5 of the most common workout excuses and how to overcome them
Personal trainer David Last has heard all the excuses down through the years, but writes ‘if it’s truly important to you than you will make it happen.’
OVER THE LAST 10 years, I have seen so many different excuses used by people to avoid the gym or working out so in this week’s column, I’m going to look at the five most common and how you can overcome these obstacles.
“I just haven’t got time”
Shutterstock / Africa Studio
Shutterstock / Africa Studio / Africa Studio
I hear this quite a lot and my answer to this is always the same — there is always time.
We all have demanding days from work to family commitments and sure this can take up a large chunk of our day but I fully believe each and everyone of us can find at least 20 minutes two to three times a week to look after our health and fitness that bit more.
A lot of people when they think of working out possibly think they need at least an hour to go to the gym and get a workout in — well, you don’t.
If you are truly stuck for time all you need is 15-20 minutes to get a workout in. You don’t need a gym, lots of equipment or a full hour for an effective workout.
Little wins and habits in the day all count too.
Taking the stairs over the lift, cycling to work, doing a 15-minute home workout or even getting out for a 10-minute walk on your lunch break can all count here.
If it’s important to you then you will make it happen. If you do have a really busy week then my best advice is to plan and pencil in two or three 20-minute windows in your diary where you can get some training in.
“By the time I am finished work I am exhausted”
Shutterstock / lzf
Shutterstock / lzf / lzf
It’s pretty normal to feel tired after a busy few hours in the office.
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Hours of sitting down, looking at a screen and being in work mode can really take it out of us and for some of you the day isn’t half over yet with family duties on the menu for the evening.
A lot of the time the last thing some people want to do upon leaving the office is then go to a busy gym floor.
I would always suggest a few things here to individuals, like perhaps aiming to do something first thing in the morning instead or even on their lunch break (again this doesn’t have to be a whole 60 minute session) or even just biting the bullet and aiming to get something done as soon as you leave the office.
A lot of the time it’s always the build up that is the worst part and once you do get over that initial hurdle and get moving into that warm up you’re already over the hardest part.
If you do feel totally burnt out or stressed after a long day and you are planning on doing some exercise my advice here is to listen to the body and give the body what it needs.
A walk, light jog, some basic stretches, or even some yoga may be the better option over a high intensity interval workout.
I always tell my clients that going to the gym should never be a chore.
Choose your training venue wisely in whatever avenue you do go down and make it something that you might actually take enjoyment out of.
If you don’t like noisy crowded gyms then look elsewhere. Ireland is now full of personal training gyms, small gyms, clubs, studios, training academies and fit clubs.
The options are endless and with the brighter evenings coming in getting outside into the open may even be the better choice for you.
Walk into any busy gym floor and it won’t take you long to see some people lost when it comes to their workout — don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal.
The right step for you is to get some advice and make the most of that time you do have to train. Any time I do put an article together here the goal is to try educate the reader as much as I can with regard to helping them with their training and lifestyle goals.
Perhaps you might need to seek help from a trainer or even look at attending a class so someone can guide you through the movements the right way.
A sign of any good trainer is someone who is going to be patient guiding you through the appropriate steps for your training plan. My advice here is if you know you need a little extra help on technique, then go and source a trainer who knows how to help you.
Find a coach who is particular about technique, has a good pedigree, and has a proven track record of getting results.
“I have tried lots of things but always get nowhere”
‘If you are not assessing then you are only guessing’, is a quote I am always mentioning.
There are a lot of reasons for getting nowhere in relation to your training goals — boredom, a lack of accountability, not knowing what to do, little to no progress, or purely just having little to no enjoyment with your new fitness regime.
Find the right training path and then asses and reassess your progress every 4-6 weeks. This is something I like to do with myself and my clients, and this could include a before and after photo, a body fat measurement or even a bench mark workout.
I guarantee if you do look back on those six weeks you will have lots of wins in there which in turn will help you to ignite that fire again and get you back on track to hit your goals.
