You’ve been putting off exercising for years. And you’re constantly mad at yourself because it should all be so simple. But for some reason, you just can’t seem to crack the code.
You’ve left no excuse unsaid: “I’m too tired. I’m too busy. It’s too expensive”. Or, our personal favourite: “Starting on a Tuesday doesn’t make sense – I’ll start next Monday” – a Monday that’s been coming for the past three years.
There’s a startling truth to all of this, masked by our endless excuses. It’s a truth that many of us would prefer not to face, the fact that we are in denial about (or just don’t know how to overcome) fear.
Capital “F” fear does more harm to our fitness ambitions than almost anything else. One study found that millions of women globally are not going to the gym because they’re afraid they’ll be ridiculed for being sweaty, out of breath or just simply for not “keeping up” with everyone else. The report said that girls as young as 10 years old avoided physical education classes at school for the same reasons. This just goes to show that you’re not the only one feeling what you’re feeling – “gymtimidation” is real.
Here at the WH office, it’s no different. While we might come across as a well-curated bunch of fitness junkies, we each have our own fears that have kept us from experimenting with workouts and disciplines outside of our everyday routines. But this year we decided to shelve the excuses and set out to face those fears, to show them, once and for all, who is really in charge.
Denne historien er fra October 2019-utgaven av Women's Health South Africa.
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Denne historien er fra October 2019-utgaven av Women's Health South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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