Exercise is a major component of any weight-loss program, including weight-loss surgery, and is important for heart health, hormonal balance, and much more when it comes to your overall wellness. But despite how important exercise is, sometimes it can be difficult to find the motivation to maintain your routine. Even if you typically only exercise for 30 minutes per day, excuses such as being too busy, feeling too tired, or feeling too sore can prevent you from making it to the gym. However, there are ways you can overcome these excuses to avoid putting off exercise for an extended period of time.
Are you guilty of saying, “I can’t” when it comes to exercise? Check out these five common excuses about exercise you should stop making today.
1. “I’m too busy.”
Everyone is busy, and there are 24 hours in the day for everyone. However, a large percentage of the population still manages to find time to work out and go to the gym. Exercise should be viewed as a priority — not an extracurricular activity you could do without. Think about the time you spend each day playing solitaire on your smartphone, browsing updates on social media, or tuning in to watch reality shows on television. Now, think about how you could have devoted 20 to 30 minutes of the time you spent on those activities to exercise. There is always time for exercise, as long as you can teach yourself to avoid resorting to saying “I’m too busy.”
2. “My body is in pain.”
When it comes to exercise, it’s important that you learn the difference between soreness and pain. If you’re pushing yourself and working hard during your exercise routine, your muscles may feel sore as a result of lactic acid buildup, which is completely normal. But if you’re experiencing true pain from an injury, you may need to see your health care provider for treatment immediately.
If you’re overweight or obese, exercise can result in soreness for any number of reasons. For example, certain movements such as jumping may be difficult to perform until you lose weight if you want to avoid injuring yourself. Additionally, you might be sore if you’re using improper form. For instance, your knees may hurt significantly if you’re doing squats incorrectly or if you’re jumping and failing to land softly on your feet.
The best solution is to take it slow and do the best you can without overexerting yourself to the point it results in injury.
3. “It’s too costly.”
If you’re unable to exercise because you feel it’s too expensive, keep in mind that you don’t necessarily need to purchase a gym membership, hire a personal trainer, or outfit your home with fancy fitness equipment in order to lose weight. You can actually do your own high-intensity interval training workout at home using just your body and no equipment, or you can go for a walk or run in your neighborhood. Are you unsure about how to do certain exercises? Watch videos on the Internet instead of hiring a personal trainer. Do you
