I was sitting in my favorite chair the other day having an eye-opening conversation with my hair dresser, Barbie. For the past 16 years, we have discussed many things in that chair including exercise on countless occasions. I have always known that physical activity is not her favorite thing in the world but this time she gave me honest insight about what is really going on in the mind of the non-exercise lover. She said that people like her, look for any excuse not to exercise. Although I knew this on a cognitive level, I was never able to empathize with people like Barbie until that day in my favorite chair. I finally understood what is really going on in the mind of the non-exercise lover. Recently, I had been getting highlights, but this time I got enlightenment.
She put her scissors down, looked me square in the eyes, and said, “Kim, look at me.” “People like me will look for excuses not to exercise because we hate exercise“. “People like me say things like”, “I can’t go to the gym because I have a Christening tomorrow so I have to get my nails done today.” “I can’t go Monday because I am going out with the girls after work”. “Then Tuesday, I have to prepare for a meeting that I have on Wednesday” She went on and on until she saw it sink into my brain. I sat there speechless as if we were in a courtroom and she was the witness testifying against her own people. I went into the salon to morph into a gorgeous blonde and left as a prosecuting attorney. She added, “We use excuses instead of just saying, “No, I am not going to workout. I hate working out”.
She also told me a story about how she went on a 90 day diet and exercise program and reached her goals! When the 90 days were over, she was done and it was over. She went back to chilin’ on the sofa. She reversed everything that she had just accomplished; increasing her metabolism, dropping some weight, and feeling great to name a few. Can you relate to Barbie?
If so, maybe I can inspire you to get going by explaining what happens when the workout is over – You will feel energized, your body will feel like it is “lubed up” which in turn will give you a boost of confidence and possibly help you move better throughout your day. In this stressful world we live in, feeling good and moving better in my opinion, is more important than ever. It carries over into all other areas of our lives. Is that enough to lure you? If not, here are some solutions to typical excuses because exercise is here to stay and now the medical professionals are even on board so let’s go.
What I know for sure is that people who love to exercise and/or love the way it makes them feel and/or know the benefits and/or do it anyway, put exercise first and then everything else revolves around that.
- If you don’t have time in your schedule, then schedule your workout in your calendar.
- If you think it costs too much to have a gym membership, compare it to the rising medical costs that you will eventually have to pay by not taking care of your health.
- If you don’t like the way exercise “feels” then focus on the feeling you will get afterwards.
- If you are afraid of getting injured, come to Active Life Fitness where the experienced coaches will always keep you safe!
- If you think exercise is not fun, come to Active Life Fitness where the group dynamic will get you smiling!
Contact me with any other apprehensions so I can knock those down as well. Hey, the article is entitled Tough Love so deal with it. My email is kim@kimmusikant.com and I would love to hear from you.
