www.fitnessinmaine.com

Making Excuses - by Ryan Thomson

In my experience, there are a million reasons not to work out.  Being a personal trainer, you tend to hear them all. So I decided to address five of the most common excuses I hear for not working out.  Here are the excuses:

1. I have no time.

2. I'm too tired.

3. I don't have a gym membership, or there isn't a gym nearby

4. I get intimidated at the gym.

5. I don't know how to work out.

We could go through and examine each excuse individually, but we probably don't have the time and for some of them, I don't have a psychology degree. All of these excuses can be addressed by the "Three B's"; Bells, Bands and Bodyweight!

Rubber exercise bands, Kettlebells and your own bodyweight are three of the most effective, functional and safe workout tools that you can have.  You don't need a gym and they are relatively cheap and easy to use. There are literally hundreds of instructional DVD's to be found online, as well as numerous websites dedicated to this type of workout.  There are even websites that give out free instruction and information (check out Anthony DiLuglio's Art of Strength website. Great free instruction from one of the best in the business). If you still aren't sure what to do, hire a trainer and have them come to your house. Once again, the internet is a great tool for finding someone to train you (just check your trainer's credentials and get opinion's from other people first).

The fact of the matter is that none of these excuses are valid and really speak to something deeper. We have become so lazy as a society that we will say anything to avoid exerting ourselves, even though we know that it is going to kill us someday.  Let me be the first to tell you that "next year", "next month", "next week" evem "tomorrow" is too late!  Get up and do something today.  As Jason likes to say when in the midst of one of his amped-up diatribes, "If you want to kill yourself how about putting down the bag of Cheetos and just buy a gun.  Because Type II diabetes and heart disease are going to have the same effect - you're going to be dead!"

The time you take to work out and develop effective eating habits pay off ten-fold.  You get back more than you put in.  So no more excuses!

Here is a new motto to live by:

"Step outside your comfort zone"

There is no easy way, the only way is the hard way.  No one ever said good gains are easy.  If they were, wouldn't everyone be making them.  Wouldn't we be a more fit society.  Lazy workouts and easy exercises will get you nowhere.  Step outside your comfort zone and put some EFFORT in.  Elevate that heart rate and sweat.