Life isn’t easy sometimes, but if you let excuses get in the way of being a healthier you, you have lost already.
[spoiler title=”Summary: Five Health Excuses That are Bogus” style=”fancy”] If you truly want to become a healthier individual, nothing should get in the way of making that happen. On your quest to health and fitness, never accept these five excuses:- “I Don’t Have Time to Exercise”
- “Healthy Food is Expensive”
- “I Can’t Afford a Gym”
- “Working Out is Boring”
- “Healthy Food Doesn’t Taste Good”
Of course, most people are lazy, at least to a degree, and these excuses often keep them from meeting their health and fitness goals. But you are different – and here are are five excuses that we don’t want to hear from you, ever.
“I Don’t Have Time to Exercise”
Its possible that you have kids, a husband or wife, a job, some volunteer work, and so on and so forth. Perhaps you’re even freelancing intelligence work for the UN. The truth is that it doesn’t matter, and your body still suffers. You watch television at all? Seen a movie recently? Read a book? Browsed the internet? Went shopping for non-essentials?
You have the time. The thing is, you choose to use that time to do other things. If you cut into your Netflix time and added some treadmill time, you would find that the time was there all along. People lead crazy lives, but everyone eventually has downtime. That is the time to schedule your exercise. You can even exercise and watch Netflix. The point is that you need to realize that you are choosing other activities over your health.
“Healthy Food is Expensive”
Yes, it is true that healthy food can be quite expensive. Buying fresh fruit, good proteins, and whole grains can take the money right out of your pocket. However, it may be good to look at this another way. Sure, a bag of fresh apples may cost more than that microwave dinner in the shopping cart, but did you know those apples will probably fill you up better than a TV dinner ever could? You may need to eat multiple microwave dishes to get the same nutritional value you would get from a single broiled chicken breast.
You also need to think about long-range costs. What is the price of your health? Health insurance is expensive, and paying for heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes runs into the millions. If you ate food that was slightly more expensive, you may avoid these common problems, prolong your life, and save some money that would otherwise end up in your doctor’s pocket. You have to look at the long term and true costs of health food, and you will find they are often cheaper than what you are buying for dinner.
“I Can’t Afford a Gym”
Like healthy food, gym memberships can also be rather expensive. It seems silly to pay money just to exercise, so instead, you save a few hundred dollars a year by avoiding that membership. The problem is that you again have to look at this in a different way. Do you need a gym to raise your heart rate? Do you need fancy equipment to get yourself healthy? Of course not! So, as they say “No gym? No problem!” Here’s a simple and inexpensive plan: walk out your front door and keep walking until you are tired. That’s it. You’ll benefit from trees, sunshine, blue skies, fresh air, and a cardiovascular workout – for free! Why hasn’t someone tried to charge for this?
They have, and it’s called a gym. You watch those commercials on television that tell you that Pilates is the only way to go, that you have to join a Crossfit class, or that pumping iron is the only way to get healthy. Walk up and down your steps in your house for ten minutes. It’s a cardio workout, and it’s free. If you are struggling to afford a gym membership, find something you can do to elevate your heart rate that doesn’t cost a dime. Walking, stair climbing, jogging in place, jump roping, chasing your dog: you don’t need to spend money to exercise.
“Working Out is Boring”
Only hamsters on a wheel think that the idea of a treadmill is fascinating. If you think that the only way to get fit is to do repetitive, time-sucking, soul-deadening walking in place, it isn’t true. You could actually go outside. Almost anything is more interesting than walking in place, but outside you have nature to look at . . . or that funny guy on the corner, or your dog to walk, or something other than the blank wall in front of your treadmill.
Treadmills are unmotivating. They are boring, and they are discouraging. Why not join a sport? Play softball. Some places even have kickball teams for those who are not all that athletic. Watch reality shows that can inspire your boring routine. If you can afford a gym, stay away from the machines. Yoga, spinning, and other classes are far more interesting than walking on that mill. You can even imagine your ex’s face while you perform kickboxing moves. It’s healthy and cathartic! The point is, you need to find something fun to do instead of avoiding exercise because it is boring. Tons of activities will get you moving and hold your attention. You just need to do the legwork to find them.
“Healthy Food Doesn’t Taste Good”
Not all of us are great cooks. We all have our skills. If cooking isn’t one of yours, you don’t have to fear. You can make healthy food taste good by following recipes, using flavorings, and learning how to cook specific meals. Not all chicken needs to be boiled. You could grill it with seasonings. You could bake it. You can do so much with cooking and healthy food that you could spend a lifetime learning how.
Need ideas or inspiration? Take a class. Don’t like vegetables? Try them raw. They sometimes taste better that way. Try dressings on your veggies, but be careful for the hidden calories in these additives. The internet is your oyster, and you can find creative, tasty ways of preparing the food that you think is otherwise bland or boring. With the application of cooking skills, internet innovations, and seasonings, you can make meals that taste far better than the processed, unhealthy foods you are used to eating. That’s always a plus when you’re trying to live healthy.
Bonus: Top.Me Motivates You
Here are some motivational quotes to get you started!
