I am incredibly lazy by nature, although I do force myself to be productive at times and exercise to improve my health. The key is to negotiate with yourself. If you do not feel like doing a half hour run or a CrossFit section that is brutal and makes you feel like you are extremely tired afterwards, then do something that you are willing to do. That is something that I learned from Jordan Peterson. Ask yourself: “what am I willing to do?”
Find Workouts You Enjoy
Now, I have been experimenting with dieting and working out since I was about 10 years old, so I know what kinds of workouts I enjoy and which ones I don’t, and I don’t do the ones that I don’t enjoy. I know enough to know that you can get the same health benefits that you would get from running that you get from, for example, cycling or dancing.
For any exercise, there is an alternative option that offers you the same health benefits. The thing is, if you are lazy and it’s hard for you to get off the couch, then ask yourself: “what am I willing to do to improve my health?”
Start Slowly, and Build Your Way Up for Health
Maybe just start by stretching while you are sitting on the couch. Get some hand weights, and while you are sitting on the couch watching your favourite series, you could do some shoulder presses and bicep curls.
Then, you could progress to getting up and doing 10 squats every time you get up from the couch to go to the fridge, or every time you’re in the bathroom, you can do 10 squats or 10 lunges. It doesn’t have to be a lot. You can start small to be healthy.
One thing that my husband taught me, who studied fitness, is that you can get a lot of health benefits from exercise by only doing a few reps of one exercise about five to ten times, spread throughout the day. So, in the morning when you wake up, you could do a set of push-ups, and then an hour later, do one more. And, if you rest at least five minutes in between, it will help with healthy recovery.
And, for me, who’s been out of the exercise routine recently because I couldn’t exercise for a while due to ill health, getting started again is quite daunting and difficult, but if you follow this strategy, it’s quite easy.
I can do whatever I’m willing to do in a day. If I don’t feel like doing strength exercises and I just want to go and walk around the block while listening to a podcast or an audiobook, that is what I do.
If all I want to do for that day is put on some music and dance for three songs in a row, which makes it a 10-minute workout, then that’s ok. One thing that I have realised is that cleaning the house is also a great form of exercise, which is something that my Fitbit taught me.
Workout Without Noticing to Become Healthier
If you clean your house, which is something that you might have to do anyway, then you’ll see that you actually end up burning quite a few calories. So, if you don’t feel like working out, but you cleaned your house, then you don’t have to feel bad about yourself because you worked out and did do something to improve your health.
There have been times where I burned more calories cleaning my house than I did at the gym, which is wonderful. So, that’s an option. One thing that I like to do is play a podcast or an audiobook about health in the background while I’m cleaning the house, because it makes time go by faster, and cleaning doesn’t suck as much.
Plus, I am happy that I’m getting the health benefits of just moving my body. One thing that has also helped me burn more calories than a gym session is shopping. I love going to a mall on a day where I want to exercise for my health, but I don’t feel like doing a workout. I can go shopping and walk around in the mall for two hours and burn quite a few calories while improving my health.
Have you ever noticed that shopping can be incredibly tiring? There are few things that make me as exhausted as a day of shopping. So, once a week, maybe once every two weeks, you can treat yourself to a shopping trip instead of working out. Carrying heavy bags also helps you burn more calories and work out harder.
What I like to do is get a decaf coffee and then walk around. It’s nice if you’re shopping with a friend, because then you add a social element to it, but I also like listening to podcasts or audiobooks.
Stretch Yourself Healthy
If you’re also too lazy to exercise one day, then why not just stretch? Stretching is incredibly good for your body. We can store a lot of stress in muscles, and stretching them out can help you feel more relaxed overall and live longer. Mobility is one of the biggest indicators of healthy ageing and longevity. If you are mobile and you are still flexible when you’re older, if you fall, you will be able to save yourself from becoming too hurt.
You’ll be able to stop yourself from failing a lot easier and recover better. Your movement will be a lot easier. You might not have to rely on a cane or struggle to walk. So, flexibility is definitely something that you should consider working on throughout your life. It might make you feel a lot better now and actually help you with whatever fitness goals you are trying to achieve. Now, being flexible can help you perform better in sports like obstacle course racing, dancing, rock climbing, etc.
Become Healthier in Front of the TV
I like to put my yoga mat in front of the TV and stretch while enjoying my favourite shows, as I almost forget that I’m being active. What I’ve also done in the past is put on an episode of the Big Bang Theory, as they are about 20 minutes an episode, and then I just work out for that 20 minutes.
You can choose whatever series you want, and if you exercise in front of the TV, it helps reduce the suffering quite a lot. I keep some dumbbells and elastic bands by my TV cabinets, so that whenever I’m watching TV, I can put my yoga mat in front of the TV and do some exercises.
I have fun with it and end up spending 70% of the time on my back doing exercises in that way. Luckily, there are a lot of exercises that you can do on your back, whether they are yoga poses, stretches, or dumbbell exercises. You can do core exercises as well. Negotiate with yourself.
If you just want to lie on your yoga mat and do a few exercises without pushing yourself too hard, at least you did something. Exercise is only 20% of the equation when it comes to health, so you don’t have to stress too much if you are not working out hard five to six times a week.
Find Other Healthy Motivation Sources
Exercise is more important for your general health and for longevity, for feeling good, and for your mental health. That’s the main reason why I exercise, to be honest. So, when it comes to exercise, have fun with it. If you find a workout that you like doing, it will also be a lot easier for you to start exercising and stick to it.
Whether it’s boxing, rock climbing, any type of dancing, or even playing golf (because you tend to walk around a lot), find something that you enjoy and that will help you be more active.
