Your Excuses ... Busted

For some or other reason I have had to deal with a lot of excuses lately from clients and friends who have very “legitimate” reasons as to why the potential Elle McPherson inside them is hiding behind a Bridget Jones… or worse. So today I will tackle the most common excuse I have been hearing this week: “I don’t have time to exercise!”

The truth is, we all have the same amount of time. Yep, 24 hours in a day, no matter who you are, where you are, etc. How we use these hours is the key and basically people spend their hours doing things they really must do (e.g. go to work, do the chores) and things they like to do. And since exercise seldom falls into any of these two categories (particularly at the beginning) it needs to be important enough to feature in your daily schedule. But be honest now… on your list of priorities where does exercise fall? Is it even on the list? Here is what I actually hear when you guys give me your reasons for skipping that workout:

• Exercise is boring. The little conversation with the regular gym bunnies in between sets is nothing compared to Desperate Housewives. There is no drama, no excitement, no immediate fun. Shame!
• There are no immediate consequences to skipping a workout. It's not like you'll gain 10 pounds or suddenly get heart disease if you miss one day. Plus, you keep reading in all the glossy mags that three times a week is enough, so surely you can do it tomorrow, right? Well, before you know it, a month has passed and 5 pounds have stuck to your ribs! (I know… it was just Sam’s birthday party… followed by the deadline at work and by James’ house move and… and… and…)
• You're waiting for things to calm down. Haven't you figured it out yet? Life doesn't calm down as we get older. Jobs, kids, family, social obligations...they're never going to go away. If you're waiting for a clear schedule, you'll be waiting for a long time. If you really want to exercise, find a way to do it now.
• You're waiting to fall in love with exercise. Think you'll suddenly wake up one morning, itching to get to that workout? It just doesn't work that way. You have to work at it every day and find that motivation wherever you can.
• You get frustrated by lack of results. It is not your fault that you got caught up in the immediate gratification thing… it’s just how the world is today, right? Nope! We may be able to get things easy from the store, get information on our fingertips and chat to friends on Facebook but some things stay the same. Ask the farmers in Orange Free State. You want to get oranges… you have to work at it till the little seed becomes a tree and then three years later you will get your fruit!
• You don't have huge chunks of time to do all this exercise. That’s the crappiest of excuses out there! No really! If you do it right, you can get a workout in 10 minutes and kick butt in 20! So, get off your bum right now!

So, here are some ideas you may want to try to get on the exercise wagon… and stay there:

- Get up an hour earlier and go for a run first thing in the morning – just like a boring chore. Then you don’t need to worry about it for the rest of the day.

- Schedule your yoga class in your diary just like you would any other business meeting. Write “appointment” (as opposed to “yoga”) and don’t let anyone talk you into changing your schedule.

- Split your routine into mini-workouts: when you need to use the bathroom, go to the one three storeys down in your office building and walk back up; walk to a café two blocks away at lunch time (instead of the one in front of your building) and climb up the stairs of your flat when you go home. When meeting friends at the Waterfront, park at the lot next to the Radisson hotel and walk to there and back. (Bonus, that parking is free!). The possibilities are endless!

- Cut TV time to 3 hours a week! I mean can you really argue that watching Will & Grace is more important than looking good? If so, I am busy making T-shirts that say “I am fat cause I love TV”; call me and I will organise you one! Think about all the programs that you watch weekly and decide which of them you could sacrifice for some exercise. It’s OK to have a “TV night” but remember… too many TV nights equal a large behind. You decide what’s more worth it!

Why don’t you guys share your ideas and how you manage to find time to clock in your fitness routine?

Ciao!

Jeni

Let's Talk Breakfast

Hey guys,

It is mid-August already (can you believe it!) and all my clients seems to be panicking about September and their shape! I personally am yet to understand why September is the holy grail month that everyone targets, I mean beach weather only comes towards November in Cape Town, yet if that’s the date that gets you guys motivated, then let’s get going!

Someone asked me this week if they can only change one thing, what should that be. I didn’t have to think twice about it. BREAKFAST, of course! Now how many of you haven’t heard that breakfast is the most important thing of the day? I thought so… Do you know why it’s so important?

The easiest way to explain it is that breakfast is like the foundation of your meals for the rest of the day. So, just like you can’t skip primary school, get into grade four and expect flying colours in all subjects, you will have a hard time eating right later in the day if you skip breakfast. Further, eating the right kind of breakfast (like something with loads of fibre, e.g. oats or bran flakes) will keep you regular and you will definitely notice reduction in bloating, if you are suffering from it in the first place.

Plus, breakfast is an easy meal to get right. I mean, how many of you feel like a Snickers bar and a can of Coke of breakfast? Just the thought of something so sweet early in the morning is off-putting! It is much easier to control what you eat for breakfast than any other meal of the day.

While on the subject, the second most common question I deal with (after “you have to eat breakfast every day, even if not hungry!”) is “what should I eat then?”. I am one for variety! As far as I am concerned, you can have a different thing every day and you can make a daily ritual out of it. For me, Monday is protein breakfast day. I eat scrambled eggs (only one yolk and three whites), reduced fat feta cheese and some tomatoes or cucumber. Plus coffee. Tuesdays are smoothies days (probably cause I always oversleep on Tuesdays and need something I can consume while driving to clients!). On Wednesday I will eat bran flakes with fat free milk and strawberries and so forth.

Generally speaking, slow cooking oats, the ones with the large flakes) are better than instant ones. Bran flakes are better than corn flakes, oaties (however their name is spelt) or crispies. Egg whites (with one yolk), scrambled in a tea spoon of olive oil are better than fried eggs. But most importantly, eating breakfast, any breakfast, is better than not eating one at all.

So, to those of you who want to get in tip top shape as soon as possible: I have one piece of advice for you – eat! First thing in the morning. Even if you don’t feel like it. Even if it means you have to cook something before dawn. It is worth your while. I promise.

Ciao!

Jeni