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No More Excuses Not to Exercise!
Our experts have heard it all before, and they have solutions
You’re too busy, too tired, too intimidated by treadmills and dumbbells and guys in muscle tees – yes, you have plenty of reasons not to exercise. But there are even more reasons to exercise. Time and time again, exercise has been proven to boost overall physical, mental and emotional well-being. We asked local fitness experts to share their slacker solutions, so you can quit making excuses, and start making plans to get in shape.
“I don’t have enough time.”
Fitness guru Peter Nielsen, owner of Nielsen’s Town Center Health Club in Southfield, says to first set a goal that will motivate you, such as fitting into a pair of new or old jeans. Once you establish that objective, the next part – finding the time to work out – will quickly follow, he says. With 1,440 minutes in each day, you should be able to set aside 30 of them to do something good for yourself.
“Exercise is boring.”
“It’s absolutely imperative that you find something to do that is fun for you,” says Heidi Malzahn, co-owner and instructor at Poise Pilates in Northville. Malzahn says while some people like to focus on one activity, others crave variety in their routines. “Exercise is such an individual thing, If it doesn’t work for you, move on to something else,” she says.
“I don’t know where to begin.”
Ryan Kulka, personal trainer and owner of Millennium Training in Waterford, recommends that you ease into a fitness routine by creating realistic goals one week at a time. “Exercise is overwhelming enough. If you set up unrealistic goals for yourself, you sabotage your efforts for maintaining them,” he says.
“I can’t seem to make it to the gym.”
“Things come up, and exercise is just not as large a priority as the events that we allow ourselves to be distracted by,” says Ellena Rollins, a private yoga instructor from Birmingham.
She recommends people who struggle to fit fitness into their routine change the way they think about exercise. “Focus on exercise as a habit you build into your life like taking a shower, or brushing your teeth,” says Rollins.