The pressures of modern everyday life can sometimes make it difficult for busy working people to find the time to exercise regularly as part of their weightloss program.
I have been there myself, and there were times when the stress of a busy worklife and family life made it all but impossible for me to stick to my weight loss plan.
OK that's the negative side. But you must not let stress become an excuse for giving up on the exercise, which is after all an essential part of any weight loss regime. There are 24 hours in every day, so why can't you find the time to exercise?
You brush your teeth and shower every day don't you? And why? Simply because they have become part of your ingrained daily routine. You know that if you don't brush your teeth regularly you will suffer tooth decay and other dental problems.
You know that if you don't shower regulary, apart from being not pleasant to be around you will be prone to skin diseases and other results of poor hygiene.
By the same token, if you don't exercise regularly you will become sedentary and pile on the fat. It's just wrong to use the "I don't have time" excuse for avoiding exercise. Be honest with yourself here. You are either afraid of exercise, or you just don't know where to start. Here's a few tips to get you on your way.
Find a friend to work out with. Working out alone is not always enjoyable and it takes an enormous amount of self-discipline. However if you can find a friend to exercise with, chances are you will even start to enjoy it and look forward to the social aspect.
A big plus is that seeing your friend(s) exercising with you is a terrific motivator, you'll want to do a bit better than them as the competitive edge creeps in and you will both benefit. I say both of you, but several friends would work well, and there would pretty much always be someone to work out with if an individual occasionally drops out for any reason.
Get an mp3 player. Load it with your favourite music or even audio books, and take it with you whenever you hit the gym. This is a great way of kicking out the boredom from your exercise routine.
Do what you enjoy. There are bound to be certain exercises that you just don't like doing. Don't force yourself to carry on with them. You will rebel eventually and give up. There are dozens of exercises that essentially do the same thing. Find ones that you enjoy and you will stick with them and benefit enormously.
Start slow. It seems obvious, but as the saying goes "never overlook the obvious" If you have not exercised before, or only very little and infrequently it's only natural that you will be apprehensive about starting a regular exercise routine.
Ignore those who say you must exercise daily to lose weight. Nonsense, the key is regular exercise. You can start once or twice a week for maybe ten/fifteen minutes, and build up from there as you and your body become accustomed to it. Do it at your own pace and it will not be a chore and you will find you can fit it into your daily life.
Before you know it you'll be looking in the mirror and wondering where that fat person went!
