Fitness
Attached to Your Baby? (Like, Really Attached?) There's a Workout for That
Fitness
13 Excuses Super-Fit Chicks Never Make
Hate to exercise? These expert tips will motivate you to reach for your running shoes
The Excuse: "I just don't want to work out" If your basic problem is that you just don't want to/don't see the need to exercise, you need a major wakeup call. We all need to work out regularly if we want to live longer, better-quality lives, says LA Fitness Trainer Danielle Spangler. She says she has friends and clients who just refuse to exercise, and so she has to give them a little tough love. "As a last resort I'll tell people about the health risks [of not exercising] and ask them whether they want to be independent, or dependent on others when they're older. It's an eye opener."
While this may sound harsh, Dr. Michael Gervais, Ph.D, a sports psychologist who works with US Olympians, says a shock to your system can be just what you need to get motivated. "The only reason people change is because they've touched pain," he says. This pain can be anything from seeing an older family member struggle with his health, to getting fed up with being out of breath after a flight of stairs. "Embrace that, remember it, and figure out what you want to do differently."
If you haven't had your "moment of pain" yet, here are a few stats from the Get America Fit Foundation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that may serve as your wakeup call:
• Obesity is the No. 2 cause of preventable death in the United States.
• Being overweight or obese increases your risk for breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, colon cancer, hypertension, and strokes.
• People who are severely obese (with a Body Mass Index of 45 or more) live about 20 years less than people who are not overweight.
SEE NEXT PAGE: The Excuse: "I'm already skinny, what's the point?"
While this may sound harsh, Dr. Michael Gervais, Ph.D, a sports psychologist who works with US Olympians, says a shock to your system can be just what you need to get motivated. "The only reason people change is because they've touched pain," he says. This pain can be anything from seeing an older family member struggle with his health, to getting fed up with being out of breath after a flight of stairs. "Embrace that, remember it, and figure out what you want to do differently."
If you haven't had your "moment of pain" yet, here are a few stats from the Get America Fit Foundation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that may serve as your wakeup call:
• Obesity is the No. 2 cause of preventable death in the United States.
• Being overweight or obese increases your risk for breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, colon cancer, hypertension, and strokes.
• People who are severely obese (with a Body Mass Index of 45 or more) live about 20 years less than people who are not overweight.
SEE NEXT PAGE: The Excuse: "I'm already skinny, what's the point?"
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