7 Stumbling Blocks to Getting Exercise

By Daniel Taverne

You’d like to work out, but your family and/or job demands so much of your time, that when you finally get some to yourself, you don’t want to spend it sweating on a tread mill. Well, have no fear, you are not alone. Below are some common stumbling blocks preventing many people from getting regular exercise, as well as some easy ideas for overcoming them.

Vehicles:

Look at how lazy our cars and trucks made some of us. My friend, James, insists on taking the car up to the corner store, even though it’s only two blocks away. What a great opportunity he is missing out on to get some exercise. Here’s an idea: If and when possible, leave the car at home. Get a bicycle or walk to the corner store for needed items.

In parking lots, Instead of driving lap after lap in hopes of getting a space as close as possible to the doors at work, at the grocery store, or at the mall, you might think about parking in the first available space you see. Doing this will add beneficial movement to your life with minimal effort.

Escalators and elevators:

It may sound cliché’, but taking the stairs instead of the elevator is as helpful a tip today as ever. This applies to the escalator as well.

Attitude:

There was a time when I decided to start working out during my lunch hour, but by the time I changed my clothes, got to the gym, parked the car, and sat on the abdominal crunch machine, it was time to get a shower, get back in the car, and head back to work. After a week of this, I decided to forgo working out during lunch. I figured it was just too much trouble.

Keeping a good attitude about getting a lunchtime workout in probably would have led to my finding alternative lunch hour activities to engage in much, much sooner. Your attitude comes from within, in which case failure is your fault, and your fault alone. So, my advice to you is not to let your own attitude dictate your failures!

Television:

Since our butts have to be parked in order to watch television, we are forced into inactivity by our television sets. For some reason, I always laugh when I ask my kids to do something then hear them say, “Not right now, I’m watching television.” Like “watching” television is actually doing something. In this phrase, “watching” shouldn’t even be classified as a verb. Should it? If you don’t have the fortitude to toss your television onto the trash pile, at least turn the thing off once in a while. By limiting your time in front of the tube, you could net yourself great opportunities for putting exercise into your life.

Gyms:

Next to television, this category could easily be the largest stumbling block to people working out. I’ve always asked myself why there are huge mirrors in the weight room. And why there are always constipated-face-making-guys standing around flexing things I never knew existed.

It’s hard for out of shape people, like me, to walk into a gym like this where the majority of people look buff. Here, you must be aware that Feeling out of place or inadequate can make you insecure resulting in nonparticipation.

My advice: either ignore the “face makers” and concentrate on your own gym activities, or introduce yourself to those muscle makers. Most weight-lifters would be more than happy to assist and instruct a novice in proper weight lifting techniques.

Maybe the gym just isn’t your thing, in which case you don’t need one at all. You can work out at home, at a friend’s house, or even at the park. As a matter of fact, the only equipment you actually need is yourself and a pair of running shoes. Combining Simple walking, running, push-ups, and sit-ups on a regular basis can net you impressive results in a relatively short amount of time.

Household tasks:

Don’t look at your housework as a tedious time consuming responsibility. Instead, look at it as an opportunity to creatively work out. Have you heard of, “Sweating’ to the Oldies”? Well, I say, put on your favorite music and get busy dance-vacuuming, wiggle-wiping and washing, sashay-sweeping, mambo-mopping, and do these with energetic gusto.

If your chores include the yard, that is the most abundant place to get exercise. You can rake, pick up leaves, take out the trash, cut the grass (with a push mower) and even do some gardening where you have to stoop and bend as well as carry bags of mulch, fertilizer and potting soil.

Age:

Are you too old to play? I suggest you think hard about this one. Great opportunities for exercise are missed out on everyday by millions because they think they are too old to play. Well, I say nonsense! Buy a bicycle and ride with your kids or grandkids to the store for ice cream. On a windy day, you could fly a kite like you did as a child. You could play catch or Frisbee with the kids or with a spouse. You could even go hiking or to the nearest state park for a relatively short nature walk.

This winter, you could go sledding. This is great exercise because in order to come down the hill, you first have to walk up the hill. If you do this once, I think you’ll find a much appreciated fast and fun reward flying down the hill.

To sum this up, adding exercise to your life isn’t rocket science. It’s a simple matter of creating and using opportunities wisely to increase your daily activity level. That said, the possibilities are endless; limited only by your imagination, and your resolve to get moving.