Exercise is one of the most effective and beneficial life-changing habits you can make. So why doesn’t everyone do it? There are plenty of reasons why guys ignore the benefits of exercise. Being lazy is always more appealing, or they tell themselves they don’t have the time to work out; they wouldn’t get their money’s worth from a gym membership.
If these sound like excuses, it’s because they are. Excuses are often the only thing that holds people back from getting into better shape. The importance of a healthy lifestyle cannot be understated, and while you don’t need to bulk up like Superman or run like The Flash, you can still find the timer for fitness. Not sure where to begin? Here's how.
Make the Most Of Your Commute
You think you don't have the time to exercise because you spend half of your day traveling back and forth from work. Rather than pile yourself into a subway carriage and zone out listening to the latest podcast, you need to make the most of your commute.
If you live close enough to the office, consider a powerful electric bike that can get you there and back. This is a great option if you're not confident riding a regular bike, and it uses dynamic movement to power it, giving you a break on those tricky hills.
What about if you don't have a commute? This is even better. Take the time you’d typically spend rushing to get ready in the morning and go for a run, lift weights, or do yoga.
Think About the Benefits, Not the Effort
You need to put in enough effort to see results in your fitness journey, and this is what puts many people off. They want to get to the top of the mountain by taking the magic stairlift, rather than putting in the graft to climb each step of the trail.
But it’s hard to put in the effort. It’s exhausting. It makes you sweat. It makes you ache. These are all true, but these are not valid excuses. If you want to see a legitimate change in your fitness and lifestyle, think about why you’re doing it. Remind yourself about the benefits as often as possible because that will keep you going even when you want to quit.
Learn To Bottle Motivation
It isn’t motivation that you need to make a lasting lifestyle change. Instead, you need discipline, otherwise, you won't get anywhere. But, discipline can be difficult to establish, especially if you are still getting used to your routine.
While learning how to be more disciplined with your fitness, you need to bottle that motivation. This means grabbing onto it as soon as you feel compelled to exercise. The quicker you act, the easier it will be. This isn’t possible all the time, especially if you’re working, but you can still do small workouts like push-ups and sit-ups that won’t disrupt your day too much.
The Rain Never Hurt Anyone
Rain, snow, sleet, and even sunshine are all excuses people use when they don’t want to exercise. They think it’s too cold, too wet, or even too hot and humid. But depending on where you live, this is true for half of the year at least.
Using the weather as an excuse is arguably the biggest problem for many. They aren’t comfortable running or working out in different conditions, so they divide to avoid it. A little rain never hurt anyone, though, and as long as you dress for the weather to avoid illness or injury, you’ll be fine. You might find it even more enjoyable.
Adjust Your Expectations
If you started working out to see certain results, it’s discouraging to see that these results don’t appear. You might think that you can’t cut the weight you want, or you can’t lift as much as you hoped, so what’s the point?
This experience means you need to adjust your expectations. If you’re unfamiliar with working out and fitness you might expect too much of yourself at first, which increases the risk of injuries. Lower your expectations and give yourself smaller goals. Once you achieve these, you’ll feel motivated to push yourself further, and you’ll eventually see the results you always wanted.
Out of Excuses
Eventually, you will run out of excuses, and you realize nothing is stopping you from pursuing your fitness with more dedication and self-belief. It’s going to suck at first; it always does. But once you get into the swing of things, you’ll kick yourself for missing out on the fitness thrill for so long.