“10 Excuses Fat people make & 10 rebuttals”: Simple solutions to our favorite pieces of bullshit
By Corey Springer AKA “Narkissos”
Tuesday, November 5th 2008: The NarkSide
Everybody’s heard your excuses for skipping that workout. Heck, I’m pretty sure I’ve used a couple of them myself over the years.
- “I’ve got no energy”
- “Im too tired”
- “Man, I’m way too stressed and depressed”
- “I don’t have the time”
Blah, blah, blah.
Excuses, Excuses.
A large number of people join the gym each January, having resolved to work out more in the new year.
Half of those people fail.
One excuse piles atop another until they’ve effectively stopped going to the gym.
This article seeks to address a few of those excuses…
Hopefully it will put them into perspective… helping you guys to remain motivated.
Ok…Let’s get the legitimate excuses out of the way:
- you’re sick
- you’re exhausted
- you’re hurt
All plausible and acceptable reasons to skip a workout.
Now for the bullshit excuses.
If you’re easily offended, then hit the ‘close page’ box.. ‘cus I won’t be taking ANY prisoners here!
1. “I HAVE NO TIME.”
Yea… Right.
What’s that you’re doing over there?
Video games?
Chilling on facebook?
Guess what… that’s time right there.
It doesn’t take 3 hours per day to improve your fitness my friends.
30 minutes of daily activity goes a long way.
Facebook won’t miss you… Believe that.
2. “I GET BORED EASILY.”
Who doesn’t?
Furthermore… So what?
You’re not an elite athlete who’s required to do the same thing over and over and over again.
You’re just interested in sporting that 6-pack, or fitting into that dress… right?
If you get bored… CHANGE THINGS UP!
Simple.
- Reverse the order of exercises.
- Learn and try new exercises.
- Take things outdoors. Running, walking, swimming, paddle-ball… heck, push your car if need be.
Just DO SOMETHING NEW!
3. “I DON’T WANT TO LOOK STUPID TRYING TO USE THE MACHINES AT THE GYM.”
Get over it.
Nobody’s looking at you.
Most people at the gym are so into themselves, they couldn’t care less what you’re doing.
Walk over to that Machine, read the instructions on the side, set the weight really light…and try it out.
Better yet, get a trainer to take you through.
Remember: Everyone has to start somewhere.
So, take pride in having made that step.
4. “MY TRAINING PARTNER CAN’T MAKE IT TONIGHT.”
It’s easy to shrug the blame off onto someone else.
Thankfully, that “someone else” doesn’t have to live inside your body with you.
That “someone else” isn’t stuffing cake down your throat, or forcing you to skip the gym.
It’s your body… Take responsibility for it!
5. “I HATE TO WORK OUT ALONE.”
Not a problem.
Gyms have grown so much over the decades…literally evolving into relatively large social networks.
If you can get to the gym at the same time daily, and you’re relatively friendly, you’re sure to find someone who you can work with.
This works on multiple levels: You get a training partner, who can in turn keep you motivated; You get to share what you know about fitness, learning in return; If you are both new to the lifestyle, you have someone who can plausibly relate to your situation, and what you’re feeling.
…And, if the relationship doesn’t work… you can always hook up with someone else.
Win-win.
6. “EVERYONE’S GOING OUT TONIGHT”
And?
If the social scene is important to you, factor it in.
Fit it in around your fitness, not in the place of it.
Exercise helps to mediate most of the deleterious effects of the social scene.
It also helps to make you more appealing physically.
So… clearly it should be prioritized.
Make it work!
7. “I’M TOO DEPRESSED TO WORK OUT”
Ok… This one is a bit touchy.
Everyone gets down from time to time…and some people don’t want to even eat, furthermore work out.
Experience and anecdotal evidence suggest however, that working out is one of the best things you can do when you’re feeling blue.
Exercise can distract from the stress of daily life, thus causing a beneficial decline in the manifestation of depression.[1] It is also thought that if a depressed individual can become motivated enough to exercise his or her self-esteem is raised, and in turn depression lessens.[2]
Another common hypothesis lies in the release of endorphins during exercise. These natural feel-good compounds have a significant effect on our moods… including how we respond to situational stress.
There are a number of plausible explanations as to why exercise affects our moods for the better.
All in all, the ‘why’ doesn’t matter however.
What does… is that it works.
So get up, and get moving!
8. “THE GYM FEELS POINTLESS”
Regularly I’ve heard, “I don’t like treadmills… Running, but going nowhere feels pointless”.
I’ve gotta agree.
Still, I’m very sure that it’s no less ‘pointless’ or ‘monotonous’ than your daily job.
Unless you work at google, I’m pretty sure that half of you currently reading this article hate your jobs.
But you still go…why is that?
Because money is important.
Lend that same priority to the pursuit of your fitness.
9. “I NEVER SEE RESULTS.”
I’ve heard this a number of times…and sometimes it’s applicable.
Where it IS, then it’s time that you make some changes.
Look at your level of consistency in all areas: cardio, resistance exercise, diet, motivation.
Are you lacking in any area?
If so… you’ve found your culprit.
Sometimes what you’re looking for isn’t what is actually happening.
For example, most women go to the gym to ‘lose weight’.
‘Weight’ is a generic measure.
It really has no bearing.
When a woman, who has gone to the gym ‘to lose weight’, sees the numbers on the scale going up… it doesn’t generally matter that she may be actually getting smaller.
Fixating on weight as measure of progress, for most, is counter-intuitive.
Remember… muscle weighs more than fat.
Ignore the scale, and stick to the mirror.
Keep at it my friend.
10. “I CAN GET BACK IN SHAPE ANYTIME”
Sure, you can benefit from exercise at any age.
- Improved circulation, digestion, assimilation, and execretion
- The strenghtening of bones and connective tissue
- Improved body composition and glucose tolerance.
The benefits are innumerable.
Still, the this “i-can-put-it-off-’til-later” mantra is delusional at best.
Why?
While a number of afflictions can be reversed by the inclusion of exercise… a number can’t.
Diabetes, once it manifests, can be controlled… not reversed.
Lower back pain and badly damaged joints follow in a similar vein.
Why wait until the organism is broken down to try to maintain it?
Why be content with that?
Take responsibility for your body now!
That is this article’s take-home message.
Good luck!
-Corey Springer
AKA “Narkissos”
Owner of: Apollo Fitness Barbados & “The NarkSide” Fitness Forums.
References:
1. Bahrke, M.S., & Morgan, W.P. (1978). Anxiety reduction following exercise: meditation. Cogn Ther Res, 2(4), 323-33
2. Paluska, S.A., & Schwenk, T.L. (2000). Physical activity and mental health: current concepts. Sports Med, 29(3), 167-80.
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