Strategies to Excuse-Proof Your Workout

No More Excuses. Period.

If you've recently started an exercise program, research tells us that most likely 50% of you have bailed on your goals!

One study from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania showed that a quarter of people who resolve to lose weight and change their eating habits on January 1 will go back to their old ways within a week. The following shows how many of these resolutions are maintained as time goes on:

- Past the first week: 75%
- Past 2 weeks: 71%
- After one month: 64%
- After 6 months: 46%

You've probably experienced some challenges on your journey to your goal. How have your dealt with them? Perhaps it's time to recheck your motivation and inspiration.

If you're one of those who's already hung up your sneakers, let me get you back on track.

Here's a list of common excuses NOT to exercise and the combat strategies to overcome them:

I don't have time to work out!

This is the #1 excuse to never starting or quitting an exercise program. When life gets tough, exercise is usually the first thing to go which should be the last. Exercise is one of the best ways of boosting your mental sanity when you want to get the tough going. Research demonstrates that exercisers are more productive; i.e., exercise saves time rather than consumes it.

Exercise also doesn't have to be a huge time commitment. According to the updated Physical Activity Guidelines from ACSM and AHA, exercise done in as short as 10 minutes for 3 times a day can count towards the daily activity recommendation and still reap health and fitness benefits.

I have offered many efficient circuit training routines that combine strength training and cardio circuit exercise into a total-body balanced workout. In addition, I provide a wide variety of effective weight training routines. All these training programs are designed to help busy people to get their workout done in 45 minutes. Superset workout is one of the most effective weight training systems.

You can also exercise first thing in the morning so that it's scratched off from your "To Do" List. Morning exercisers tend to stick to their routines better than people who exercise later in the day.

I have no energy!

"I'm too tired to work out!" is another perpetual excuse. Long time exercisers know from their experience that exercise actually refuels and revitalizes leaving you with more energy.

If you feel too tired to run, you can go for a walk. Walking in fast pace and moderate intensity can be a good exercise for your brain and heart health. Once you start to get going, you'll feel great and may want to run again because more blood and oxygen are pumped to your brain and muscles. When you get into the grooves, try the high intensity interval training H.I.I.T. cardio to rev up your metabolism, melt away unwanted body fat and reveal your six pack abs.

I'm too old to exercise!

You're never too old to exercise! You simply cannot afford NOT to exercise.

A 30-year old sedentary individual will suffer from a 10% decrease in muscle mass, aerobic capacity and flexibility. Their bone density will deteriorate. By the age of 68, an 80% decrease in strength will be noted. By the age of 80, an individual would have lost one half of their muscle mass. If you incorporate exercise, particularly weight-bearing activities, this rate decreases dramatically. The positive benefits of exercise have been displayed in 90-year-old subjects.

So it's never too late to get started! You can still stay fit even if you're over 40! Mary Stroebe is 89 years old and has been placed first in her age group for the fifth year in a row in the Life Time Fitness Triathlon. The majority of 89 year olds are either debilitated or barely capable of moving, not to mention to do a triathlon that includes swimming, cycling and running. She is an inspiration to everyone who knows her story. She's strong and still running.

If you're still in doubt, check out Kelly and Colleen - national fitness champion mother/daughter duo. They look so lean and ripped. Guess how old they are? Kelly (mother) on the left is 75 and Colleen (daughter) on the right is 46 years old! WOW!! Aren't they amazing. Kelly didn't start weight training until she was 53 years old. So says who that you're too old to exercise. You should feel ashamed to use this lame excuse not to exercise.

I hate exercise!
In the beginning, exercise may feel like a chore. Eventually exercise will become a need for both your physical and mental health. It's important to find activities that you actually enjoy doing so that you'll participate regularly, see the results and get hooked. Use music, try lifestyle activities like hiking or walking, and add variety by cross training to your program to make it more fun. You can also choose many physical activities, sports and workouts by your personality.

Some studies have also shown that people who exercise with friends tend to achieve better results. So find a workout buddy, join a running club or take a group exercise class. Form your own "circle of fitness" with like-minded friends. The support system or mastermind group may make it difficult to skip workouts. Having other people there may make the journey a lot more enjoyable.

