Feeling a difference in clothing can be a big motivation to carry on
Peeling yourself off the couch and dragging your feet to the local gym is more hardwork than the actual workout itself sometimes.
We do anything we can to try and find reasons not to work out, excusercise is fast becoming a national sport that most of us already use and we're pretty sure the rest will soon follow suit.
More than two-thirds of us use excuses - ranging from having no-one to exercise with, to worry about the wobbly bits - to justify not taking up exercise activities at all.
A new report, conducted by Weight Watchers, reveals that lame excuses for avoiding exercise could be one of the biggest threats to getting Brits fit.
It uncovers why Brits avoid getting active and shows that what we cite as legitimate reasonas are in fact at complete odds with our preferred physical pastimes.
Expense was the most commonly sited reason for giving up - despite the fact that 62 per cent say no-cost 'walking' as their favourite activity.
The contradictions continue as more than one in ten said that not having someone to exercise with stops them from getting active - despite the fact that only 14 per cent said doing exercise with friends motivates them.
"We want to show people how easy doing just a little bit more activity everyday is," says Weight Watchers fitness expert, Austin Lumley. "And how effective this can be in helping to maintain weight loss.
"But we were staggered by the range of excuses people come up with. If we spent as much energy on exercise as we do on 'excusercise#, we would have a much fitter Britain."
Here are Weight Watchers’ top tips for ditching the excuses and finding your inner motivation:
· Focus on the feeling: 19 per cent of adults said that “a new found confidence” could motivate them to exercise. Think about how great getting active will make you feel, whether it’s the thrill of slipping into smaller size clothes or the joy of suddenly being able to run up the stairs
· Pick a part: 42 per cent of adults said fitting into smaller size clothes was a motivation for exercise. Focus on toning up a specific area of your body where you really want to see a change, targeting your activity accordingly and watch the transformation
· Find a friend: 14 per cent of adults said they were motivated to exercise by doing it with their friends. Whether it’s a work colleague, a Facebook friend or a family member, find someone to exercise with – support and encouragement makes all the difference
· Visualise: 21 per cent of adults said they found the range of exercise activities on offer today “bewildering and confusing”. Set a realistic goal for yourself and working towards it – not setting the bar too high or low, just having a clear picture in your mind of how getting active will impact on your life and your shape
· Every little helps: 34 per cent of people said they couldn’t find the time to take up exercise activities. Small adjustments to your lifestyle can make a world of difference. Whether it’s getting off the bus a stop earlier, taking the stairs every day rather than the lift, or going for a brisk walk in your lunch hour, finding small and non-disruptive ways to get active will reap real rewards.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies
Tagged in exercise fitness tips