Top Ten Reasons You’re Not Seeing a Change in Your Body (that have nothing to do with exercise) -Part II

When it comes to not getting the results we expect from exercise, sometimes we mistake our “reasons” (not recognizing them for what they are) for excuses.  Then we blame everyone around us for things not working out as we’d planned.  Excuse it seems, has no better friend than exercise.

Just because you put on your shorts and tennis shoes, drive to the gym, park and walk through the door, doesn’t mean the muscle will start growing or the fat will melt off automagically.  Are you really giving it all you got?  You’re not trying to be an Olympic athlete or anything-so what’s it going to take…killing yourself, you ask?  But, is that really what’s going on?  Are you really making the most of your time in the gym?  Are you being honest with yourself when it comes to how you’ve been eating?  Ah ha!  Self-deception rears its ugly head…it’s O.K., it’s easy to do.
 

Last issue, in Part I, we discussed The Top Ten Reasons You're Not Seeing a Change in Your Body (that have nothing to do with exercise.) Below are the next five on the countdown (Part II)...Get past all ten excuses and see your results soar! 

5.  I don’t really know what I’m doing and I can’t afford to work with a personal trainer- If you believe this, 
you’re not being honest with yourself.  The ideal would be to work with a fitness professional; no doubt.  And although fitness instruction can be expensive, if you dig a little deeper, you often see that it’s more a question of priorities than it is disposable income. I once knew a girl at my gym who told me she desperately wanted to work with me but couldn’t afford it.  Over the course of the next couple weeks, she proudly displayed a brand new Prada bag, shared her Hawaii vacation pictures with me, and talked about the wonderful dinner she’s had at an expensive restaurant nearby. Clearly, this girl could have afforded to train with me but would rather spend money on expensive dinners, vacations, and accessories that she would’ve enjoyed much more as a confident, fit person.  If you want to get in better shape faster, and with less risk of injury, hire a professional.

Furthermore, there is a new business model in the fitness industry called semi-private or small group training.  With this model, the cost of a personal training session is split between 2 or 3 people.  The group can consist of friends you pull together for this purpose or it can be arranged through the trainer who might know others who are looking for a small group to join. With this model, expense is no longer an issue, the personalized attention is nearly the same but the price is dramatically more affordable.  Plus, the social support of the group will prove highly motivating. 

There are more books, articles, websites, and internet programs designed to teach you step-by-step, how to get in shape, than you can imagine.  If you are claiming that you can’t afford to get the help you need, you just aren’t ready to commit to an exercise program.  It’s out there, all you have to do is put some effort into finding something that works for you.

4.  I workout hard so that I can eat whatever I want.  If only that were true! You’ve heard it said before: “You can’t out-train a bad diet.”  That goes double for thinking that an extra hour of “cardio” will burn off those calories.  If this is your idea of damage control, it won’t work.  The body doesn’t work that way. Fueling it with nutritious food is critical to your progress and no amount of "cardio" will offset the effects of poor food choices on your body

3.  I’m too tired- Ask anyone who’s worked with me....I’m not the drill sergeant type but on this one, I just say “suck it up.”  With the economy being what it is these days, many people are working several jobs just to make ends meet in addition to family obligations, chores, errands, and the like.  Yet, it’s been my experience that the busier someone is, the more they get done.  That goes for exercise too.  Your workouts need to be scheduled; like any other appointment in your day, preferably, first thing in the morning so that it’s sure to get done.

All that working making you too tired to train? Get your blood sugar balanced, get your 8 hours of sleep, and make sure and pursue some type of serenity plan to bring down those stress hormones; then, you’ll have the energy to work out the way you know you should-so you have the strength and energy to fulfill all your obligations.  You can also get my ebook 13 Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy  to help you with some energy boosting strategies.

2.  I’m just not motivated.  “You can't wait for motivation; You have to go after it with a club.”  That Jack London was a genius.  There is no on/off switch for motivation.  Remember when you were a kid and your mom said “sometimes we have to do things we don’t feel like doing?” Even if you’re totally committed to your exercise program, there will be those times when you just don’t feel like going to the gym-for any number of reasons.  At times like this, just get in the car and promise yourself you'll just “putz around” today-not do much of anything.  You can always keep that promise and feel good about it because something is better than nothing but chances are, you will have a change of heart once you make it past the first exercise.  If all else fails, check out the motivation page on my website for some great ideas on how to stay motivated.

1.  And the biggest excuse you’re using for not being in the kind of shape you should be in by now…..
I don’t have the time to train properly. Pure nonsense. Any fitness or even mainstream publication in print, on television, or over the internet has published articles and information about how to see results in less time than ever; IF you’re willing to keep the intensity up.  If you are working out longer than 45-60 minutes, you are not working out properly and that’s why you’re not seeing results.
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Fitness expert and Athletic Develpment Specialist Jini Cicero, CSCS, teaches intermediate exercisers how to blast through plateaus to create incredible transformations. Are you ready to take your fitness to a whole new level?  Find out now!  Take Jini's "Are you Ready?" Quiz at www.Jinifit.com.

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