When it comes to working out, most of us have made our share of excuses to avoid exercise and a healthful eating regimen. Fitness model Alexander William talked with Windy City Times about some of those excuses and offered his own responses.
—"I have no time. I'm too busy:" Usually it's a matter of just getting something into your routine," William said. "Just tweak something—like taking the dog for a longer walk. Saying 'I don't have time' usually means you don't want to make the time. So instead of changing your schedule, just tweak it a little; you don't have to go all out." Even when watching TV, "you can stretch," William added.
—"Gyms are too crowded:" "I actually agree with this, but it's a matter of peak times when you go," William said. "It's going to be crowded at some time. I actually go to two gyms—one at the Bally's [ in the suburbs ] where I work, where I go on Monday nights when it's football season; it's almost empty then. And in the city, I take care of grocery shopping right after work; people usually filter out by 7 p.m."
—"Exercise is boring:" Again, William concurred—"but it's a matter of routine," he said. "It's a matter of making it exciting. I personally hate cardio, but I love playing soccer. If I can do it with the same intensity, I'll play soccer instead of doing cardio. If you are getting tired of the treadmill or bike, sign up for a class at the gym; you could get amazing results—and you could get other people with the same mindset there joining you and motivating you."
—"I experience pain while exercising:" William can identify with this one. "I'm no stranger to [ pain ] ," he said, adding that he was wearing an ankle brace at the time of our talk. "I've had surgery and other things that have slowed me down. Obviously, you want to stop and just re-evaluate what you're doing—is it technique? Are you lifting too much? Just because you see other people doing something doesn't mean you can do it. But you can adjust things and tailor them to fit your needs."
—"I'm already thin:" Although not too many people use this one, William said it's just as invalid as other excuses. "Age and genetics can push this one out the window," he said. Also, just because you're thin doesn't mean you're healthy. "There are definitely people who are not thin who are in better shape than their counterparts," he added.
—"I love food too much:" "I'm sure I was 350-400 pounds in a former life because I love food, too," William said. "For me, though, it's about balance. I completely disagree with the idea that you eat right all the time; you have to slip in a cookie or a slice of pizza from time to time—otherwise, you'll go off the deep end."
—"I travel a lot and can't establish a routine:" "I can't stand travelling for that reason," said William, who frequently goes out of town. "A lot of it is avoiding the chain-restaurant lunches and stuff like that. You might want to get a Filet-o-whatever and a deep-fried [ item ] . I try to watch my portions because when you go out to eat they deliberately give you bigger portions. And I do try to take note of what's on the menu; do they try to slip in butter and sauces to make things taste better? Or, in reference to the previous excuse, you can make [ the fattening foods ] a weekend thing. Also, I definitely try hotel gyms; I don't feel like I've lost as much when I come back."
—"Exercising is too expensive:" William responded, "If you're looking for a gym membership, one of the best things I found is that people have legacy memberships on Craigslist. People sign up Jan. 1 to [ fulfill ] resolutions and keep up with their goals, but give up their memberships for whatever reason. I bought my Bally's membership who was paying $12 a month in the '90s, so I got a membership for that price."
Alexander William's Web site is alexander-william.com; he blogs at awfitness.blogspot.com .
