Fitness Training Expert aims to provide top quality fitness training advice, exercise information and educational resources for all fitness enthusiasts.  Expert fitness advice SEARCH THIS SITE FACEBOOK BRIDGEFIT ARTICLES   Excuses for not exercising I thought i would write about some of the frequent excuses I have heard people make about the reasons why they dont exercise, with my responses also. I have had the pleasure of working with some highly dedicated and committed individuals, people who will do whatever is required to lose those extra few pounds or come back stronger after injury. Yet for every one of these there is someone else who just has an excuse...   “I don’t have time!” Really! I find this hard to believe when the very people who say this then go on to tell you all about the television program they watch every night. If you can find 10 minutes 3 times per week it’s a start. I have met people who work full time, study full time, have a family, even single parents working and studying who still find time for exercise…they might even play a bit of sport with their kids also! In fact they probably don’t have to find the time; they just allow for it, it’s as much a part of life as waking up in the morning.   “I’m too tired to exercise!” If you manage to drive home after work then watch TV all night without falling asleep, you’re not too tired! You will probably have more energy through exercising too. A sedentary lifestyle can make you more tired.   “I get short of breath when exercising!” That’s the general idea! As long as there are no underlying medical reasons why you should not exercise at a certain intensity getting short of breath won’t do you any harm.   “I don’t want to risk getting injured!” Okay, so what if you have to change your tyre on your car and injure you’re back lifting the tyre? What if you do some digging in the garden and strain a muscle in your lower back? If you have been exercising correctly, certainly incorporating a well structured resistance training program the chances are you won’t get injured in your daily life activities. You just need to train smarter not harder.   “I don’t get time to train at work!” Get real, neither do most of the world’s workforce in demanding jobs!   “I find exercise boring!” Then change the exercise you do and find something you enjoy, or perhaps commit to training with someone else.   “I’m too old!” Too old for what? Living? Not a chance I will ever be using that excuse! People saying this are only in their 40s! Best they take note of the bottom of this page! “Life is for living!” Thats right life is for living, and while the person who said this is probably going to spend their days on the sofa watching others climb mountains and venture to far away places I and others who pursue a fit and healthy lifestyle will actually be the ones experiencing this adventure. Far better to live through ones own experiences than that of other peoples! Dreamers...dream on! Low fitness and risk of death As you can probably tell, I am not a fan of excuses why people don’t exercise. If it’s a valid reason then fair enough (injury/illness).There has been enough promotion done in recent times over the benefits of exercise and healthy lifestyles. If people choose not to take on board this advice I will leave them with the below information to digest: Blair S, et al (1989) conducted a 15 year study looking at the relationships between death rates (from all causes) and fitness levels in a group of 13,344 people.  Quite simply it concluded that the less fit people experienced higher death risk. Now what’s your excuse?   References: Blair S, et al. Physical Fitness and all-cause mortality; a prospective study of healthy men and women. JAMA 1989; 262:2395. Related Exercise Articles