I'm getting frustrated! Why do people consistently make excuses to NOT exercise?...
You're not doing it for the sake of it, because it's fashionable, or because you had some spare time to fill; it's for a better way of life, a healthier lifestyle, stronger heart and lungs, to reduce the risk of injury and illness and improve the way you look and feel - reason enough I think!!!
So WHY do people continue to make excuses (let's be honest, that's usually what they are) to not exercise!?!?.. A few favourites of mine...
"I'M TOO OLD" Rubbish!!! You're body will become as immobile as you let it. When EVER anyone says this to me I tell them about Nanny Nicholls (a real person), 87 years old, dances 3 times per week, hearing is spot on, she's young at heart, very mobile and very independent. Because she keeps herself active! If you don't use it - you WILL lose it!
So you didn't do the same, it's NEVER too late to start. I'm not suggesting a marathon or Everest climb, but you can significantly improve health and well being at any age!
Just like when you go on holiday and leave your car standing for two weeks, it might not start again without a push, your body, if left alone and unused, will also need a hand starting up. It may make funny noises and not feel quite right but it can soon be a regularly used and reliable runner!
"I HAVE AN INJURY" Worse yet - "I HAVE BACK PROBLEMS" These back problems are probably caused by your weight! Think about it - what kind of strain is the weight around your front going to be putting on your poor back - it's time to shift it!
As for injuries, granted, some will make it unrealistic to exercise heavily, but.. I've seen people in a gym before on crutches! If you REALLY want to, there is usually ALWAYS a way to get in some exercise!
"I DON'T HAVE TIME WITH WORK" Work will ALWAYS be there. but unless you don't do something about your health, you might not be!! Stay fit and work becomes less of a strain! Simple as that!
"I DON'T NEED TO EXERCISE - I'M NOT FAT" I don't give a ****! You're walking round with a Ferrari chassis and a Ford Fiesta engine! Just because you're body looks OK, it doesn't mean it's not crying out inside with all the crap fuel you throw into it. No one has a perfect body (internally OR externally) so you can always improve; whether it's the way you look, muscle tone, waist line etc or the strength of your heart and lungs, you need to do something!
"I'M TOO UNFIT!" This is ridiculous! EVERYONE has their first gym visit, but if you make it a habit you'll soon be up to speed with the rest of them. Maybe avoid spin classes if you've done no exercise for the past 5 years but there's absolutely no reason why you can't have a regular gym program! Seek the help of a fitness professional - I bet they'd be more than happy to lend a hand.
If I hear "I'M TOO UNFIT FOR PERSONAL TRAINING" one more time, I think I'll cry! That's WHY you have it - to help improve your fitness. It's not a one size fits all package, the trainer is there to asses your current fitness levels and improve them. How can you be too unfit for that?...
"GYMS ARE BORING!" Gyms ARE boring, but then so is your workplace and you spend enough time there! A gym is as interesting and fun as you make it. Talk to people, smile at people, take a friend, vary your program, try new exercises, try classes - there's PLENTY you can do to stop the gym being boring! We're WELL past the 80's style 30 mins treadmill and 30 mins rowing, bicep curls and home routines! Sample what's on offer.
"I DON'T WANT TO SPEND MY LIFE IN A GYM!" .. Don't then!!!?... Come for a bit though, a few times a week maybe?.. You can get an AWESOME workout finished in 45 minutes or under; Classes rarely run for much longer than that too! Are you telling me you can't make 45 minutes free in your week a few times for the sake of a stronger heart and lungs, less chance of disease, a better physique and improved happiness in the way you look and feel?... Didn't think so!
A common complaint or a few variations of the same problem...
"I don't have time to make it to the gym" "I work out of town" or "I travel a lot with work" "I need childcare or I can't make the gym"
etc etc...
Well.. there's one simple solution for all of these folks - use your body weight! You don't always need endless amounts of fancy gym equipment!!!! There are literally hundreds if not thousands of moves that you can do to burn calories, build lean muscle and work up a darn good sweat without the need for any fancy equipment. Add a few tiny pieces such as a swiss ball or barbell and the possibilities become endless!!!!..
Here are a few of the moves that I consider to be the top body weight moves!..
LOWER BODY... Lunges - these can be done with a number of variations, forwards, backwards, sideways, elevated leg, with additional weights or resistance bands, on an unstable surface such as a Bosu or wobble board
Squats - Try playing around with the stance width and depth of squat. If it's 100% body weight then try one-leg squats - these will make any person work, no matter the size of their wheels
Jump squats - probably not one for anyone who lives above their neighbours, but simply perform squats finishing with a jump, making sure to cushion the landing by bending your knees, which movement automatically leads into the next squat. Basically continuously umping and squatting - good drill!
UPPER BODY... Press ups - again variety is key. Try varying hand width, elevated feet to emphasise the upper chest and shoulders, one leg lifted to increase core engagement, doing them on your knuckles or perhaps with your hands on uneven surfaces such as one arm on the floor on on a small box
Renegade rows / renegade flys - these are usually performed with weights but with either a small weight or empty hand can still offer an effective workout as it engages a lot of core stability and stabilising muscle groups
Dips - You can perform these with your hands on the side of the bath, or a bed. Make them more difficult by varying the tempo, lifting alternate legs for each dip, placng your feet on something elevated or adding a weight to your lap
CORE / ABS... Crunches - keep it basic. Crunches are one of the best ways to focus on the upper abs. Hold an object or weight to make it more difficult and hold it at the point where shoulders are highest off the ground for 3 seconds
Leg raises - great way to work your lower abs and add a little top up to the legs. Vary height of movement and speed
"Frogs" - a great way to hit your obliques - a personal favourite move of mine!
CONDITIONING... Mountain climbers - vary from knees coming inside your elbows, to the outside. Also try it on one leg at a time in a hop-style
"Up-downs" (you may refer to them as something else) - basically climbing from a plank position to a press up and back down, over, and over, and over, and over, and over again...
Burpees - We all hate them and they've been around donkey's years; but for a reason - they're good! VERY good!
These are JUST 9 of the man moves you could try. But imagine on those days where you can't justify a gym visit for half an hour. Or only have time for 30 minutes and not the commute and gym chat when you're there, a quick circuit like that below could be gone over 3 - 5 times. Why not time it and get competitive with yourself!?.. HELLO SWEAT!!!
EXAMPLE CIRCUIT:
- Alternate lunges x 30 - 12 x 1 leg squats - Press ups - 45 seconds non-stop - Renegade row x 12 each side - Renegade flys x 12 each side - 45 seconds dips, one leg off the floor - Elevated leg lunges x 10 each leg - Jump squats x 15 - Press ups - 30 seconds non-stop - 45 seconds crunches - 12 x leg raises - 24 x frogs - 1 minute rock climbers - 1 minute "up-downs" - 15 x burpees
Try it.. I dare ya!!
Here's a few more bodyweight exercise ideas...
OR... If you have access to a play park, why not try something like this?..
SUMMARY... I'm ALWAYS telling people that their body weight is a great yard stick for functional strength. For example, how many "big guys" would struggle to perform a good set of wide-grip chin ups followed by a set of full-range dips?... Quite a few I'd imagine.
In my opinion, your best piece of equipment is your body! If you can't manoeuvre your own body weight then you really have nothing to be showing off about!
