What's Your Excuse For Not Exercising?

‘I’d love to, but…’ Sound familiar? The thing is, you can’t have your excuses and your dream of being fit and healthy. So let’s smash them, one by one!

- Anna Rich

I HATE EXERCISE!

‘When you first start exercising, you probably won’t enjoy it,’ says sports scientist Kathleen McQuaide, strategic and media manager of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. ‘Give yourself as much as six weeks not to enjoy it, but to stick at it doggedly. Chances are, after that length of time, you’ll have that eureka moment of “Wow, I actually quite enjoyed that!”, it will become much easier and you’ll start seeing the benefits.

‘We run programmes that take people from not being able to run at all to 10 kays, and it’s often life transforming. It’s not just the fact that they change physiologically that makes participants feel good about themselves, it’s about how much more they realise they’re able to do. Often in the beginning, they say: “I hate this. I cannot do this.” But success has a ripple effect on other areas of their lives – they’re more in control and achieve all kinds of things because they persevered.

‘I’ve seen this time after time. They’re stuck in a relationship or job they’re unhappy with, but as they become physically strong, they become empowered, and their mindset changes to “I can achieve what I want to achieve.” I just love seeing the impact on their lives.

Research shows that once you establish one positive pattern, this ‘keystone habit’ sets you up to effect positive change in other areas.

I HATE THE GYM! ‘

You don’t