Supposedly, it’s New Year, new you. Unfortunately, all we are hearing is New Year, same excuses.
This might be the period of the year where the gyms are full to capacity, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that everyone is throwing themselves into their new regime. On the contrary, some guys just can’t wait to make up the next excuse on why not to go – and this is where today’s guide comes into the picture.
We have put together the seven most common excuses when it comes to avoiding going to the gym. Suffice to say, if you can get over these, you’ll do your chances of long-term improvement the world of chances. Let’s jump straight into the list.
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“My gym is too busy and I don’t want to queue”
In some ways, this is a legit excuse. After all, who wants to drag themselves to the gym after work, only to see that they’ll be waiting in line for the next piece of equipment. Unfortunately, particularly at the turn of the year when New Year’s resolutions are out in full force, this is something that regularly happens.
However, in reality, this isn’t something you should be using to halt your fitness plans. It’s certainly frustrating, but don’t try and fool yourself and suggest there are no other options on the table. The likes of squats, pushups and pull-ups aren’t just adequate replacements – they are some of the best exercises you can do anyway. You can do these in a spare corner of your gym (it will certainly have at least some free floor space) or even your own home. Either way, let’s abandon this excuse once and for all.
“My schedule is too tight to work out”
Sure, life seems to have gotten busier. At the same time, we aren’t buying that you don’t have ten, lonely minutes to spare to have a quick workout.
You might question whether or not really it is enough, but give us time. There’s been a huge development in the fitness industry over recent years, and it’s been going by the name of HIIT. Short for high intensity fitness training, this sort of training only needs around ten minutes to be truly effective. “Truly effective” means more worthwhile than lots of traditional exercise which has been drilled into us for so many years, as well.
As long as you have a spare corner of your home, you’re good to go with this one. You don’t even need a gym.
“I look good anyway, it’s fine to miss a few days”
Firstly, it’s completely fine to skip a day. In fact, if you don’t, your body is going to tell you in the very near future that it’s time for a rest – and it won’t be pleasant.
However, suggesting that you’re looking too good to workout is bordering on laughable. Unfortunately, this is proving to be something that’s increasingly common, with experts even coining their own phrase; the genetic invincible effect. It basically sums up those who don’t decide to take their health seriously as there are no signs of obesity. Let’s remind you that it’s also usually these people who face problems down the line.
So, feel free to skip a day, but any more than this you are asking for trouble. Missing sessions will become a habit, and that’s the last thing that you need. Trust us.
“I’m not sleeping enough to go to my workout”
You can probably guess our response when it comes to this next issue. Go to bed earlier!
In all seriousness, if you haven’t slept enough there’s every reason that you shouldn’t go to the gym. Countless studies have shown that a lack of sleep isn’t just going to impact the workout itself, but also for the whole day and your muscles just won’t repair as efficiently as they normally would.
The crucial part of this excuse is defining just how much is “enough” sleep though. If you’ve only managed two or three hours, you’re right – don’t go, it’s going to do more harm than good. If on the other hand you are doing it so you don’t have to set your alarm at the weekend, this is questionable to say the least and a completely invalid excuse.
“I’m injured”
Just like a lot of the excuses we have mulled over, we will exercise a degree of caution whilst talking about this next one. After all, injuries need to be taken seriously and if you do have a genuine one, you need to sort it as a matter of urgency. If this means that you’re not going to visit the gym, then so be it.
However, there are different types of injuries. Something that’s often confused with an injury is a “pain”. This pain doesn’t have to be necessarily bad, it might be because you are just a little sore from the previous days’ session. In short, this is no excuse.
Even if you’ve pulled your glutes, let’s not forget that there are exercises which can affect other areas of the body. There’s nothing stopping you from performing pull-ups or pushups, and being completely unaffected.
“I just don’t feel like going”
Let’s now proceed to the lamest excuse in the book. Firstly, we should applaud you in some ways, as admitting that this is the real reason is something that far too many people aren’t willing to do.
We do have some sympathy with this excuse, as it’s a very hard rut to get out of if you just don’t like and generally don’t want to go to the gym.
We are going to leave you with the results of a study which will hopefully fine-tune your mind a little. In 2017, a study in Frontiers in Psychology concluded that people who placed their future as a priority were benefiting from a solid exercise regime. As such, before you give yourself the opportunity to hand this excuse in, start to think about your future and the true ramifications of “not feeling it”. Is it worth obesity or other health problems later down the line?
Additionally, if you really don’t feel like your current exercise regime, what is stopping you from changing things up? If you don’t like cardio training, why not try weights? And before you ask, both can help you with weight loss if that’s your end goal.
“It’s raining”
We’ve purposely saved the very best excuse until the end. Hopefully you don’t fall into this category, but some guys just won’t make the effort to go to the gym for the simple reason that it’s too cold, or wet. Of course, it might be that little more difficult to get out from under the covers, but in reality this really is a wet excuse (pardon the pun).
Sure, it’s hard to get out of bed when the temperature drops, but let’s direct you over to a study in 2017. This was based on soldiers who were ski-marching in the Arctic and it was found that they were burning more calories than any other military exercise of a similar intensity. In simple terms, you’ll burn more calories when it’s cold, so get out there and do it.
