We all have reasons why we aren't working out. So we asked the experts for advice on how to find the time and motivation to get started (14 Photos)
Jessica Smith on Aug 20, 2012 at 11:48PM
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Yup, this is probably the most common excuse that keeps us from working out. Yet most of us find time to spend an average of four and a half hours in front of the TV every day. Trade just 30 minutes of TV watching for a workout (or workout while you watch) and you’ll quickly realize how much better you feel.
“If you don't make time for fitness now, you'll make time for illness later,” says Tamilee Webb, a certified fitness instructor and star of the Classic Buns of Steel DVD series. “We think it takes a lot of time to do something physically healthy for ourselves, but it really only takes consistency,” she adds. You don’t even have to spend an hour -- or even 30-minutes -- exercising to reap the rewards. Try 10 minute stints three times over the course of your day. A 2010 study at Massachusetts General Hospital found that the benefits of just 10 minutes can last for an hour after you’re done -- a little exercise can burn more fat and work even harder to control your blood sugar levels.
Get started: Focus on easy ways to sneak exercise into your daily routine. If you just can't give up a TV show, fit in some fitness during commercial breaks by marching in place. You can also squeeze in three mini-workout sessions, no gym time required! Start with this 2-minute routine from Webb: Do 10 modified push-ups, 10 crunches, 10 triceps dips and 10 step-ups. Do this in the morning before breakfast, in the afternoon and again in the evening for a total body workout that takes less than six minutes (total!) Start exercising three days a week, and work up to adding more. Taking those extra steps could help you shed an extra 15 pounds this year!
