Its Boring
Yes, working out is not as entertaining
as the new Batman movie, or the latest episode of Breaking Bad... but neither is doing your homework, going to work, or doing chores. Yet you still do all those things for one
reason-you know that ultimately, the positives of doing those things far
outweigh the negatives. If you do not do
your homework, you won’t do good in college (or any other level of
learning). If you don’t go to work, you
will not be able to afford the things you want.
If you do not work out, your robbing yourself of a substantially
increased quality of life. Just like any
unpleasant thing in your life, you find little ways to make it more
enjoyable. You can listen to music while
you workout- there is nothing more motivational than blasting eye of the tiger
when you get near the end of an insanity workout. You can also work out with a friend or family
member. I would actually recommend
working out with someone else, because not only will you make the workout more
bearable, you also make it competitive by doing it with someone else. I always go HAM (hard) when I workout, but if
I am working out with my brother, I put in a little more effort to show him
what I’m made of- I don’t want him to think I’m weak. Another way to offset boredom is to go to a
class at your local gym. Try something
new, like cycling, yoga, Caribbean dance, whatever, as long as it keeps you
coming back go for it! Its all about figuring out what works for you.
It’s Hard
Damn right it is,
it should be anyway. If you want to see
real results, you need to push yourself, whether your working out for 10 or 45
minutes. I really think that not working
out is harder than working out in the long run.
Before I started working out, I would get tired after walking for more
than twenty minutes. Running “the mile” in
middle school seemed like an impossible feat that could only be performed by a
professional “runner”. I could not lift
furniture, or boxes, or really much of anything. My baseline energy level was just weak. After working out for over 8 years now, I can
say that I never have trouble lifting anything (within reason), it takes a hell
of a lot of running to get me out of breath, and my energy levels are just phenomenal. I can do much more in a day than I could back
in middle school- so all I have to say is in the long run, working out is actually easier than sitting on your couch.
I Can’t
Afford a Gym Membership
If you don’t live near a Planet Fitness, gym memberships can
be hard on your wallet. So what? You do
not need a gym membership to go for a run in the park, or to work out at
home. For the fifty dollars you would
have spent at the gym this month, you could easily buy a set of free weights
and work out at your house. Another way
around this issue is to get a job at a gym that offers free membership to
employees. Or stop spending money on extraneous things. “I cant
afford a membership” is just another excuse, if you have the will to work out you
will find a way to make it work out.
I Don’t Want Huge Muscles, I Just Want to Get Toned
If you don’t want huge muscles, you won’t get them, plain and
simple. Bodybuilders, the people who
have the huge muscles, dedicate their lives to weightlifting. They count every calorie, take an array of
supplements, and workout every day of the week.
It is incredibly hard work. Its
incredibly hard to get big muscles when you do want them, so if you don’t you
really don’t have anything to worry about.
And if you’re a girl, you really really have nothing to worry about. Girls don’t naturally produce testosterone,
which makes it much harder to build muscle than men.
I’m Self Conscious About What People Think of me at the Gym
Well first, the obvious solution is to just not work out at
the gym if it makes you feel too uncomfortable, but there are many other options
available. If your deadset on
hitting the gym, remember that everyone started
somewhere. The most chiseled
bodybuilders you see at the gym used to be a skinny kid who wanted to buff up,
an obese kid who wanted to slim down, or an average kid who wanted to look
better. No one comes out of their mother
with “two guns and a six pack” ready to go, that stuff takes time and
dedication, a lot of it. And anyway,
people will think more of you for making the effort to improve yourself. Plus
who cares what anyone else thinks, all that matters is that your taking steps
to improve your own health and well being.
If other people don’t like that, screw them! Most of the people at any
gym are too worried about what you think of them to form an opinion of you
anyway.
I Don’t Have Time
Read my last article on quick workouts that anyone can
do. Where there’s a will, theres a
way. Working out is a great way to wake
up. It circulates blood throughout your
body, while releasing serotonin and dopamine, two chemicals that are guaranteed
to wake you up better than that cup of coffee you normally drink. You can also use your lunch break at work to
work out. My dad has been spending 45
minutes of his hour lunch break working out for the last five years, and loves
it. After you get home from work,
instead of surfing the web or watching tv for an hour, work out! It will wake
you up, and who wouldn’t want more energy to do the things they actually want
to do after work? You can work out
literally anytime you have a half hour free during the day. The only time I would not recommend working
out is late at night, before you go to bed, as it can disrupt your sleep cycle.
As you can see, there are plenty of
reasons not to work out, but no good ones.
Just do it!
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