Excuses, Excuses

In today's fast paced world, sometimes it can be challenging to find the time to get to the gym to workout. I am sure you have heard many people say, "There just aren't enough hours in the day." The number one excuse for not training on a regular basis is not being able to find the time.

Ninety nine percent of all excuses are not valid! If you are serious about getting in shape, if it is a top priority, nothing will get in the way of you achieving your goal. If you want something bad enough, it is amazing what you will do to get it. Here are a few things you can do to eliminate the "I don't have time" excuse.



Get up an hour earlier, or stay up an hour later. Dedicate this extra hour of time to training and achieving your fitness goals. Fact: Most people spend more time sleeping than they need to. Eight or nine hours of sleep can be great, but by no means necessary to maintain your health and let you feel good.

Personally, I find it easier and more effective to get up an hour earlier and train first thing in the morning for two reasons. Training first thing in the morning increases your metabolism and keeps you burning calories at an increased rate throughout the day. Another great reason to train first thing is to eliminate the possibility of procrastination and blowing off a workout. By the end of the day, the last thing in the world you want to do after a long day of work and responsibility is workout. Getting your training in first thing will also increase your energy level and make you feel good about yourself. It gives you a sense of accomplishment which will help you tackle the rest of your day and insane schedule with a smile.

I am sure that at least one "morning person" reading this said to themselves, "Get up an hour earlier, he must be out of his mind!" Even if you get up half an hour earlier, this equates to three and a half hours of exercise time a week that you didn't have before. With only investing a half hour a day, you can get quick, noticeable results.


Put together a home exercise program for those days you just can't get to the gym. For about $150.00, you can buy some dumbbells, a bench, and a floor mat for abdominal training. Although you can not get as thorough a workout as you could in a health club - it's better than nothing! Herschel Walker, a pro football player, has one of the best physiques around and he has never touched a weight! His workout consists of push-ups, sit-ups, and cardiovascular exercise. You can get great results sticking to the basics. Remember, consistency and intensity are your key ingredients for success.


If money is an issue and you can't afford to buy the equipment mentioned above, all you need is a VCR. There are hundreds of great video tapes designed for toning, weight loss and fat burning. If you don't want to go to a gym, this allows you to exercise in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

All exercise video tapes are designed with music as a background. Music is a powerful tool when it comes to exercise. It lifts your spirits and increases your enthusiasm. Music also takes your mind off the clock and makes your workouts seem to go faster.

Exercise to music that you enjoy. If you like music from the 50's, 60's and 70's, Richard Simmons "Sweating To The Oldies", or Cory Everson's "Step In Time" are great beginner level programs. If you like martial arts and self defense, purchase a tae bo tape.

If you are in decent shape, semi-coordinated and like today's dance music, you can choose from several of MTV's "The Grind Workout Hip Hop Aerobics", Paula Abdul's, "Get Up And Dance", Milo Levell's "Hip Hop Body Shop", Kathy Smith's "Latin Rhythm Workout", or Christy Lane's "Funky Freestyle Dancing."

If you have two left feet like me, you will quickly be able to master Denise Austin's Xtralite Beginner's Aerobics.

All of these tapes and hundreds more are available for sale at most music and major department stores. If you want to check out a tape before you buy it, most of these video tapes can also be rented at your local video store.

Incorporating these simple principles into your daily routine will make it much easier for you to stick to the program, improve your health, and move closer to your fitness goals.
by: Dr. Robert Osgoodby
___________________________________________________________________________

Excellent Choices

Five Proven Ways to Safely Make Positive Life Changes

One of the most important aspects of living a healthy and
prosperous life is understanding "risk." By this I mean knowing
how to understand and analyze situations in life that affect
health. Being able to accurately weigh benefits and risks when
making health decisions is very important! Too often decisions
are based on incomplete or inaccurate information and this is a
huge mistake with significant consequences!

Failure to accurately assess risk keeps people locked in all
kinds of unhealthy situations including poor eating and exercise
habits (lifestyle), relationships and jobs. Sometimes people are
just afraid to step out and make a change. They see "risk" in
making a change when the REAL risk comes from NOT making a
change. From my perspective, living with the stress, unhappiness
and frustration of indecision and poor health is the greatest
risk of all, and one that is definitely not worth taking!

Accessing "risk" is nothing more than collecting information,
weighing the alternatives and then making appropriate decisions
based on the information.

Some risks to our health are more "real" than others. For
example, it is common knowledge that obesity is associated with a
wide variety of health problems. On the other hand, there are
some health risks that are so remote we rarely think about them.
On a practical level, eating highly processed foods and avoiding
a daily dose of fresh fruits and vegetables is rarely considered
serious. But, as too many have already discovered, the long range
consequences of this practice are real and devastating.

Failure to accurately assess risk limits us in many ways. We
imagine the "risk" of talking with our children about drugs,
dating or sex and we put off having the "talk," even though the
risks of NOT talking are infinitely greater. Fear of flying and
public speaking are two more "risks" affecting millions of
people. But practically speaking, these fears are unfounded.
People ride in cars every day, even though cars are far more
dangerous than commercial aircraft! It's a failure to accurately
assess risk, and it limits our health, prosperity and pleasure in
life.

The goods news is that failure to accurately access risk is
reversible! The effects of those decisions to eat inappropriately
or NOT to exercise are, as the common expression goes,
"do-overs." We can effect positive change in our lives by
following a few simple steps to accurately access risk:

1. Accurately define your present situation and access your
health "risks". Are you eating a healthy diet? Are you getting
enough exercise and good quality sleep? What are the consequences
if you DON'T change? Weigh the benefits of healthier living vs
the potential risks such as increased cost, inconvenience or
discomfort.

2. What do you stand to gain if you change your present
circumstances? Assess the "up-side" potential. Too often we look
only at the "downside" risk and forget the benefits. What good
things might happen if you take the risk and win?

3. Limit the "down-side" if you happen to make a wrong decision.
Don't continue down a path if it does not produce results. This
is especially important when following weight loss programs. If
the pounds are not coming off or if the weight loss is only
temporary, find a new program! You not only want to lose weight,
but want to sustain the weight loss for as long as possible. Take
steps to ensure this will happen. Clear, concise, realistic
objectives will definitely help.

4. Reduce your risk by being smart! Understand the situation and
seek the advice of experts in the field of health and nutrition.
This includes finding and forming partnerships to receive support
and get good advice.

5. Have a fall-back position. If the decision you make fails to
produce the desired results, be prepared to take a long, hard
look at the circumstances and be prepared to change what you are
doing.

Everything in life involves some element of risk. Driving your
car, meeting someone new, crossing the street...but we do them
every day. Winners in life are willing to accept the risk and
continue on their way! Get involved, be smart about how you play
the game, come prepared for a few failures along the way, but
don't quite. You will reap the benefits for your effort and live
a happier and healthier life. I like to remember the words of the
great Winston Churchill when he said, "Never, never, never give
up!"

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes
only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any
disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any
health care program.
Author Emily Clark
___________________________________________________________________________

Excellent Choices