Top 10 Exercise Mistakes: Number 1

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) posted an article on their site called “Top 10 Mistakes People Make in the Gym.”  I wanted to turn that list into a series of articles providing more information on each mistake.  Here is the first of a series of 10 posts on “Exercise Mistakes.”

Mistake Number 1:  The All or Nothing Approach

Most of us think of exercise as an event, something to be planned and scheduled like a lunch meeting.  And like a lunch meeting, if something comes up or if we run late, we cancel and reschedule.  In other words, we tend to take an “all or nothing” approach to exercise – we either do it (we “made” the appointment), or we don’t (we “cancel” the appointment).

I know, I know.  It’s really hard NOT to think of exercise as an event.  You DO have to prepare for it.  You’ve got to pack your gym bag making sure you’ve got clean socks, shorts, a towel, and so on.  You’ve got to change into your exercise “uniform” and make sure your MP3 player is loaded with your latest “power song.”  You’ve got to put on the weight lifting gloves or the wrist and head bands.  Geez, there’s a lot of stuff you’ve got to do before you exercise!  You can’t just run out and, what, start running?  (Remember the scene in Forest Gump when he’s sitting on his porch and decides to just get up and run?  Yeah, I know.  We can’t do that.)

It’s easy to see why so many of us skip exercise altogether just because we can’t find a clean pair of gym socks (you know the ones, the special moisture-wicking, all natural organic fiber, $30 a pair, “makes my feet feel happy” pair).  If you put so much effort into planning to exercise, you’re much more likely to forget the whole thing if any part of the planning process goes wrong.

Another problem with seeing exercise as an event is that we want to impose a start time and an end time.  We want to look at our calendar and see “Exercise 5:30 to 6:30 pm.”  We don’t want to think about exercise until 5:30 and we don’t want to think about exercise after 6:30.  We want to treat it like a dentist appointment – something we just have to do and get over as quickly as possible.  After all, you’ve got to pack all your stuff (hassle), change into your workout clothes (hassle), exercise, then shower (hassle), change into your street clothes (hassle), and then pack up all your wet workout clothes and rush home (hassle, hassle, hassle).

Little wonder we look for reasons to skip exercising.  And take it from me (a Master Excuse Maker), perfectly legitimate excuses, I mean reasons, are not hard to find.

But exercise is not an all-or-nothing event.  Exercise can be incorporated into just about any activity and research has shown that as little as 10 minutes of exercise can provide important health benefits.  It can be as simple as taking the stairs at the office or at the mall.

Other suggestions can include:

• Look for ways to incorporate exercise into your daily activities. Walking or biking to nearby places instead of driving, for example, or actually walking the dog instead of simply letting them run out the back door.
• Break up your “all-out-hard-core-sweat-a-gallon” workout session into smaller, more frequent sessions throughout the day. Lunges or squats can be done anytime, and anywhere, and don’t require any equipment.  Dropping down behind your desk and doing 10 slow-and-easy push-ups will still strengthen your arms but won’t require your usual jacuzzi-sauna-shower after-workout ritual.
• Become more active in general. Stay on your feet when taking phone calls or when reading paperwork.  Walk down the hall to talk to a coworker instead of using the phone or email.  Use resistance bands while you’re watching TV.  In short, stay off your butt as much as possible throughout the day.
• Change your attitude. Exercise is not an event, it’s a lifestyle.  It’s something that’s just part of you, not something you plan or schedule.

Nike has the right idea – Just Do It!  Forget the all-or-nothing attitude.  If something comes up and you can’t exercise for an hour like you had planned, go ahead and exercise in whatever time you have available.  Then find 10 or 15 minutes later on and exercise some more.

If you adopt the attitude that exercise is something you do rather than something you plan, you’ll soon find yourself in great shape.

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time.  Just click on the title to be taken to the download page.  Enjoy!

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