Funny how there are a thousand excuses if you really want to back out of something.
One of them could be that you’re too busy or too poor to afford gym membership. Another one is that it’s raining outside, the sun is too darn hot, and you didn’t get enough sleep the night before.
Well I regularly used ALL those excuses and more, until my boyfriend took me hiking at Tun Fuad Park over 4 hours smack in the middle of noon. I initially thought it was only going to be a 1 hour lap-run and when we went as far as the trail took us uphill, I felt like I wanted to kill him or die, whichever came first.
Okay maybe not that bad, but it FELT that bad! I was so upset about my fitness level I cried. I felt like a cross between Humpty Dumpty and the Incredible Sulk… clumsy, heavy, and whiny.
When I went to Korea in July this year, things began to make more sense why the boyfriend was by default so insanely fit. The majority of Koreans do not pay for gym membership, but they’re all sleek and slim. That’s partly because they have these outdoor gyms provided by the government by the Han River, but mostly because of their attitude toward health and wellness regardless of how poor or old they were.
At 10pm, there are families walking and jogging around the parks. Young kids and old grandmas, they’re out there getting their heart working. That’s right around the time most of us kick back and eat a tub of ice cream or go for supper.
One day, my boyfriend took two empty 2 liter mineral water bottles, filled them up with water and showed me how to use them as free weights. I thought it was cheap, but it removed yet another excuse I have yet to use. It worked fine! They were 2kg weights each and great for grip and toning.
Then one evening in Seoul, I saw this T.V. program featuring a fulltime housewife and new mother, who showed the cameras how she knocked off all the baby weight with nothing else but a rice cooker, feeding bottles, stockings, and some wiping cloth. Some day I’ll tell you all about it (if I can find the woman’s name and story). TRULY INSPIRING!
It was so inspiring it shifted my paradigm, and I began to think of the excuses people made to escape exercising.
Today, no matter how busy I get, I whip out my RM25 skipping rope and do about 30 minutes of intensive cardio rain or shine. Why? Because I can do it right in my bedroom, living room, garage, anywhere that has 4mx4m space.
I also take all the stuff I learn about Crossfit from the gym and do the ones that require no equipment.
You don’t need to fork out RM100 to do squats, situps, and pushups do you?
So there. If you have a reason why you’re not putting in the work, I’d like to challenge you to stop making excuses, and really just face the truth. Most of the time it’s not that you’re too poor, tired, hot and afraid of getting the flu that makes you remain on your seat.
You’re mostly likely being lazy, scared, and just plain don’t want it bad enough.
Because if you did, you’d assemble a home gym with RM200 (see above), and go out for that run that you’ve been making excuses for not doing RIGHT NOW.
So the first step to losing weight is BEING HONEST with yourself. Once you realize what you’re doing to yourself, you can begin to start saying things that help you reach your goals.
I’m going to go for my 8:30am dance class this morning. What are you going to do today for your body?
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