For those who aren’t devoted fitness fanatics, there often
comes a turning point where one realizes that now is a good time to start
getting in shape. Maybe life was too hectic with job, kids and their
activities, but now there’s more time and you’ve gotten to the point that you
can’t put it off any longer. Or, your weight has hit a new high or, you find
out bending over to pick something up off the floor is a big deal, or getting
up off the floor, or walking up the stairs is getting too hard. Whatever it is,
there’s a trigger which makes you realize, enough is enough, I’ve got to get off
my duff and start working out.
But where to start? You’ve taken the first step by making
the decision to get in shape, now you need to take action. So you join the nearest big box
fitness centre, or you sign up for classes, or hire a personal trainer. Now you’ve
taken the second step. These are big life-changing decisions. But only if you
follow through! The next two steps are the critical ones: first, show up, and
show up consistently. Second, put in the effort. If you can follow through on
these two rules, you’ve got it made. You will get better; you will progress. Working
out becomes a habit. The proverbial snowball is going in the right direction.
But this doesn’t always work out as planned. Excuses
are a dime a dozen. Anyone can come up with an excuse to not work out. You miss
one because well, the weather’s bad. You miss another because you don’t feel
like going. Before you know it, missing a workout becomes a habit. And now you’ve
got a snowball going in the wrong direction. It's a slippery slope: one excuse makes the next
one easier. You become very good at making excuses rather than good at staying fit in shape. Eventually you're back at square one.
The time you take off requires twice that amount of time to
get back to where you left off. In other words, if you miss 2 weeks of
training, it will take you 4 weeks to get back to where you were before you
took that time off. So now you’re effectively behind 6 weeks.
There are two valid reasons I can think of to miss one or
more workouts: illness (and possibly injury) and travel. And even travelling does
not prevent you from doing some sort of workout. If you’re injured, you might
need to lay off certain exercises, that is, assuming your injury is not so
serious that it puts you completely out of commission. A healthy lifestyle including
proper nutrition will also help prevent many illnesses and keep you on the path to getting
fitter.
The bottom line is, if you want to keep the fitness snowball
rolling in the right direction, avoid getting into the habit of making excuses.
Make your workouts a priority and make sure they fit into your schedule. Working
out has to become a habit, something you do no matter what. At minimum, if you
miss your class or training session, make time for some activity on your own. Something
is better than nothing. If sticking to a schedule is difficult for you, joining
a big box centre might not be your best option. Classes or a personal trainer
will keep you accountable, where a fitness centre will not. Whatever it takes,
find what works for you. No excuses.
