Tuesday, October 14, 2008

NO MORE EXCUSES=RESULTS reprint

I just thought this needed to be re-posted once again for all the people out there that constantly come up with excuses why they can not exercise or eat right. This was posted on 9-5-08 and I actually had several people get very offended by this article. Could it be a since of guilt??? The truth hurts. We can all come up with excuses to not exercise or eat right but if we want to see true life changing results then you have to be dedicated. Let's stop lying and kidding ourselves and start making more positive changes for our futures.

Please take the time to re-read this article and give me your thoughts and opinions. The good, bad and the ugly one's are all welcome. Just be honest.


No Excuses = Results

By Jason Hanisak

 

For www.EliteFTS.com

 

I want to talk about a very important topic—how to get results. Obviously, this is something that everyone is interested in. However, most don’t fully understand. I’m going to set the record straight and be 100 percent honest, which may offend some people. I’m ok with that because, quite frankly, I’m offended by the number of excuses that I hear on a daily basis.

I’m sick and tired of hearing, “I’m too old…I have bad genetics…I don’t have time…I looked good until I had kids.” You get the idea. I’ll explain why these excuses are not legit in my world, and I’ll tell you the ONLY way to get the results that you say you want.

First, let’s examine some of the popular excuses…

I’m too old

I’ve heard this excuse from so many 30-year-olds I could just choke someone. Unless you have a full head of gray hair, have trouble walking, get the senior citizen discount, or someone calls you grandpa, you are NOT old. It’s true that you may feel old, but there is a reason for that—you sit around and do nothing. Yes, this will make you feel old.

You watch television, eat, and complain about being old. Ever hear of George Foreman or Bernard Hopkins? They are two fighters who both won world titles in their forties (usually considered old for an athlete). They defied the odds. How? Dedication. They trained seven days per week when they were tired or felt weak. They trained no matter what they felt like. Bernard Hopkins is 43-years-old and looks like he is 25. And you know what? He says he feels like he is 25.

I’ve had clients in their twenties and thirties who say that there is no way they could train more than thirty minutes twice per week. Meanwhile, I have 50- and 60-year-olds who train 3–5 times per week at an hour per session. Guess what? The older clients are losing weight and getting stronger while the others are making minimal progress. Is this because the younger clients’ bodies can’t take that much exercise? No, they choose not to allow their body to get that exercise. Therefore, they feel old.

Age is NOT an excuse. It is just a number. I know many people over the age of 50 and even 60 who workout daily, run marathons, power lift, body build, and more. These people don’t look or feel their age because they choose for it to be that way.

I have bad genetics

I hate this one. No one is meant to be fat. Now, everyone does have a different body type, and shapes and sizes will differ. However, large amounts of fat are not meant to be on our bodies.

Now, I’m not knocking overweight people. I have many friends who are powerlifters and could probably lose a few pounds, but it doesn’t concern them. The difference is all of them acknowledge that they are overweight. However, they have different goals and are ok with how their bodies look. This is for the person who wants to exercise once or twice per week and complain that they are fat. Then they blame it on genetics. It never has anything to do with the lack of exercise, the ice cream and cookies they eat every night, or the fact that they went twenty years without exercise.

If your goal is weight loss, you should be exercising 5–6 times a week. You should be doing three days of weights and cardio and two or three days of just cardio. Does this sound like a lot? Well, make a decision. Do you want to lose the weight or not? If the answer is yes, then I just told you what to do. If that is too much for you, be happy being overweight and don’t blame your genetics.

I don’t have time

Ah, my all-time favorite. Just thinking about this one makes me want to lose my mind. Now, I do understand that people are busy in today’s world. Family, work...umm…well, for me it’s family, work, and lifting. They are my priorities.

I always get a response on this one. “Well, you get paid to work out so it’s easy for you, I hear. Would someone please tell me who writes these checks because I have not received mine yet?! Yes, it is true that I’m a personal trainer, and I have worked in the fitness industry for many years. However, people pay me to help them get in shape, not for me to lift weights. Training others is my job. On top of that, I have a wife and newborn baby, I coach college wrestling, and I compete in powerlifting. Guess what? I always have time. I’m not always able to get it in when I want to, but I always get it in.

Sometimes I have work or have to catch the bus to leave for an away tournament. So, I have a choice to make. Bag that day’s workout or get up at 5:00 am and do my squats. For me, there is no choice. I have to squat. It is a priority. That doesn’t mean that I’m not tired like everyone else. I hate getting up that early, but I do it anyway.

I was on a MySpace forum and a woman was complaining about how she wants to work out but works too much and doesn’t have time. How the hell do you have time to play on an internet forum, but you can’t find thirty minutes to go for a run? You have time. You just choose to use it another way.

I looked good until I had kids

Ok, first off, don’t blame your kids for your pathetic body. I understand that women gain weight during pregnancy, and their bodies go through changes. So I will give you the benefit of the doubt. However, if your kids are 10-years-old, it is not baby fat. If your baby weighed 8 lbs and you gained 80 lbs, guess what? You ate like shit.

I know that no one wants to hear this, but I’m speaking the truth, and I have a perfect example to back it up. My wife had a baby four months ago. She weighed 120 lbs before and was on strict bed rest for over thirteen weeks. (This was the perfect opportunity to gain weight.) When our son was born, she weighed 138 lbs, and four months later, she is back to 120 lbs. She exercised regularly before she got pregnant and ate well during her pregnancy. She did not eat ice cream and brownies but chicken breasts and fruits and vegetables. Now, what is the excuse?

