Easy Natural Diet
Your source for free health and fitness articles! Browse all our diet and weight loss information.
"I have to pick up my kids."
"I had to stay late at work."
"I have to cook dinner for my family."
"I'm too tired."
"I'm intimidated by the gym."
"It's too cold outside."
Most of us already know that we should take the time to exercise, but something always seems to get in the way. Let's face it. We all have plenty of excuses not to exercise. Some of them even seem pretty legitimate. When we share our excuses with others, they sympathize. "I know how you feel," they say.
We know the health benefits of exercise are numerous. It can help control weight, lower cholesterol, give us more energy, regulate blood sugar, reduce the need for some medications and contribute to our well-being and mental health. However, despite what exercise can do for us, something always seems to get in the way.
At times there are real emergencies that demand our immediate attention. More often than not however, we are letting excuses rob us of the benefits of exercise. So how do you conquer excuses so that you can take full advantage of the benefits of exercise?
Try keeping an exercise diary for a month. Use a small calendar or even just a sheet of paper. Keep it by your bedside and take a few seconds to fill it out each night. Simply mark down whether you exercised or not. If not, record why.
Why keep an exercise diary? It can assist you in finding your trouble spots. Remember, "a problem well-defined is 95% solved." If you don't know where you are having trouble, you can't pinpoint the problem or fix it.
Does the same excuse seem to pop up often? Is it something you can avoid or solve with a little creativity? For instance, can other members of the family cook dinner one or two nights a week freeing you to take 30 minutes for exercise?
The bottom line is that you must make the decision not to let excuses get in the way. In reality, it is a choice. You can choose to have a lifetime of health with regular exercise or to end up with a long list of excuses and some potentially serious health problems.
Jennifer D. Wetmore, DPT has been involved in the field of Health and Fitness for over a decade, working with a range of clients and patients from health clubs to hospitals in positions such as group fitness instructor, personal trainer and physical therapist. Dr. Wetmore is president of LifeHealth Physical Therapy and author of "Small Changes, Big Results: The Health and Fitness Manual With the Secrets To Working Smarter, Not Harder." Please visit http://www.LifeHealthPT.com for more information and tools to help you achieve a healthy and fit life.
Written by: Jennifer Wetmore
Give the Gift of Health and Fitness this Winter
(ARA) - In many parts of the country, when the temperature drops, so does our activity level. When the snow falls it is often hard to participate in favorite activities like hiking, biking and swimming -- so a lot of people cocoon. Inactivity...
The Basics of Setting Your Fitness Goals to Lead Your Healthiest Life
Are you a goal oriented person? If you are, then you probably know that all successful people in life know the basics of setting and achieving their goals. If you want to achieve a healthy life, then setting fitness goals should be no different...
The Heart of Health and Fitness: Part 2-Atherosclerosis
Contrary to what most people think, it is not heart attacks that cause the most death in this country. It is the disease of the arteries, and the arteries go to all parts of the body. Sally may be affected in her heart. George may be affected in...
The Top 10 Tips to Weight Loss, Health, and Fitness-Tip #6
Tip #6: Stockpile Handy, Healthy Snacks Have you ever noticed that sometimes you get bombarded by uncontrollable urges that can strike at any time? Sometimes these urges are so powerful that they seize control of your car and steer it right into...
Walk Your Way To Fitness, Health And Weight Loss
There is no way around it, if you want to lose weight you have to be active. Recently a study was done focusing on people who owned dogs. It was found that the dog-owners, who were obliged to take their dogs for a walk every day, lost up to 14...