I’m going to hit you with a question out of the blue here, and I really want you to think about it before reading ahead. What’s the most important thing in your life?

Go ahead, take a moment. I’ll be here when you’re done.

GOT AN ANSWER?

Did you come up with an honest answer to the question? The majority of people I’ve asked have said one of two things — either work or family. I have heard many different reasons for supporting both points of view, but they will usually boil down to either directly or indirectly supporting the important people in your life.

If you’ve read the title of this article, you’ll know I don’t think either of those is the answer. I think there’s something that trumps both work and family — your health. Think about it.

Without your health you cannot support and spend time with important people in your life. Without your health you cannot work to earn and provide for them either. You can’t really contribute 100% to anything if your health is failing you.

One of the best ways to immediately improve your health is to start exercising with weights. Strength is the master physical quality, and when you become strong, it carries over into other areas of your life. It’s not just about putting on muscle or increasing your endurance — you’ll develop discipline and maybe even be humbled a bit too.

There are many reasons why people let their exercise routines slip, but here’s what I hear most often.

“I Have No Time For Exercise”

I have heard this one so many times, and this is not the reason why you can’t exercise. It’s the excuse behind the real reason. The real reason is that you haven’t got your priorities sorted.

To say you don’t have time to train is like saying you don’t have time to brush your teeth or shower. Sure, those things only take a few minutes, but they are all a part of your health plan and as important as each other. If you stop brushing your teeth they will get a build up of plaque and eventually need have work done on them.

The same applies to your body if you don’t exercise. More specifically, training with weights. If you don’t use your muscles, they will become weak and deteriorate. It can also affect your hormones and mobility as well. If you don’t use it, you will most certainly lose it! Spending time exercising properly now will save you money and time spent later at the physio just managing symptoms.

You need to sit down and write a list of what is the most important priorities in your life. Obviously I think health should be at the top, but even if it was in your top 3 you need to stop making excuses and make time. If you’re unsure where to start, find a personal trainer to teach you how to best the time you can set aside and lift weights safely.

Straight Up Procrastination

There is no tomorrow people!

On more occasions than I care to mention I have had health consultations with people who had every intention to get their health on track, lose weight and get fit. But as time passed no deliberate action was taken, there had always been an excuse. “There’s no point starting til the new year” or “I’ll start after my birthday”

Here’s my personal favourite — “you can’t be healthy while on holidays so I’ll start when I get back”.

Don’t focus on the reasons why you shouldn’t start today but instead look at the reason why you should. Any progress you can make now, even if it isn’t perfect, is infinitely better than doing nothing. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

Do you have weight to lose? Are you as strong as you’d like to be? Do you lose your breath walking up stairs or playing with your kids? Do you have the confidence to show your body off at the beach?

If you’re not happy with where you are at this very moment, the time to do something about that is NOW.

Too Much Time Spent Not Accomplishing Anything

Don’t be fooled. If you have not been taught how to lift weights by an experienced personal trainer, then chances are you are not getting the most out of your training. It’s only natural — if you don’t know how something should feel, then you’re likely to develop bad habits.

Have you ever known anyone that seems to spend forever at the gym, only for nothing to really change?

Poor movement only gets worse when you add load and it’s my experience that spending time with a quality personal trainer will get you results faster and safer than training on your own or with other inexperienced lifters.

If you don’t currently train at all then having an appointment with a personal trainer a few times a week will give you the kick start you need to develop motivation and accountability. You don’t need to do it forever — think of it as a stepping stone to being fully self-sufficient.

A good PT will not only show you what to do, but they will also teach you how and why. This is absolutely essential so you can become more self-aware and begin the process of correcting your own technique in the gym.

You should be able to get all the motivation, necessary skills and accountability to be able to continue on your own in about 3 to 6 months.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Any improvements you can make to your life right now are better than nothing. If lifting weights seems like too much right now, go for a walk. Get your body moving and revisit how you feel and what you want to do a month from now.

If you do want to begin lifting weights and improving your fitness, or even just want to know if you’re on the right track with what you’ve been doing to date, get in touch. We’ve been helping people get on the right track for years, and I’d be willing to be you’d be surprised what you can accomplish in just a short few months of focused work.