Sunday, April 19, 2015

WHY DO YOU AVOID EXERCISE ?


I have been speaking to a number of people recently and a recurrent theme with most of them is the understanding of the importance of exercise, they believe it and know that the health benefits are countless and obvious .... but strangely there is also a huge desire to avoid it.
Now if one invites the same people to a party where copious amounts of alcohol are served they'll go at the drop of a hat. They will complain of all sorts of physical ailments that prevent them from exercising and yet downing a bottle of wine presents no problem at all. They could be on a plethora of medicines which again they will use as an excuse not to exercise and yet the same medicines do not prevent them from getting drunk ... or eating all the wrong food. If I point this out they will laugh and say I'm boring. The ridiculousness and hypocrisy of this just seems to escape them completely.

      Instead of looking after our health which is the most important thing to a human being bent on survival they choose to abuse it and nothing will prevent that abuse. If they have a cold or a sore throat or a bad back, heart complaint or high cholesterol, even diabetes, chances are they will still head off for that boozy lunch ... but a little exercise, nah!
       Weird isn't it. The other excuse is that it's more fun going out than exercising. This is surely just perception as both can be fun and both can be boring and besides whatever you do it's how you do it and what you put into ... and your attitude that really matters.
        Often I find going out for dinner or lunch quite stressful, mainly due to the food choices available as well as the time it takes ... and are people really that interesting? As Alan Coren once said, 'If people were that entertaining they'd put them in the corner of the living room attached to a remote!'. And on the flip side, do I enjoy every run or workout ? Of course not but am I benefitting from it? Absolutely.
    Life is a balance but the statistics of people exercising and eating correctly is radically disproportionate to those drinking, smoking, eating badly and taking a plethora of prescribed medicines.
    It has been suggested that Doctors should prescribe exercise instead of medications, well of course they should but unfortunately they rarely do as people are inheritantly lazy and doctors know this. Patients want the quick easy fix of drugs and pills. A recent large scale study showed an increase of 13% extended life expectancy for those who take regular high intensity exercise .. and this is at any age and yet will people care or take action; judging by the statistics for out of control obesity in many countries, I doubt it. Often when parents are told that their kids are obese they just refuse to believe it and just carry on feeding them crap ... and these are loving, caring parents!
      Poor food choices are just a normal part of everyday life and the food companies just don't seem to be bothered at all, its astonishing. They will only change their ingredients or food labelling when forced to buy legislation. There are always exceptions but sadly not many.
    So how do you get started and fire yourself to take action? I think setting a goal is a great way of focusing the mind and body otherwise it's all too easy to just leave it .... which is unfortunately what most people do. The question is, 'Are you most people?'
    If you keep putting off eating healthily or beginning an effective exercise regime then unfortunately the consequences of your lack of action will be realised in some form of debilitating health issue at some point in the future. These are the facts and it's no good denying it or pretending nothing will happen because it will. If you are reading this and you think you are a little overweight, you are probably very overweight ... and quite possibly clinically obese. If you are not sure then have a fat test or some other equivalent, have a blood test, have a fitness test, have a heart rate test. Then when you have the evidence it may inspire you to do something about it.

                    'Our lives are shaped in the moment of our decisions'

   Stop procrastinating and DO SOMETHING. This does not mean joining a gym, buying some trainers and then just hanging out in the coffee bar. Make a plan and stick to it. Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going.
    Healthy eating choices and effective exercise must become part of your life .. not a 2 week wonder. It is proven that exercising continually on a daily/weekly basis is the key to optimum health. It's never too late as the body will respond amazingly quickly once you start.
   Its time to take action, get up off the sofa and do something!!
    


 

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