3 Reasons You Don't Exercise Regularly and How to Start

3 Reasons You Don’t Exercise Regularly and How to Start

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Have you ever thought to yourself “I know I should exercise regularly, but I just never stay consistent,”?

You get gung-ho for a week or so, (maybe even 2 weeks) and then you “fall off the wagon.” Then a few weeks go by and you’re kicking yourself for not exercising like you intended to.

Maybe you find yourself furiously hunting on Pinterest hoping that maybe if you find the “magic” exercise routine you will stay committed this time. If so, then you will want to read on and learn 3 reasons why you don’t exercise consistently and how to change things so that you do!

3 Reasons You Don’t Exercise Regularly and How to Start

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I want to start this off by letting you know that there is nothing wrong with you. You aren’t broken or lazy or just not disciplined enough. You aren’t too out of shape, too old, or too busy.

Whatever negative thoughts you are telling yourself about why this is hard for you, just let those go. They probably aren’t true and they definitely are not empowering you to move forward.

Printable Home Workouts

You are trying to do workouts you don’t like to do.

All right, reason number 1 that you don’t exercise regularly is that you are trying to do workouts you don’t actually like to do. So here’s a scenario: You heard that cardio is great for building endurance and helping to get you in shape fast.

So you decide you are going to go running every day. You hate running and are pretty sure you would rather listen to your children tell you the same story about Minecraft 50,000 times than go running. But hey, you’re committed!

Your first run, you think you’re going to die, but hopefully, it gets better. By day 4 you are contemplating burning your running shoes while everyone is sleeping so you don’t have to go do it again.

Needless to say, by day 5 you are over it and it isn’t long before you are wondering what’s wrong with you that you just can’t stick with this.

What you can do instead!

I want you to know, there is no law that says exercise has to be something miserable that you don’t like. Try starting with a workout that you actually enjoy. Go bike riding. Try a Zumba class. Go for a walk with your kids!

Doesn’t matter. Just start with something that you will actually want to get up and go do.

You are trying workouts that are too hard for you.

Reason number 2 you don’t exercise regularly is that you are trying workouts that are too hard for you. So here’s a scenario: You found a workout program that promises to burn 15lbs of fat in 2 weeks!

That’s fairly unrealistic and somewhat questionable about whether it’s good for your health, but it sounds good right?! And hey, if you only get half those results, you will still be fairly happy.

But then you try the workouts and they are HARD! And kind of miserable. And after doing 2 of them, you’re so sore you can’t even get out of your chair without groaning.

Odds are pretty good that no matter how much you want those results, every muscle in your body is going to be begging you not to do it again.

Odds are also pretty good that the first bump in the road to your workout routine, your motivation is going to take a hike and you aren’t going to see it for a good long time!

You have just created this association in your brain between exercising and a lot of pain and struggle. Now, this is where a lot of people will try to tell you that you have to suffer through the early stages and then you will have the body of your dreams, and blah, blah, blah…

That might be true technically. But realistically, that’s a steep hill to climb. And it’s not the only way to the top of the mountain.

What you can do instead!

Instead, try this. Start by doing workouts that are appropriate for your fitness level right now. Today!

Not the fitness level you wish you were at. Not where you used to be before you had kids or when you used to be super active. Where you are at right at this moment.

Do the workouts that you can actually see yourself being able to do for 4 or 5 days in a row. Once you get used to getting up and moving your body on a regular basis, you can start picking up the intensity as your muscles build and grow. But develop the habit FIRST.

Monthly & Weekly Fitness Planner

You are relying on long term results to give you short term motivation.

Ok, so the last reason you don’t exercise regularly is that you are relying on long term results to give you short term motivation. You are waiting for some sort of “proof” that your exercising is working to inspire you to keep going.

And here’s the thing. That could take weeks. Maybe longer. That’s a looong time to wait. Like, a really long time.

Now, there are other side effects that you will get from working out. Better mood, more energy, better sleep, feeling like a bad*ass, etc, etc.

But those benefits often take a few weeks for us to notice. And maybe even a little longer for that to be enough motivation to get up and get moving if your kids have kept you up all night.

What you can do instead!

Instead, try building in some sort of reward system for yourself. Pick some small prize to give yourself for the days that you follow through.

If your goal is to workout 3 days a week, then plan it out. Put a checkmark each day that you exercise. Then at the end of the week, if you followed through, give yourself the prize.

As time goes by, those other benefits are going to kick in, your body and your mind will get so accustomed to getting up and exercising, that you won’t even need a reward system.

Conclusion of 3 Reasons You Don’t Exercise Regularly and How to Start

So there you have 3 reasons that you don’t exercise regularly. Try using the suggestions I made to help incorporate exercise into your life on a more consistent basis. Before you know it, you will be rocking those workouts every week and feeling like a rockstar!

If you have some tips or advice that help you exercise regularly, I would love to hear it. Comment below or email me at Candice@littlestepsbighappy.com. Follow me on Pinterest for more exercise advice and tips.

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3 Reasons You Don't Exercise Regularly and How to Start

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2 thoughts on “3 Reasons You Don’t Exercise Regularly and How to Start”

  1. I can totally see how these would be problems for many. For me, it’s TIME. I squeeze in walks, jogs, yoga, and other workouts when I can, but I find that there are some days when I literally can’t find the time. It’s frustrating. What are some of the most effective workouts that I could do in 5-10 minutes here and there throughout the day?

    Reply

    • Great question! Having limited time definitely can make it difficult to get a consistent routine going. If you’re trying to squeeze something in during short little pockets of time, you could pick one muscle group for that day and plan to do quick burnout sessions. When you have 5-10 minutes, pick a handful of exercises and do each for 60 seconds straight. Try to take as few breaks as possible.

      For example, I could choose to do arms 1 day. When I find I have 5 minutes to spare, 1 can do pushups, arm circles, bicep curls, tricep extensions, and dips for a minute each. Repeat that 3-4 times throughout the day. By the end of the day you have added up to a full 15-20 minute workout. Hope that helps. 🙂
      -Candice

      Reply

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