Most of these points are directed at the average person, but I hear the same bullshit from athletes as well. You’re in college, you have class, you have work, and you have practice. I understand that you are busy, but if you want to excel and you want to get results and improve from one season to the next, you need to make the time. If you can’t find time to go for a run or hit the weight room for an hour, why even bother playing at all.

When I was in college, I spent 2–3 hours, six days a week in the gym. Four days a week I went for a midnight run. It didn’t matter if I was hung over, tired, wanted to go to a party, or had a girl waiting for me. The gym came first every time. If you truly want to accomplish the goals that you have set, you will find time one way or another.

I hope everyone realizes that this article was not intended to offend anyone but to call everyone out on their excuses. And if you are offended, maybe you need to look at why. Is it because I speak the truth? You are never too old to do anything, and if you are under senior citizen age, don’t even go there. You were not born fat so don’t let yourself get there. If you are already there, make a change. Exercise regularly and change the way you eat. If you can’t give up the chocolate cake every day, stop complaining and making excuses. Don’t blame your kids. Get off your lazy ass and do something about it. And if you think you don’t have time, realize that everyone else has the same responsibilities that you do. The difference is we make the time.

So, what is the answer to results? Very simply said—dedication. Make time to workout. Never miss a workout. If you have to miss it, double up the workout before. Stop making excuses. No one wants to hear it.

Live by the Hanisak Sports Performance motto—no excuses, train hard, or go home!

Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com.

5 comments:

  1. Okay I was going to post something on the first one but since you re-posted and this is a blog after all, here ya go!
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    I didn't find it offensive.. but I could see how others might. The part about post-partum may have been just a tad over the top though... especially since that was coming from a guy! A woman's body can go through many changes on so many levels during and after a pregnancy and each woman is different and it's different for each kid. So it can't be safe to say that it should be easy for all woman pre/during and post-partum to stay motivated yet alone workout. (Ask a couple different woman about their pregnancie(s) and each one will have a different answer.) Anyways, I did work out before during and after both my boys but that was because the Army required it. There were some days where getting outta bed was not an option. It wasn't becaues I wasn't motivated it was because I was seconds away from puking my guts out (come to find out morning sickness doesn't last just in the morning!). But with that aside, most of the time I enjoyed the program and tried to get something out of it as I knew it would pay off in the long run. It is funny to note now that I think of it but the girls who complained about having to workout, cheated on the workouts or just didn't show up period were the same ones who couldn't figure out why they gained so much weight or why they couldn't lose it afterwards. With each of my sons I think my post-partum weight was only 15-20 above my pre-baby weight. Diet played a huge part too... I was glad that most of my cravings were healthy. My only weakness was some chocolate here and there lol! I know I didn't too bad but looking back and knowing what I know now I think I could have done better. But I will admit however (just this once!) that I used the "baby excuse" when I got off active duty and moved here to SWFL. PT (physical training) was part of active duty every day Monday through Wednesday and Fridays with 6:30am formations and lasted for about an hour to an hour and a half. When I transitioned to civilian life there were no longer the wearing a uniform everyday and with that no formations. I went straight from active duty to the Florida National Guard so upon arriving at my unit I had to take a PT test within about 2 months. At that point it coudln't be counted as a record; only as a diagnostic test as I was still in the 180 day post-partum window. In other words my score wouldn't count for or against me. I didn't do too bad but had trouble with my sit-ups... and did so for the next 2 tests. My third and most recent one I finally passed in June. If I hadn't used the "baby excuse" the second time around and just got more serious about my sit-ups (I worked on them them just not enough) I probably would have been promoted to sergeant 5-6 months sooner. But that one thing, my PT score, had me flagged for promotion and I had to pay for it- and not in just in my health but in not getting promoted. That meant I didn't get paid as much as I probably could have! But now I have a goal and with no more excuses; so I hope to make the boys in my unit look bad!!

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  2. I agree I do not like when men talk about how easy it should be to keep your wieght in check during pregnancy, every child I carried affected me differently. One I gain 35 lbs and others I gained as much as 75 lbs. I don't work out and eat right for other people I do it for me, because I want to be the best that I can be. I got sick and tired of waking up every morning not liking what I saw...kidding myself by saying "I looked good for having so many kids". I knew in my heart that I didn't want to settle, I wanted to RECLAIM my body! So I did!!!!! With hard work and drive that only can come from within... So I say to all those ladies don't settle, don't make excuses, do it for YOU, stop the cycle of waking up not liking how your body looks....I did... and so can YOU!

    -Work hard at crossfit
    -Push yourself when you feel you can't
    -Do the Zone diet and "so what if you BLOW it once a week"
    -Do it for YOU , because YOU are the only one who can
    -NO EXCUSES! (and this is written by a women who is not geneticly thin..has a few kids...over 40...and has no time....)

    JUST DO IT!!!!!! DO IT FOR YOU!!!!

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  3. snip ["so what if you BLOW it once a week"]

    Oh yeah! Like Blu Sushi nights??? :P Hehe

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  4. It's OK to cheat once in a while. You'll never be perfect at it 100% of the time. I try to stay focused on a strict diet Mon.- Fri. Then on Sat. and Sun. I relax with it a little more. If there's something I want I'll eat it and not think twice about it. Now that doesn't mean I go out and over indulge in everything I missed out on all week. I have a small portion of the things I want and leave it at that. Then on Monday I get right back into my regular eating routine.

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  5. I know... it was just a joke about the last Blu Night out... I think pretty much everyone cheated despite your challenge :P I wanted to but the cold meds I was on at the time prevented me from drinking anything but water/tea. lol!

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