We take immense pride whenever we declare that, "I have come up with a new weight loss regime" or say, "From today onwards I am quitting fast foods". But for how many times you have been uttering these same words? It is a known fact that we want to lead a healthy life. But we are not able to meet our fitness goals. We only can cite the exact reasons, which are nothing but mere excuses. But for how long would these excuses work? Let's find out what comes in the way of successful accomplishment of our fitness objectives:
- "I simply cannot resist the urge of my sweet tooth"
Many processed food often contain large amounts of high fructose corn syrup (a sweetener). The metabolism mechanism of this sweetener is a bit different from other forms of sugar. This ingredient tastes sweeter than other forms of sugar and produces an adverse effect on your insulin levels, generating more hunger and cravings for sweeter foods. You can overcome your cravings for these processed sweet foods by making a sweet snack with dark chocolate chips, dried fruits and nuts. This would supply necessary protein and fiber from the fruits and the nuts. - "I don't like fruits and vegetables as my snacks"
The tongue always aspires for rich and high-calorie fatty foods. That is why we do not love to include fruits and vegetables as part of our snacks. But you don't have to eat them in their raw form. You can juice them or even make smoothies of them. You can include fresh fruit pieces in your cereal and oatmeal. Eat a dark chocolate-covered strawberry instead of a candy bar. A little bit of innovation is all it takes to include fruits and vegetables in your diet plan. Another way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables is to keep them in plain view on your countertop or table; make sure that the cookie jar and the candy bars are out of sight. When snack time rolls around it will be easy to grab a piece of fruit. - "I have chores to do, how can I manage time to exercise"
We often try to justify our failures by stating that household activities, office and then kids have come in the way of our daily workouts. You might have a busy schedule, but you can still carve out short workout sessions whenever you have time. For example, divide your total exercise time into four sessions. Devote just 10 minutes for each session. It would have the same effect if you exercise at a stretch for 40 minutes! You see, you do not have to spend an hour in the gym to address issues like blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol and weight gain. - "I get bored while doing exercise"
Many people treat the exercise program as a punishment, and are only doing them out of compulsion and because the doctors have instructed them to do so. But nobody tries to make it fun. If you do not like walking then swim, play, walk the dog etc. You can even join a dance class to learn new moves everyday! Dancing is a very good exercise and it would prove to be a source of fun and entertainment to you. To the body it does not really matter if you are weight training or carrying the grocery. - "I feel extreme discomfort when I sweat"
Profuse sweating normally occurs during workouts, but the degree varies from one individual to the other. But heavy sweating does not imply effective workouts. You can still reap the benefits of workouts even if you do moderate exercises. Try to exercise at an intensity when you can still able to carry on a conversation, but are breathing heavily. - "Something has come up, I cannot workout"
It is expected that you might complain about some other common barrier which would come in the way of your fitness plans. Keep your backup plans in place. Store a few fitness DVDs at your home or put resistance bands at your office drawers. You can also mix your fitness regime. For example, exercise on your own and at the same time join a fitness class. - "I am afraid I'll not be able to stick to it"
We often presume that we won't be able to keep up with our fitness expectations. If this assumption comes into your mind, then imagine how you can help your friends in taking the leap. This way, you would motivate yourself too! When you feel that other persons are doing it, you begin to think, "Why not me?" - "I am working out too hard, but there are no results"
We are impatient and that is why, we do not see results. If you are only doing cardio, it might take as long as four months to observe noticeable changes in your muscle shape or tone. Mix your cardio exercises with strength training to cut that time to half. Target your entire body instead of doing spot-training. Some of the effective exercises include squats and walking lunges. To make them more effective, hold hand weights (3 to 4 kg) while doing them. - "I simply cannot resist the taste of cheese cakes"
We should realize that mistakes would come in a long journey. It is not that if you have strong determination you would succeed. There is no need to be perfect. If you cannot resist the urge of having a cheese cake today, then then have a small portion and savour every bite. Consider it as a temporary setback that you can overcome and focus on getting back to your diet plan from your next meal. In the long run, one little deviation will not undo all your hard work as long as you get back on the plan. - "I get influenced by moods"
Emotional eating might be a concern for some of us. Many people tend to overeat when they feel depressed, bored or frustrated. This is a bad habit and you should engage yourself in other activities that would boost your moods. For example, you can go for a walk, read a book, take a short nap, or listen to music instead of indulging in your eating habit. - "Oh my God, I have once again gained the weight I lost"
We normally fail to stick to our routine, and then we complain that we have gained weight once again. But daily maintenance is necessary to control weight gain. Stick to your diet and fitness plans and you would observe consistency. - "I am too stressed"
Stress cannot be wiped out totally from today's life, but you can manage it by various relaxation exercises. For example, when you find some time amidst your work (say, whenever you grab a glass of water), try deep breathing exercises for a few minutes. These would reduce tension and would allow you to meet the next stressful situation.
We can formulate several other excuses of not adhering to our fitness plans. These excuses can explain other people, but we need to be clear to ourselves. We have to judge whether these reasons can truly affect our health and fitness plans. The answers lie with ourselves only and we need to solve the jigsaw!