An alternative is to find a good cause for running other than for yourself. Train and enter a fund-raising event that help cancer patients and family. A very popular one is Team in Training organzied through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

When you want to stay in shape, be aware of who you're associated with. Research shows that your close friends can be very powerful in a good or bad way, even the long distance ones. Your friends can make you fat !?

There's also no evidence to suggest that exercise needs to be painful. If it hurts that much, you may be doing too much too soon. That's the #1 cause of injury. Watch out for signs of overtraining and potential injuries.

I'm too out of shape to exercise!

Some people are self-conscious about themselves. They feel intimated when going to gym to exercise in front of mirror and other muscle buffs. A survey found the #1 reason why people choose not to join a gym is because they want to get into better shape or lose weight first. This backwards approach may never get you to your goals.

Find a facility that is non-intimidating where you feel comfortable to go and work out there. In fact, people tend to focus on themselves in the gym than on others. So just focus on your own workout and don't compare with other people.

If the gym scene is not your thing, don't make that an excuse. There are literally hundreds of things you can do from the privacy of your own home to get in shape. Go to your local book store and pick up a book on designing your own program. Rent some fitness videos. Hire a personal trainer to come to your house and design a customized in-home training program for you. On-line training and coaching is available as well.

I have a back problem! My knees hurt! I've got arthritis!

The health benefits of exercise often outweigh the risks. Certain orthopedic or medical conditions may make exercise more difficult but you can work around most problems. Consult with a fitness professional who can design a program that addresses your specific concerns.

I don't see any results!
One of the biggest stumbling blocks new exercisers experience is that the effort often doesn't match the reward. They've been exercising religiously for 4 weeks and jump up on the scale. Ugh, no change! They feel the program must not be working and give up. Unrealistic expectations can be a real downer!

Instead of measuring your progress by the scale, measure your energy levels. Monitor how many more repetitions you can perform of any exercise. Assess how many more minutes you can perform of any given activity. You may be making more progress than you think! If you can get through the first three months, you've put the most difficult part behind you. Soon, you won't believe that quitting was ever an option!

I always forget something!

Set up your gym bag the night before and do a quick inventory of everything you'll need. Keep an extra pair of socks and shoes and spare workout shirt and short/ pant in the gym bag. Plan ahead and always keep a set of gym outfits in your car.

Going to the gym is such a hassle!

Bypass the waiting line to the cardio machine and workout out at home. You can do your cardio training by running or biking outside. Keep simple training equipment at home such as several pairs of dumbbells, a stability ball, mat, Pilates ring, resistance tubing or bands and jump rope. If your home space and budget allow, you can build a home gym by adding an adjustable weight bench, squat rack, barbell weight set, a treadmill or an elliptical trainer, etc.

Remember, bodyweight strength circuit training can be just as challenging and gruelling if you do them right!

Follow these real-world strategies to help you overcome those daily hurdles that keep you from reaching your exercise goals. Ultimately, your lifestyle change is the secret to lifelong health and weight management.

Learn top 20 ways to stick to your workout. >>

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The Power of Friends

In your journey to the quest of life-long health and fitness, you know that it's important to include exercises (both resistance and cardiovascular training), balanced diet and nutrition.

You also understand that goal-setting, mental toughness and your burning desire are critical in keeping you on track.

But all these are just bells and whistles. You need a solid framework to build upon and around it. This framework is the secret to long-term fat loss success and weight management; that's, your healthy and performance lifestyle.

In addition, it's helpful to include a mastermind group who supports you. The mastermind group is a group of like-minded people who work toward the common goals (e.g., fitness, fat loss, sports, etc.). You'll support each other, hold each other accountable and keep each other focused. It's also helpful to include a coach or trainer to provide guidance and training to you and the group.

Another missing link you cannot ignore is the "environment" around you. Put it this way, you are the product of your five closest friends in health and fitness.

If you want to stay fit and healthy, hang out and keep a good company of fitness-minded friends. It doesn't mean that you break up with your overweight or obese friends. Just beware when you want to keep your body in shape.

Surround yourself with friends and co-workers who are health-conscious and engage in exercises and physical activities. In fact, the power of friends is so far-reaching that you can influence your overweight friends in a positively empowering way.

