Why We Give-Up on Exercise

How many times have you given up on exercise? If you're like most of us, probably more times than you can count. There are plenty of reasons we find it hard to stick to an exercise program. Sometimes we give up for reasons beyond our control - An illness, for example, or an injury. Sometimes there's no particular reason. One minute we're exercising and patting ourselves on the back for it and, next thing you know, that 10 pounds is back and so is the guilt and frustration.

There's always a reason we give up and there are key moments that can happen in any exerciser's life to watch out for. These moments can create so much frustration, so much self-doubt, you may feel like you have no choice but to quit. However, it's often during these hard moments that you need to keep going.

Find out why you give up on exercise and what you can do about it.

You Give Up Because You're Not Losing Weight
If you exercise to lose weight, it's not terribly surprising that you expect to lose weight. And perhaps you even have realistic weight loss goals, say losing a pound or so a week.

However, you may notice a strange thing when you start an exercise program, a period of time where you may not lose any weight. The fact that it's quite common doesn't make it any easier to swallow. What's the point if you're not even getting results?

The point is that you're getting in shape, that's the point and you will lose weight but you have to change the foods you're eating. You can eat to gain fat or you can eat to lose fat. The exercise program may only be keeping you from gaining more body fat and not losing fat.

Why You Shouldn't Give Up

You may think this is the best time to give up, but this is precisely the moment to keep going and there are a bunch of reasons why. You may be losing inches instead of scale weight, which means you are getting results, just in a different way. Or your scale may be lying to you and not telling you the whole story. And don't forget, it's hard to lose weight. Think about this, is it weight you really want to lose or is it your body fat. It's not the same thing. When I first started my weight loss journey, I lost 30 pounds that year and I was still fat. What Happened, I want to give up.

But let's boil it down to the most important reason to keep going: Because sometimes you just have to keep doing it before you know how things will turn out. So, if you're in this situation, what if you could let go of weight loss for now and just let yourself do it? Let yourself exercise the best way you know how and let your body respond because it will in its own way. It may not be the way you envision, but it will respond if given enough time, consistency and attention to your sleep, stress management, workouts and, of course, your eating habits.

And keep in mind, there are things you can do if you're not losing weight such as take a look at your diet or hire a trainer or a dietitian to help you figure it out.

The big question is, how much time? The real answer is that it takes as long as it takes and weight loss will be different from person to person, depending on everything from genes and hormones to age and gender. My answer, based on personal experience with myself and my clients, is more like 3-6 months, sometimes up to a year depending on how much you have to lose and how long you have carried the extra weight. Remember that most of us need lots of practice to get a consistent workout program down and most of us will fail a few times along the way. A one-hour workout can burn 300 calories or more, but it can also only burn 100 calories if you're not doing the right type of workout.

Not losing weight is bad enough, but gaining weight after starting an exercise program can be downright horrifying. This is more common than you think and no one would blame you for having a knee-jerk response and quitting altogether. However, once again, this isn't the time to give up, no matter what the scale, or your mind, might be telling you. You can always change what you're doing or learn more about what to expect when you start a weight loss program, but what you can't do? Is give up.

If the scale is going up, that doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. In fact, if you're doing cardio, strength training and you're tracking your calories - As in actually calculating how many calories you're eating - there's a very good chance you're on the right track, no matter what the scale is telling you. You may be gain muscle and because muscle weighs more than fat, the scale will go up temporarily.

Forget the scale, and start to measure inches. You can measure several different parts of your body once a week to see if you are going in the right direction. Check the internet for websites that can help you do measurements. It's the old school way of calculating progress. Your pants don't lie. And when you can wear a smaller size or you have lots of room in your pants, your making progress. Don't worry so much about what the scale says. It might take three months of hard work before you see any results. Remember that your diet is 80% of weight loss and your goal is to lose fat.

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I write several blogs, check out some of my other sites.

gettingtoahealthyweight.blog
idropped40pounds.wordpress.com
howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com
blogonlosingweight.com
blogonweight.blogspot.com

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebooks at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

My new ebook is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. I’ll give you a discount coupon you can use at checkout. (PJ42H) not case-sensitive the price is $1.99 w/couponThere’s two ebooks. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.