Not a week goes by that a client or prospective client doesn’t say something that has the potential to push me over the edge. The comments that bother me the most are those that have to do with why they can’t exercise or why they are not seeing results.

I am always amazed at how people cannot see the excuses they are making that are impacting their own lives and health. As most personal trainers can attest, there are rarely new excuses for people that are not taking care of their health, we have heard them all. People that make these excuses always have a history that blatantly explains their situation.

There are two types of people out there. Those who make excuses and blame their current situation on circumstances that are out of their control. Then there are those who realize they have control of their situation and they can make decisions for themselves — they are agents of change. These are the people who choose their health over other options. These are the people who get up earlier, exercise during their lunch, use a treadmill at home and find money in their tight budget to hire a personal trainer. They do whatever it takes to make the right decisions for their health.

We all have choices in life and have to prioritize what is most important to us. Exercisers have made the choice that their sacrifices are worthwhile. Their reasons for this may vary but at the end of the day they are in a very small percentage of the population. Depending on the research you look at, regular exercisers make up about 10 to 30 per cent of the population.

In my opinion, regular exercisers make up the lower end (10 per cent of the adult population) of that scale. Personally, I don’t consider gardening, walking your dog or taking the stairs at work exercise. These activities can often skew the research data when they are considered a form of exercise. In order for something to count as exercise in my books you need to increase your heart rate a bit more than a leisurely walk in the park.

I have worked with people from every possible walk of life, from single moms and line workers to CEOs and cardiologists. I have worked with individuals who weigh more than 400 pounds, a woman who is legally blind and individuals who work more than 70 hours per week. The ones who don’t see results all have the same excuses.

More important, the ones who see great results leave their excuses at the door and they are only focused on what they need to do to lose weight or improve their health. They don’t let anything get in their way. If they fall off once in awhile they get right back on track the next day.

Life wouldn’t be much fun if everyone did what they were supposed to but if you are ready to make some life-changing alterations to your health, please email me and I will be happy to get you started. Don’t wait for the perfect day, get started now!