In a recent groundbreaking Study: Your Friends Can Make You Fat, the researchers concluded that obesity is contagious, spreading through social networks.

Being obese is like having split ends. A lot of people get it, nobody likes it, but once is spreads... it's everywhere!

Christakis and James H. Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, took advantage of detailed records collected between 1971 and 2003 on 12,067 adults who participated in the well-known Framingham Heart Study.

"Friends, more than family or neighbors, are the ones propagating the epidemic. So if your friends put on weight, you're more likely to put on the pounds, too." said the study.

The study found a person's chances of becoming obese went up 57 percent if a friend did, 40 percent if a sibling did and 37 percent if a spouse did. In the closest friendships, the risk almost tripled.

However, the researchers found no effect among (obese) neighbors unless they were friends.

The researchers calculated that when an obese person gained 17 pounds, the corresponding friend put on an extra 5 pounds on the average. What a sympathetic gain!

The worst part is that your overweight friends don't have to live anywhere near you. In today's communication technologies, your friend of hundreds of miles away can just call, email or text you about his or her recent weight gain. A close friend's weight gain can be even more dangerous.

On the positive note, the research showed that heavy and thin people are causing their friends to become more like them.

So on the flip side, thinness is contagious, too.

If you're fit and healthy, you can impact your "heavy" friends to become "thinner" as they may look up to you as a role model. It could be "peer pressure" that your friend want to look more like you --- not just thin but fit and healthy.

And of course, there's always a chance that you can lose your upper hand and succumb to your heavy friends to put on weight.

That's why it's important to choose healthy and favorable "environment" around you --- your friends and circles of friends.

I have offered many tips to keep you empowered and motivated in your health and fitness program.

I hope I can have the positive impact on the obesity epidemic by educating and training people about the importance in lifestyle changes, exercise, healthy and balance diet.

>>> Sign up for FREE monthly e-Newsletter to receive insider training tips, workout routines and check out your FREE bonus e-books to help you build muscles, lose fat and uncover your six pack abs.

So Are You Empowered?

The Number One challenge to health and fitness success is consistency and program compliance.

In an earlier article, I have covered the topic as to how to stay motivated in your fitness program.

You can get the world's best trainer and nutritionist to get you started in the lifelong journey of health and fitness. But you need more than just trainer, nutritionist or exercise program for long term success.

The question is not how well you start but how strong you can stay on after a year and ultimately your own long-term health and well-being.

No matter how great a program is, you still have to do it by yourself. Many people drop out of their exercise and diet program as soon as their trainers are gone and nobody is watching them. These are "external" motivations. You have to be able to "internalize" them to become "intrinsic" motivations inside yourself. The intrinsic motivations become part of you until you don't feel and need them. They turn into habits - that you don't need someone or external rewards to "motivate" you. You're automatically programmed to do it subconsciously. It's this high level of self-discipline, commitment and healthy habit that play the most important role in exercise and diet program compliance.

The model for stages of behavioral change is well known and has been applied to exercise and fat loss study.

The stage of behavioral change goes from (1) precontemplation, (2) contemplation, (3) preparation, (4) action, to finally, (4) maintenance. In the table, it summarizes the definition of each stage, some common issues, barriers and concerns that people experience as they move from a sedentary to an active lifestyle.

The progression of healthy behavioral changes is likely not to be linear. You'll bump into some obstacles along the way to set you backward. Remember, be clear in your big goal. It helps put you in the correct long-term perspective.

Ask yourself why exercise is important, why eating healthy is important, why staying physically active is important? What do you want to achieve in your life goals? And why?

By answering these questions, it helps you increase your awareness of the importance of a more active lifestyle and increase your confidence that being more active is possible. You're able to incorporate physical activities into your life that you enjoy doing on a regular basis.

When you're doing something that you enjoy doing without being forced to do, you don't need external motivation. You're doing it for the sheer pleasure of doing. You'll feel empowered because you're in charge. You won't feel bored.

So are you empowered?

Learn top 20 ways to stick to your workout. >>

>>> Sign up for FREE monthly e-Newsletter to receive insider training tips, workout routines and check out your FREE bonus e-books to help you build muscles, lose fat and uncover your six pack abs.