Did you know that fitness to the human body is as important as food is to the body, but the issue with exercise is that it usually comes as a boring concept to some people, probably because they don’t have the motivation to start, the knowledge of how beneficial exercise is or the discipline to commit to it. A whole lot of questions pop up about this sometimes as a basis to find an excuse such as do I need to try out? Do I go to the gym? Do I exercise outside? How do I get the right program? What do I actually do? But one of the things that amaze me is that it is only about 10% of people who ask these questions aren't exercising regularly. Another factor that contributes to the passive attitude towards exercise is that people don’t believe exercise is beneficial to them personally. What is the reason for that? I actually think it’s because of their perception of what exercise actually should be and what it shouldn’t be. The benefits of exercise to the human body are too numerous to mention in this short blog, hence every individual should avail himself/herself to the practice of exercising. Wherever you are, whoever you are, right now the most important thing is for you to start. You need to start with the exercise program that is best for you and is about you. If you are confused on where to start then you may need to get an expert or an experienced trainer to make the right program for you.
Consistency Is Key
Basically, the most important practice is not the exercise but the consistency of the exercise. It is in the consistency that the results hide quietly. By exercising regularly I don’t mean just walking through the door daily; however, that’s better than doing nothing. On another thought, some people have too much of information on exercise and it's procedures, which has become a major reason for their non-compliance. When we get inundated with so much information, we get discouraged along the way and feel the practice is strenuous and highly demanding. If you are active ten minutes in a day, that’s going to be much better than if you’re actually doing nothing throughout the day. My advice is, commit to just being more active than you are now, and then with the trick of that, you can progress.
Do I Need a Trainer?
Another question I am asked is do I need a trainer? Often, people employ the services of trainers, and just like in every other field, there are good trainers and there are bad trainers. I think the fundamental thing to know about trainers as if they’ve got the empathy for you; they understand you and want the best for you they will ask the right questions to help you. A good trainer will always want to know your limitations and your targets.
Gym vs Home Workouts
Another fitness question that is always asked is do I have to go to the gym? I personally love gyms. Gyms offer a variety, lots of training equipment but it’s not necessarily good if it’s a hassle to get to the gym. If it’s easier for you to go outside of your house and do something than going to the gym, then why not stick to the one that works for you. The most important thing is for you to do something. There is no point signing up for a gym if you are not going to be consistent. However, on a flip, if you sign up for a gym and it motivates you to exercise, then that’s a really good one. Common psychology suggests that humans are motivated to do something when they pay for it. If you’ve had a gym membership before and it wasn’t successful, you need to question why. Was it convenience? Was it the distance? Was it the environment? These are critical questions to answer in order to get your motivation back. So, it doesn’t need to be a gym that you must go to, you may not necessarily need a trainer but it may just be an exercise outside of your house that will work for you.
Identify Your Roadblocks
If you are not exercising at this moment, if you haven’t been exercising regularly, ask yourself these questions; why? What are the obstacles? What’s stopping me from doing it? If you can identify the answer to these questions, then you know you are on your way to improvement. It is common knowledge that exercise improves your health; you will live a longer and higher quality of life if you are exercising. It reduces many risks of diseases. The question is, why don’t we do it regularly? This is a question that can be answered on a personal level. For an exercise routine to work, it has to fit your lifestyle, it has to come from you. If you don’t like exercising at the moment, there is a solution for that indifference. There must always be a solution for you and it doesn’t matter what time constraints you have, what you like or don’t like, there is something we can do to get you more active.
Lifestyle Change vs Short Term Goals
I have heard some people say, “I started an exercise program and the results aren't happening”, well, there’s a reason for that. I think first of all we have to identify what results you are looking for? You may have started an exercise program and you are not getting results because you don’t have the nutrition. It is very important that you get the exercise and the nutrition relationship right. However, you’ve got to work slowly at it. For instance, if it took you fifteen years to gain fifteen kilos, you cannot expect to lose fifteen kilos in a month of your weight loss program and sustain it. 90% of people that lose weight in a hurry put it back on and they even put on more than before. Why? It is because they haven’t really committed to a change of lifestyle. You’ve got to change your lifestyle, and it’s a forever thing. It is not just to get fit for summer, not just to lose weight for a wedding or an occasion. You will need to make that commitment for the rest of your life because you will live a longer, healthier life if you do exercise regularly.
