What are the most common excuses that stop seniors from exercising? If you’re like most seniors, you have your recurring reasons to hate exercise that stops you from “just doing it.” Am I right?
Let’s face it, you probably hate exercise. It’s rare to meet people who love it. They love the way they feel afterwards, true. Here’s what often happens.
You have the best intentions to workout and exercise, then like an earthquake which suddenly strikes with no prior warning, your mind tells you “Stop! You can’t do that! Sit down and relax…” Something else more earth-shattering pops into mind. That’s right, you forgot to fold the laundry, wax the floors, etc.
I know about these excuses that stop seniors from exercising because I have similar arguments with my brain every time I’m on my way to the gym. I’ve developed some “work-arounds” to trick myself into going anyway. Here’s what stops us from exercising.
- “I’m working out to lose weight, but …” If you’re exercising to loose weight, it’s not a very strong motivator. This actually stops seniors from exercising. Many seniors are told to lose weight by their doctor in order to avoid or control degenerative diseases like osteoporosis, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Being overweight is prevalent in people with cancer, dementia, and many other diseases. So it make sense to shed the excess pounds. But losing weight is a poor motivator for exercise.In one study, some women exercised to lose weight. Other women, who exercised to feel better and curb stress, worked out more. Remind yourself of all the ways exercise makes you feel good, gives you more energy, and helps you sleep better. Think about how you’ll look with firmer muscles and less flab. That will motivate you more than just telling yourself you must workout to lose weight.
- “I’m not seeing any progress, I’ll never regain my youthful figure anyway…” This excuse sounds like it’s a reasonable excuse, but it’s like throwing the baby out with the bath water. Not exercising—especially for seniors—is akin to suicide. Motivation is all about choosing the right reasons to do something. The reason seniors need to exercise can be summarized into two big ones. First, to not exercise, it to say “okay, that’s fine” to losing muscles mass each year. It means you agree to lose bone density and balance and you’re fine with breaking bones if you fall (which you will). Secondly, to say “no” to exercise, it to say “yes” to degenerative diseases. It means you’re okay with not sending important signals to your cells’ mitchondria, those little organelles that produce energy, feed your immune system, and ensure correct replication of DNA. The way to fix this excuse is to remind yourself that each time you exercise, you are making progress on a cellular level. Of course you can’t see it, but it’s there. Exercise rolls back the longevity clock or at lease slows it down. You are entitled to give yourself positive pats on the back for helping out your cells. Go for it!
- “I’m never sure what I should do at the gym, all those machines and weights…” Nobody can be inspired and motivated if they’re not sure what exactly to do. The mind will always gravitate to what is most obvious and easy. People who know the treadmill will use that. Everyone has their favorites. For example, I know some women who only do Yoga. (And sometimes when I see them in the classes, I understand why: nobody seems to break a sweat, and a lot of it is lying down breathing.) Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but if that’s all one does, then these seniors are missing out on the benefits to longevity and disease prevention that comes from the other two exercise types: high intensity interval cardio and weight resistance lifting. The fix to this excuse is to get a trainer to design a routine for you to start with. Tell him (or her) your goals and insist you get both cardio, weights, and balance into your routine. Ask him how many reps and sets you should start with, and how to determine when to increase weights. Make sure you understand correct form and avoid injuries.
- “I look terrible in gym shorts, I’m not going to a gym!” As a senior, many of us don’t look good in Spandex, but that’s not really in fashion today anyway. Get yourself some baggy yoga pants and a t-shirt, you’ll be fine. If you still find yourself using this excuse, find a trainer that comes to your house. Too expensive where you live? Then get some workout videos on YouTube. There are a ton of them with great music, and if that doesn’t get you hopping, maybe hearing aids? Seriously, this excuse is the easiest to work around. Even doing housework to music can boost your mood. Go dancing, it’s one of the best ways to get your feet, heart, and brain all working together. Many Y’s and senior centers have dance classes for tap, jazz, salsa, and hip-hop.
I gotta ask you, dear readers, what stops you from exercising? I’m sure you probably don’t have a death wish, but even if you do, is not exercising really the way to go? That sounds too slow and painful. Pain, ah yes, that reminds me of another favorite excuse of mine: “I hurt! I’m sore from working out! Maybe I need to take a week off?”
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