Are you exercising for the wrong reasons?

Are you exercising for the wrong reasons?

Before 8 a.m. on Monday, I had heard three clients tell me similar stories. They all agreed that their weekend was a flop because they overindulged, fell off the waggon, and didn't exercise once. They were starting over on Monday... They had to be extra good this week, work extra hard in the gym, starve themselves, and abstain from carbs and alcohol - as if this were punishment for enjoying their weekends.

Does this ring a bell?

If you're nodding your head, you're probably thinking, "Until the weekend comes around again, and then we'll be back in the same cycle of self-sabotage and destructive behaviour." I know this because it's a story I frequently tell myself.

Wash and rinse. Repeat.

But guess what?

Your ass isn't going to double in size in a weekend, and it's certainly not going to "pay you back" for letting loose and having fun every now and then. How dull would life be if we didn't do these things? Most likely, you're just retaining water, and if you drink more water (oh, the irony) and eat whole, wholesome foods, you'll be back to normal in two or three days.

We need to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves to look a certain way, fit in, or be cool. Rather, we should concentrate on being healthy and making the best decisions for our bodies and goals at least 80 percent of the time. It's?cold, so staying on the couch with pasta and hot chocolate will be more appealing than going to the gym and eating salad, but try to do it more often than not.

You'll make a slew of excuses not to exercise, such as (to be taken with a grain of salt:

• I don't have time
• My feet will stink, and I'll run into sweaty people who will want to hug me
• The instructor is going to yell at me
• Pasta and hot chocolate are so much nicer
• oh well I forgot I need to carbo-load for my hard day tomorrow, a personal gem of mine

Just as bad as making excuses not to exercise are the lies we tell ourselves why we have?to get out butts to the gym, such as:

• My partner likes me better when I'm thin
• Society tells me I need to look a certain way;
• I'm too fat;
• I have to do it because everyone else is doing it
• All of my friends look better than me.

No, stop. Simply come to a halt.

Exercising should never feel like a chore or something you have to do to make other people happy or like you. Exercising is all about you. How it makes you feel about yourself and what goals you've set for yourself

Here are some compelling reasons to exercise:

• I want to live a healthier lifestyle so that I have more energy to play with my children;
• I want to increase my longevity and live longer;
• I want to compete in a specific sport
• I want to get stronger
• I want to reduce my stress levels
• I want to be free of anxiety and depression
• I want to better manage an illness, such as fibromyalgia.
• I want to improve my concentration and focus
• I want to be more mobile.

These are excellent motivators to get up, get out, and move your body. Repeat them to yourself; print them out and tape them up on your mirror.

And let me remind you about the free Pilates trial class you can book with me and if you have any questions book a session with me to chat about all your concerns