The excuses for not keeping up with the amount of exercise your body and mind needs is never ending…

‘I’m too busy at the moment with work’, ‘I haven’t got time with all the social commitments I have going on’ ‘Exercise doesn’t agree with me’

Sound familiar? You can be sure that here at Xen-Do you can be sure that we have heard every argument under the sun when it comes to excuses to not to exercise. We have been there, done it, bought the t-shirt and every other bit of merchandise along with it. But our motto wouldn’t be fit for life if we didn’t also have some secrets to help you break that mind-set

Find a routine

Find times in you week where your schedule allows for exercise and commit to them. See exercise as appointments or norms, much like you would going to work or having dinner, or even seeing friends. If you see it as an optional extra, it will stay just that.

Word of warning: beware of biting off more than you can chew. This is one of the biggest reasons people give up on their latest plans to become an Olympian athlete. Starting out with the intention of working out for three hours a day is very honourable but you are fooling nobody and least of all yourself. We see it all the time here at Xen-Do and it is why we advise to all our beginners to start out coming just twice a week at most.

And talking of biting off more than you can chew, this rule applies to dieting too. Don’t start a diet that is going to leave you constantly hungry and malnourished because at some point the killer instinct will kick in and you will either end up killing your room-mate or gorging on a meal fit for lion.

Moderation is your friend when it comes to longevity.

Enjoyability equals sustainability

If you don’t enjoy exercise you won’t do it. Ask the instructors here at Xen-Do if they like long distance running. Invariably the response you will get is ‘no – too boring, too tiring’. Kickboxing and martial arts has a distinct advantage over most forms of exercise insofar as you could never call it boring. For most of our students and one hour class will whizz by and next thing you know you a step closer to being the fitness guru you wish to be.

Get a mate

‘I probably should exercise tonight but I’m not really in the mood, no one will know if I cross exercising out my diary’.

Next thing you know, you’ve gone home, you’re in your pjs and you’ve got a slice of pizza in each hand. How on earth did that happen? I’m not going to try and answer that but we can tell you that it would have been much less likely to happen if you had someone to answer to. Refusing to be fit and healthy because you’re trying to break the world record for most pizzas consumed in a single sitting becomes much less appealing when you have to spill your secret to a friend.

In all seriousness, Xen-Do knows how difficult it can be to motivate yourself every second of every day and we also understand how valuable it is to work as part a team. Together we are more than the sum of our parts.

Positive reinforcement

When students ask us what they need to do to become a black-belt or get the physique they are after our response is always the same: just turn up! We will do the rest in terms of getting you motivated and getting you to the standard you want to be. So, quite literally, if you turn up the rewards are obvious. Just do the easy bit and turn up!

Woody Allen once said “half of life is about turning up”.

Apparently great minds do think alike.

Don’t break the habit

This may seem obvious and easier said than done but take it from us, it is far easier to train when you are at your fittest and techniques are fresh from last week’s session than when you have spent two months imitating a couch potato. There’s a reason they call I getting back up on the horse: it’s not easy!

Ouss!

This article is based on opinion:
– the author is not a qualified doctor or anyone who can dispense medical advice.
– any opinions stated are just that and people should consult a doctor before making any dietary changes or changes of any nature prompted by the articles published by or on behalf of Xen-Do.
– under 16’s please obtain parental permission before posting anything online.