David Last is a personal trainer based in Dublin. For more information you can follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Or you can send him a direct message here.
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5 of the most common workout excuses and how to overcome them
OVER THE LAST 10 years, I have seen so many different excuses used by people to avoid the gym or working out so in this week’s column, I’m going to look at the five most common and how you can overcome these obstacles.
“I just haven’t got time”
I hear this quite a lot and my answer to this is always the same — there is always time.
We all have demanding days from work to family commitments and sure this can take up a large chunk of our day but I fully believe each and everyone of us can find at least 20 minutes two to three times a week to look after our health and fitness that bit more.
A lot of people when they think of working out possibly think they need at least an hour to go to the gym and get a workout in — well, you don’t.
If you are truly stuck for time all you need is 15-20 minutes to get a workout in. You don’t need a gym, lots of equipment or a full hour for an effective workout.
Little wins and habits in the day all count too.
Taking the stairs over the lift, cycling to work, doing a 15-minute home workout or even getting out for a 10-minute walk on your lunch break can all count here.
If it’s important to you then you will make it happen. If you do have a really busy week then my best advice is to plan and pencil in two or three 20-minute windows in your diary where you can get some training in.
“By the time I am finished work I am exhausted”
It’s pretty normal to feel tired after a busy few hours in the office.
Hours of sitting down, looking at a screen and being in work mode can really take it out of us and for some of you the day isn’t half over yet with family duties on the menu for the evening.
A lot of the time the last thing some people want to do upon leaving the office is then go to a busy gym floor.
I would always suggest a few things here to individuals, like perhaps aiming to do something first thing in the morning instead or even on their lunch break (again this doesn’t have to be a whole 60 minute session) or even just biting the bullet and aiming to get something done as soon as you leave the office.
A lot of the time it’s always the build up that is the worst part and once you do get over that initial hurdle and get moving into that warm up you’re already over the hardest part.
If you do feel totally burnt out or stressed after a long day and you are planning on doing some exercise my advice here is to listen to the body and give the body what it needs.
A walk, light jog, some basic stretches, or even some yoga may be the better option over a high intensity interval workout.
“I just can’t stand the gym”
I always tell my clients that going to the gym should never be a chore.
Choose your training venue wisely in whatever avenue you do go down and make it something that you might actually take enjoyment out of.
If you don’t like noisy crowded gyms then look elsewhere. Ireland is now full of personal training gyms, small gyms, clubs, studios, training academies and fit clubs.
The options are endless and with the brighter evenings coming in getting outside into the open may even be the better choice for you.
“I’ve no idea what I’m doing”
Walk into any busy gym floor and it won’t take you long to see some people lost when it comes to their workout — don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal.
The right step for you is to get some advice and make the most of that time you do have to train. Any time I do put an article together here the goal is to try educate the reader as much as I can with regard to helping them with their training and lifestyle goals.
Perhaps you might need to seek help from a trainer or even look at attending a class so someone can guide you through the movements the right way.
A sign of any good trainer is someone who is going to be patient guiding you through the appropriate steps for your training plan. My advice here is if you know you need a little extra help on technique, then go and source a trainer who knows how to help you.
Find a coach who is particular about technique, has a good pedigree, and has a proven track record of getting results.
“I have tried lots of things but always get nowhere”
‘If you are not assessing then you are only guessing’, is a quote I am always mentioning.
There are a lot of reasons for getting nowhere in relation to your training goals — boredom, a lack of accountability, not knowing what to do, little to no progress, or purely just having little to no enjoyment with your new fitness regime.
Find the right training path and then asses and reassess your progress every 4-6 weeks. This is something I like to do with myself and my clients, and this could include a before and after photo, a body fat measurement or even a bench mark workout.
I guarantee if you do look back on those six weeks you will have lots of wins in there which in turn will help you to ignite that fire again and get you back on track to hit your goals.
David Last is a personal trainer based in Dublin. For more information you can follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Or you can send him a direct message here.
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