re probably not going to make exercise a priority and it’s unlikely to happen.
You’ll never have time.
For those of you who know your why, the next step is setting a goal linked to your why.
A goal is simply a target. Something to aim for. Without a goal, you’re flying blind. You’ll wander around and never get where you want to be.
But, there’s no need to get too bogged down in setting a goal. It’s just another excuse for not getting shit done.
Look at your why. What are the things supporting it? The things leading you to your why? Your why may even be the goal itself. All good. Two birds with one stone.
Let’s say your why is you want to look and feel amazing for your 40th birthday. You want to be someone your kids are proud to tell their friends about, rather than walking 10 steps behind you at the local shopping mall because they’re embarrassed.
Your goal may be,
Exercise 3x week for at least 30 mins, for the next 3 months.
Write it down. Put it somewhere you’ll see it every day.
Now, you have to take action and make it all happen. The key to making it happen is to get organised. Get systems in place to make life easy. The easier something is to execute, the more likely it is you’ll follow through.
Here are my tips for getting organised with exercise:
Many years ago I had to become an early morning trainer. Very early. I worked in the city from 8am-4pm which required a 1-hour commute each way. When I got home in the evening, I had to tag with my then-wife and take over the kid-rearing duties, while she went to work until 10pm.
This meant I had to get up at 4:30am to get my training in. If I wanted to train, it was the only way it would happen.
I would get up, drive to the gym, train for an hour, have a shower, get ready for work, drive to the bus station, jump on the bus and promptly fall asleep until we hit the city. I did this every single work day.
To get organised and make sure I had everything each morning, I’d get it ready the night before. I had a system. I actually started with a written list of all the things I needed; toiletries, towel, underwear for work, socks, pants etc.
I’d tick each thing off as I packed my bag at night. I even included my post workout snack and breakfast. I didn’t want to forget this stuff.
The point is, I got organised which made life much easier each morning. I didn’t have to think. I just got up, grabbed my bag and went. Sure it took some time to get used to. I did forget my socks on one occasion, but it worked.
Like most of the important things in life, the answer is, it depends.
If you want to get uber-fit, your plan will be different to someone who just wants to make daily movement a part of their life.
Exercise is getting your heart rate up. Getting some movement in, over and above a “normal” day. There’s typically no goal attached and there doesn’t need to be much structure, if any.
Whereas training is working towards a specific goal. Training is generally a lot more structured.
Exercise can be as simple as walking the dog each day. Or taking the stairs at work instead of the lift. Ideally, you want to include as much exercise in your life as you can.
Where can you include some extra movement in your life? More exercise. Reach out, we can have a chat and I can help identify a few options.
When it comes to training, a coach can come in handy. The benefits of having a coach are they take a lot of the thinking out of the equation. They can direct you. Tell you what to do and support you when you’re not motivated or if you lose your way.
I’m a coach who believes in coaching. It’s why I have coaches of my own. You can definitely write your own plan and guide your own way through it, but having a coach is like super-charging your plan.
I know you have probably tried a lot of these things before and they either haven’t stuck, or your results have been less than you wanted. It doesn’t mean it has to be this way. You probably just haven’t found the right program or person, or both, to support you on your journey.
Over the years, I’ve had dozens of people come to me who have been in your exact situation. Frustrated and fed up with where they are. They just want to get a bit fitter, lose a few kilos, tone up and make fitness a part of their life. They want more energy, they want to feel more fit and enjoy the confidence this brings.
I totally get it. I’ve been there.
What changed for them, and me, was finding the right person to help. Someone who knows what they’re doing, understands their situation and actually gives a shit.
A Coach who will help them take the small, daily steps necessary to make massive long-term change. Someone who will remind them to have patience, trust in the process and support them each step of the way.
When you have someone like this in your corner and you do the work necessary, success is practically guaranteed.
You can have the body you want. More energy. More confidence. You can achieve your goals.
Now tell me, what’s the biggest obstacle standing between you making exercise a part of your life? I’d love to hear.
