One of the root causes of obesity and all of its accompanying illnesses can be summed up in one short sentence,” I don’t have time to exercise”. Believe it or not even as a Fitness Professional I totally sympathsize with this as I never seem to have any time to exercise either, BUT I MAKE TIME!
Where on your priority list do feeling better, looking better and leading a healthier life rank? If they are not in the top 6 then how can you honestly call them a priority? Maybe a better question is why they are not a priority? In order to position these wants as priorities you MUST dedicate time each day and week to making them so. Now don’t make it difficult which I feel way too many of you out there do. You need to start off slow and work out all the bugs being sure to make changes, which fit your life rather than force fit it. Most people assume they have to exercise for a set amount of time and under perfect conditions this is a good idea but for those of you having trouble squeezing in time for exercise I have just the thing.
I assume a lot of you out there spend some time in front of the TV each day and night and in doing so you more than likely suffer through all those obnoxious SCAMS for fat loss pills and all the dance DVD’s promising muscles and 6 pack abs. If so and if you’re having trouble finding even the smallest amounts of time for exercise try this for the next 21 days. Every time one of those commercials, ads or infomercials pops on the tube get up and do jumping jacks, push-ups or perfect abdominal crunches for the duration of the commercial. People think I’m crazy when I recommend this and I’ll admit it does seem silly but after 21 days you’ll be quite amazed at how much exercise you actually execute.
I tested this out years ago with a group of 11 clients who on average viewed 2.5-3 hours of TV daily. Over the course of their 7-day blocks they performed roughly 2700 reps (combinations of jacks, jumps, pushes, pulls, planks, crunches) each week. Keep it mind this was 7 years ago and I guarantee you the amount of horse crap fitness junk on TV these days has increased by ten fold so your potential reps will obviously increase. This is an easy way to incorporate exercise into your day even if you’re pressed for time.
Want some added accountability? Make it a little family competition complete with progress charts on the fridge and some type of incentive for reps completed for each family member weekly. You can have all types of fun with this by adding different venues: each time you open the fridge, every time you receive a text message or cell phone call or how about including the computer as well? I get flooded with snake oil supplement pop ups and get skinny ads every second I’m online. Play all the angles and watch how easy it is to get in shape.
Remember, there is always time for exercise and no such thing as bad exercise. Have fun and keep it safe and simple.
Geoff Kalmbach is a Fitness Expert, columnist, speaker, and Certified Fitness Professional. Geoff has incorporated health and fitness into thousands of lives all over the world. Sign up for his FREE monthly newsletter at http://www.getfunctionallyfit.com
