One of the most common excuses I hear when it comes fitness is that people claim they don’t have time to exercise. They like to claim they’re too busy, and besides, there isn’t enough time in the day to squeeze in 45 minutes at a gym or at home.
Another excuse I often hear is that people are “too tired.” Still another is, “I don’t have any desire or motivation.”
None of these are what I’d really call “good” excuses. I knew guys in the military who were wounded in battle, and who made time and got motivated to work out partly because they had to in order to get back into fighting shape, partly to rehabilitate themselves, and partly because they didn’t want to end up 15 or 20 years down the road fat as hogs and on a boatload of medications.
So let’s start with that last part — the Big Pharma aspect of why staying out of the gym and away from a fitness program is a really bad idea.
You may not have noticed, but America and much of the West has an obesity problem. In fact, the problem is getting so bad the people we depend on the most — the military and our emergency responders — are suffering recruitment shortfalls because potential soldiers, police officers and firefighters are too fat to fight enemies, crime and flames.
Well, all of this obesity is leading to record cases of fatness-related illnesses and chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and other circulatory problems. In addition to jacking up the cost of insurance and healthcare in general, more Americans are hooked on more pills just because they refuse to do two things: Eat better and exercise.
Seriously, is taking a face full of pills every day really better than feeling good, remaining healthy, and staying alive longer?
That brings us to commitment. Getting fit does indeed take commitment, and that’s all in your attitude. You’ve got to get your mind wrapped around the fact that without a fitness program to keep you healthier, you’re going to be saddled earlier in life with aches, pains, and chronic illness. The statistics bear that out. (Related: Take amino acids BEFORE your workout to improve fat loss.)
Earlier this year Natural News published findings from a study that found runners on average live three years longer than people who never hit the pavement or the track. The study found that running for an hour a day adds seven hours per day onto your lifespan. Other studies have reached similar conclusions: Exercise extends your life. And in fact, this isn’t a new finding: The Washington Post published the findings of a study which proved exercise extends lifespans back in 2005.
Finally, this excuse that you “don’t’ have time” really is just that — an excuse. For me, I work literally sun-up to sundown, and much of what I do centers around sitting at a desk which, as research has shown, is not at all healthy for human beings, as I reported just last month.
So for me, there is no option: I simply must find the time every day to work out, and I do. My routines tend to be fairly short, but very intense as I lay out in my free e-book, “Fit to Fight: A Prepper’s Guide to Extreme Fitness for All Ages.” I have chosen shorter, more intense workouts for a couple of reasons. My spare time is short so I had to adapt workouts to time availability, for maximum effect. The other reason is that extreme fitness workouts just don’t take a lot of time, but they are very intense, very heart-pumping, and very good at building muscle and endurance. And I have to drive a bit to get to my gym, but it’s been worth every second.
How do I make time? Easy — I get up 45 minutes earlier than I used to. That gives me the time I need to get my work done and get my workout in. Could you do the same thing? I’m betting so.
The fact is, it’s better to be fit than not to be fit, and this is especially true as we get older. Preppers can’t afford to be couch potatoes; there’s too much at stake if stuff hits the fan, and we need to be ready to handle whatever happens.
Get to it. Start today. Start here.
JD Heyes
Sources include:
Dr. Eddy Bettermann MD 