If you’re trying to lose weight without exercise, you’re not doing yourself any favours.
“But what if I don’t like exercise?” I hear you ask. Well, if you’re not keen on exercise you are not alone, but there are some things you can do to turn this around.
This article discusses some of the reasons why some of us don’t like exercise and what we can do about it to make sure we are more likely to achieve our fitness and weight loss goals.
Why some of us don’t like exercise.
There are many reasons why some people don’t like to exercise. Here are just some of the most common:
- It’s too hard
- It’s boring
- It’s no fun
- It zaps their energy and leaves them tired
- It takes too long
- It gets in the way of other things
- They think they’re too big
- They don’t think they need it
- They don’t know what to do
- They don’t like gyms
- They don’t think they can
- They’re embarrassed
- It hurts
- They don’t like sweating
- They don’t like running
- They don’t like weight training
Let’s explore each of these in turn and list things you can do about them.
It’s too hard
This is probably the most common reason that a lot more people don’t exercise regularly.
And it’s not surprising, because one of the most common mistakes people make when starting a new exercise program is that they employ an exercise intensity that is far too hard.
If our goal is to lose weight, it doesn’t matter how quickly we walk or jog 5 kilometres, it just matters that we do walk or jog 5 kilometres.
If you are new to exercise, make it really easy on yourself so that you are happy to continue exercising until it becomes a habit.
Start walking at a slow pace if you have to, and as you get fitter you’ll find yourself being able to walk further and faster.
Remember, when it comes to exercising for weight loss, anything is better than nothing and consistency is the key. Do whatever it takes to get yourself exercising everyday or every other day for at least 30 minutes at a time and if that means taking it relatively easy, do it.
It’s boring
This is another very popular reason why people don’t like exercise.
But exercise needn’t be boring. Here are just a few suggestions to make it more interesting:
- Keep looking until you find exercises you like or dislike the least
- Exercise in interesting and varied outdoor locations where there are plenty of things to look at
- Exercise with friends
- Exercise in front of a TV or radio if indoors
- Join an exercise class of some kind
- Try something new
- Vary your workouts
It’s no fun
This is somewhat related to the above. As well as trying some of the suggestions listed above, remember that exercise is helping you achieve your weight loss goals, making you fitter, stronger, leaner, shapelier and giving you more energy which will help you get the most out of things in life that you do think are fun.
For all of those reasons, exercise doesn’t have to be fun.
Having said that, you’ll find the fitter you get and the better you get at exercising, the more fun it will become.
It zaps their energy and leaves them tired
It sure does! But only during the first few weeks and guess what?
- You’ll begin sleeping like a baby
- You’ll feel a sense of achievement afterwards
- Your body will soon adjust and compensate giving you more energy than ever
- Exercise is the second best thing possible to spend your energy on!
Again, if this is a major problem for you, take it nice and easy to begin with and build up your intensity levels over time.
It takes too long
You don’t need to exercise for hours to get benefits.
If I told you that spending only 2% of your time exercising was enough, would that sound reasonable?
Well, with 24 hours in each day, 30 minutes represents just 2% of each day.
If you can’t allocate 2% of each day to exercise, you might have some imbalances in your life and perhaps you should begin questioning your priorities, especially if you really want to lose weight and/or improve your fitness.
If you really can’t find 30 minutes a day, remember that anything is better than nothing when it comes to exercise.
It gets in the way of other things
Again, this is a question of priorities. What is more important than your health?
They think they’re too big
OK, some of us are a little too big to go running around the local lake. But most of us can manage a walk, a swim, a short bike ride, some sit ups, push ups or light resistance training.
Remember to start out easy and progress slowly at a pace you can cope with. And always check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program.
They don’t think they need it
If you want to lose weight in the most efficient and effective way, you need to exercise!
They don’t know what to do
Here are some suggestions if you don’t know what to do:
- Start walking, swimming, or bike riding for starters
- Hire a personal trainer for a few weeks
- Visit your local gym for a few months and get them to put a program together for you and show you proper exercise technique
- Read as many exercise articles as you can get your hands on
- Do anything
They don’t like gyms
Gyms are not the only place to exercise.
Why not try exercising:
- At home
- In a park
- At the beach
- In a personal trainers studio
- Anywhere!
And remember that all gyms aren’t alike. Look around until you find one in your local area that you like.
They don’t think they can
This reason is pretty common.
If you doctor says you can, you can!
If you think you lack the technical skill, there is plenty of help available.
Like most things in life, exercise can feel awkward at first but you’ll find that the more you do, the better you’ll get.
They’re embarrassed
Again, this reason is very common.
If you’re too embarrassed to exercise, do it in private at home, one on one with a personal trainer or outside in secluded spots.
Once you get better at it and you start to lose weight because of it, your confidence will grow and you’ll feel a lot more comfortable exercising around others.
It hurts
Exercise can hurt a little while you’re doing it and for a day or two afterwards your muscles might feel a bit stiff.
Again, the key to minimising this type of pain, and that associated with injuring yourself, is to take it easy in the beginning.
You never know, you may actually end up enjoying the slight pain you feel while exercising and the next day because it is a sign that your body is being, or has been challenged.
They don’t like sweating
Some people just don’t like sweating.
That’s OK. Try swimming or exercising at a pace that minimises sweat.
They don’t like running
Running is not the only exercise around, although it is a very effective one for losing weight and improving your fitness.
If you don’t like running because it’s too hard, start out very slowly until you build up your fitness.
If you just don’t like running full-stop, find something else you do like.
They don’t like weight training
Weight training or any form of resistance training is very beneficial to those of us who want to lose weight because it helps us build lean muscle tissue which burns extra calories 24/7.
If you don’t like resistance training because it’s hard, take it easy.
If you don’t like resistance training because you don’t know what to do, get help.
If you don’t like resistance training full-stop, do something else.