Does forcing yourself to head to the gym after a long day at work sound familiar? Of course, you feel 100% better and more awake once you’ve done it – but sometimes, using an excuse to get out of it and make yourself feel better about not going is much easier than doing the hard work itself…
So, what are the most used exercise excuses & how can you overcome them?
Busted: Fitness actually boosts your energy levels
Whether you’ve had an active day or remained sedentary at work – both types of daily activity can cause you to feel way too tired when it comes to working out. Office based jobs cause a different kind of tired – the sitting-all-day fatigue that can sometimes leave you feeling drained and lethargic.
When you’re feeling this level of tired it’s very easy to skip the gym or avoid going to your fitness class – don’t let this happen! Studies have shown that once you push through the tiredness and get working out, you feel much more awake and productive afterwards.
Busted: Learn to focus on yourself – not others
It’s easy to be put off the idea of going to the gym if you think that everyone’s going to be looking at you. The harsh (in most cases rather nice) reality is that the majority of people are there for one thing only: themselves. And who do they look at/focus on when working out? That’s right – themselves. It’s important to think about this when you’re heading to the gym - everyone’s there for the same reason: to better themselves.
If you don’t try your hardest to overcome your self-conscious mind-set, when is ever going to be the best time to make a change to feel better about yourself and to get healthy? The time is now.
Busted: Quick HIT workouts are just as good
Gone are the days of spending hours at the gym, from cardio machines to weight’s and back again, it’s now proven that a mere 20 minutes (if that) of HIT (high intensity training) a few times weekly is just as effective, if not more, than long exercise routines.
Not only do you burn more calories during a HIT workout, but the effect of all that intense effort kicks your body's repair cycle into overdrive. This means that you burn more fat and calories in the 24 hours after the workout than you do after, say, a steady-pace run.
Get inspired with different exercises; Fitness trends to look out for in 2018.
Busted: Have fun with fitness, don’t take it too seriously
Once you get into fitness and it becomes more of a routine to you, it’s very easy for the process to start feeling like a chore, as opposed to being something that you enjoy doing. If this sounds familiar, you may want to take a step back and think about why you started doing it in the first place and why you continue to do so.
Of course, many of us would rather not have to work out and spend the time on doing something else – but there’s no denying the fact that once exercising, the endorphins that are released into your body becomes so very addictive.
Top Tip: Your fitness regime is what you make it – have fun with it, instead of dreading it.
Busted: Practice makes perfect
So you may not know how to use some of the weight resistance machines at the gym or how to get into the perfect squat position – but we all have to start somewhere! There’s no shame in asking for help – the majority of fitness centres have trainers and staff working 24/7 to be of assistance to gym-goers – make use of their expertise.
Health insurance can be a great way to put your mind at rest when it comes to health worries. You can take positive steps to improve your general health; including having a fitness-regime in place, but this doesn’t prevent health implications occurring that are simply out of your control.
Get in touch with our friendly team on 0808 10 18 999 or visit our contact page to see how we can help you find the right health insurance policy, for the best price – guaranteed.
