Exercise is by far the most dreaded word in the dieter dictionary. We so hate gym-freaks telling us how good they feel after their workout that we secretly wish them all pulled muscles. It’s not that we dislike nature’s physical aspect; it’s that we don’t want the freaks to be right.
Exercise does two things: it burns calories and it makes you feel better. Burning calories is beneficial for weight loss. For example, if you burn an additional 200 calories per day, you’ll theoretically lose one pound every two weeks without changing an eating habit. Feeling better is wonderful regardless of size. Not only do you have the ability to do more but fitness guards against nagging health problems—like a sore back. So heavy people should long for the benefits of fitness as much as anyone.
So why don’t we do it? Why won’t we exercise? There are three reasons: We think exercise is painful, we feel it has to be done too often, and (unfortunately) most of us are lazy.
Exercise is painful
Everyone is familiar with the expression: no pain, no gain. Well, other than in the bedroom, most of us don’t really like pain. Frankly, we fear it. We’re simply not the weekend warrior type and literally have no desire to painfully be the best that we can be.
The idea that exercise has to be painful is ridiculous. There is absolutely no need to feel pain on the road to health. The pain most people experience is from working with weights. Experts and trainers want you to weight train because it builds muscle. Their reasoning is that muscle burns more daily calories than fat. But what their thick heads don’t understand is that fat people aren’t the bodybuilder type. We’re never going to become classic jocks. And the pain of working with weights usually scares us away from the gym forever.
People do things they enjoy. Remember school recess. Running around feeling happy and free. That’s what exercise is suppose to be like. So only do workouts that you enjoy like, walking or playing a sport. Maybe try volleyball, bowling, table tennis, or golf. The objective is simply to enjoy being active (otherwise you’ll quit).
It must be done too often
We’ve all heard experts say that unless a program is carried out at least three times per week it’s essentially useless. So we figure, why go through all the pain of the first few workouts when we know we’ll never be able to keep it up?
Don’t listen to that baloney. That’s for athletes. For us, it’s wonderful to get in any type of exercise whenever we can. Walking to the mailbox, stretching in front of the TV, doing the dishes, almost anything qualifies. Just get off the couch and move.
Sure joining a gym gives you some place to go, and partaking in a regularly scheduled program makes exercise part of your routine. But, more importantly, you have to believe that any exercise is better than no exercise.
Most of us are lazy
Go to a gym. How many fat people do you see? Very few. That’s because we’re characteristically sedentary, slow moving, couch potatoes. Exercise and being athletic is simply not our style. Most of us were never good at athletics in high school and many of us don’t even watch sports on TV. So how do we get over this hurdle when we don’t like to jump?
A famous author once coined laziness as original sin. I’m not sure he’s totally correct but it’s certainly a major problem. The way to combat laziness is to get up and move. Get going on the job at hand. Stop psyching yourself out by looking at the whole job in its entirety, just do something. Don’t worry when you’ll finish, don’t stress over perfection, just get started. You can always stop.
For example, if you’re lying beside a pile of laundry that needs folding, pick up a facecloth and fold it. It’s not a big deal. Chores are simply part of life. Sure you’re fat and no one understands that you suffer from low energy, but for goodness sake you can fold a facecloth.
Approach all work the same way. Shut off your mind and simply get started. You’ll find the tendency to procrastinate disappears once you get your head right.
The best thing you can do at the gym is show up. If you show up, you’ll take one step. Then if your body wants to walk—it will walk. If it doesn’t—it won’t. Your mind’s job is simply to take one step.
And shut off your brain the moment you get going. You don’t want to hear yourself nag while trying to enjoy a workout.
Rules
For most people, there are three rules when it comes to exercise:
- Enjoy your workout—if you don’t, you’ll quit
- Any exercise is better than no exercise
- Combat laziness— just get started
Your workout should be easy, fun, and possible. Don’t sabotage it with pain or fancy expectations. Only include exercises that you enjoy and do them only for as long as it feels comfortable (you don’t have to push yourself). Little stretch before, little stretch after, and you’re good.
The problem with so many programs is that they put you in a hurry, they’re too results oriented. Relax—you’re trying to make peace with exercise for life.
Personal trainers are great for taking someone who’s in relatively good shape and getting them into great shape. They’re not for people like us. They’re too focused on results. Our biggest goal at the gym is to show up—not a great match.
But they’re good teachers, so ask them about proper stretching techniques and all the different exercises available. But if they get pushy, give ‘em the finger (it’s your life).
Summary
The first two rules are easy to adopt but taking on laziness is a constant battle. Remember, it’s all about getting started. You’ll probably begin by walking slow for a short period of time and then nature will take you from there. Eventually you’ll feel like walking a little faster and maybe a little longer. In the end, you’ll arrive at a practical workout that you enjoy and that works for you.