Previously Jonathan took you through the first 2 of his Insights for Optimal Fitness and gave you some homework to help you implement them. Enjoy the conclusion
3 – No time to work out?
Funny thing, if you ask anyone who does exercise regularly if they are busy and pressed for time, they will say yes. It's not like everyone who exercises consistently is just sitting around looking for something to fill up their day.
In fact, I’m so busy I don’t have the time to work out either! But I take the time to.
You will be BUSY whether you exercise or not.
It comes down to making a choice between being “busy and fit” or “busy and unfit.”
It really is just that simple.
The reality is, 33 million people watched the season finale of American Idol so we've all clearly got plenty of time available for exercise. You can watch whatever programs you want, as often as you want, but taking care of yourself is a bigger priority and comes first.
The alternative: Ignore your body...and it will go away.
4 – Guilt-free forever
Way back in time, we needed to hunt, kill, skin, clean, and cook dinner; build our own shelters, wash clothes by hand, and protect ourselves from the elements and from predators.
Translation: We had to do A LOT of physical activity EACH DAY that was directly related to SURVIVAL. We spent a lot of calories just staying alive one more day!
The idea of expending energy that wasn't directly related to survival does not sit too well with your brain. After all, if you run around all day chasing fireflies, you may not have the energy left to run away from that saber-toothed tiger when it chases you!
Fast forward back to today: With the need for survival-based activity largely removed from our lives, we don't "need" to be active. In fact, we are largely insulated from the consequences of inactivity by modern conveniences and can safely get by while hardly lifting a finger.
But our brains follow our genetic programming and it is hard-wired over millennia to discourage physical activity that isn't survival-related. A few decades of living with modern conveniences hasn't changed the programming in our bodies.
So when you climb on that elliptical, or pick up those dumbbells, or tell yourself, "I've got to work out today," your brain often subtly discourages it or at least makes it seem harder to get it done than it would if you had to. After all, if you do the workout, you're burning up energy that you may need to make a shelter later - or so your brain thinks.
This is why - even for us fitness experts - it often takes a bit of an effort to get moving to exercise.
It's biology that drives you to inactivity, not willpower. Recognize it for what it is - the programming left over from a time we no longer live in - and just say "No" to the guilt about struggling to exercise.
I'm off to work out now, I've got no predators to run away from so I should be fine!
Jonathan Ross is a TRX Master Trainer and the 2006 ACE Personal Trainer of the Year. Additionally he was selected as a Finalist in2008 for IDEA's Personal Trainer of the Year and as one of Men’s Journal Magazine’s Top 100 Personal Trainers in America. His unique personal experiences – having 800 pounds of parents – help him create exercise strategies that deliver big results for his clients and make him a sought after fitness expert by the media.
