Nearly everyone I’ve spoken to has some sort of fitness goal, whether its running a marathon, trying to fit into a wedding dress or being able to do a pull up.
During my years of training I’ve met hundreds of people and many have expressed their dissatisfaction with jiggly things here and there, clothes not fitting, high blood pressure, inability to do a push up or getting tired going up the stairs, etc. I’ve also heard a million and one excuses as to why they can’t workout.
My favorite excuse has been, “I know what I should be doing“. Sadly that isn’t the case with most people, which leads me into my first reason.
1. You Don’t Know What You Are Doing
Eighty percent of injuries occur in new members of a gym. Why? Because most don’t know what they are doing. They pick up a barbell or KB, try and snatch it over their head with no prior experience; well, there goes your rotator cuff!
There has been a spike in the amount of fitness professionals within the recent years, but this doesn’t mean that everyone who works out or you see in the gym knows what they are doing. It takes years of doing something to get good at it, just like with anything else.
I often tell potential clients and some current clients that working out and learning how to work out is like going to school. For example, you attend school everyday for months at a time, for years in order to get really good at something. The same thing applies with working out. You can’t just take one Body Pump class and all of a sudden become an expert.
So if you need help, do your research and hire a Personal Trainer or pay for a program to follow that teaches you how to properly workout. I know I’m biased because I work in the fitness Industry, but like I said before, some of the best money I have spent has been on multiple trainers and I have learned a lot.
If you don’t want to hire a personal trainer I suggest looking online at credible resources (being an IFBB Pro or Bikini Diva doesn’t automatically make someone credible) for what programs they offer.
There are a lot of resources online of workout videos and programs you can follow. If you are a newbie I strongly suggest following something that has videos accompanied with it, as laying proper foundations will be instrumental and will greatly impact your success, and prevent you from getting injured.
2. You’ve Been Doing The Same Thing Forever
I honestly think this is a cultural thing. People like comfort. They found a routine online, like three years ago, that they’ve gotten really good at and now that’s all they do. I get it, it’s cool to be good at something and it feels great. But usually once you’ve been good at something in the gym for a while, let’s say it’s pretty easy for you to bicep curl those 20’s for 12 reps, it’s time re-evaluate your program. It’s also pretty likely you’ve also hit a plateau as well.
Instead of challenging your body, you’ve been doing what’s called maintenance. Why would you want to waste your time doing something that’s not challenging or changing you? Think about how many hours you’ve spent in the gym doing the same workout routine forever. If you workout 5 days a week at 1 hour per workout for a year that’s 260 hours of your year that you have spent doing something that is not conducive to your success.
3. Your Workouts Are Not Varied Enough
You’re a cardio queen, meathead or devout yogi. You should aspire to be all of the above. The Mayo Clinic suggests, fitness training balances five elements of good health. Make sure your routine includes aerobic fitness, strength training, core exercises, balance training, flexibility and stretching.
Stray away from doing one type of exercise. I know its cool to meet your fitness ‘besties’ at your scheduled Soul Cycle class every week, but doing the same type of workout is not only bad for your goals, it can also lead to injury.
4. Your Form Is Incorrect
Form is everything. That is all.
5. You Ae Not Eating Enough
People have this notion that when you start a workout program that you need to keep eating tiny portions. If you are currently inactive I would probably still keep eating teeny tiny portions, because that’s the only way you will continue to maintain the weight that you are currently or at or by some miracle lose some weight.
Upon entering a fitness program please ditch the skinny girl diet! Your metabolism will start speeding up and your body will actually need a wide variety of nutrients. Yes, you should continue to watch what you eat but make sure you are eating enough, especially post workout. Trust me, eating after you workout will not make you fat!
6. Not Eating The Right Foods
Not consuming enough protein, not eating enough carbs, consuming too much sugar and not eating enough whole foods. It all plays a role.
7. Not Working Out Enough
Everyone wants to workout once a week and look like a super model. People think working out five days a week for an hour is a big chore, but you will not reach your fitness goals by working out once a week.
Do you spend time on Facebook, Buzzfeed and Instagram? If you have time to go on Facebook you have time to workout. Make time for yourself.
Often someone who has a huge weight loss that they are trying to achieve, the weight was not gained overnight. It was gained through years of eating bad food and inactivity. Achieving fitness goals can take years and years of working at something.
8. You’re In It For The Wrong Reasons
You only do it because of the extrinsic reasons, aka, you only exercise to look good. So once you’ve reached your goal and look the way you want to, its no longer important to you, then you quit working out and stop watching what you eat.
Once you start gaining weight again, you come back to the gym and decide to get back on your diet. It’s common knowledge that those who work out for intrinsic reasons are more likely to commit to a fitness program.
9. It’s A Chore Instead Of Something Preventative
You don’t have to like working out. Hey, sometimes I don’t like my workouts either! But I do them. I do it because I don’t want to be sick, I want to be mentally clear, I want to fit in my clothes, and I want to inspire others.
Of course everyone wants to look good, but working out is more than looking good. You should workout because you want to be able age gracefully and be mobile for most of your life.
10. You Make Excuses
Simply put, stop making them and you will reach your goals.
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