Excuses, excuses ... On Your Health Outlook:

HAVING very recently reached the milestone 30 years since I was born, I began wondering whether my goals as a 20-something would now have to change the moment the clock struck midnight. I began worrying about declining metabolism, saggy skin and senility.

Ten minutes later, I had to snap myself back to reality. I had allowed myself to be distracted by doubts and worries which could simply undermine all the hard work that I've put in all this while. I was about to make excuses for myself!

Growing old

Age can be both an internal as well as external distraction. While we doubt ourselves or allow others to discourage us, we wouldn't be fully able to be involved in activities that we want.

My cardio classes are usually filled with people from varying ages and they don't allow the thoughts of "acting their age" stop them from having a good time while burning calories. Similarly, it wouldn't be wrong for a 45-year-old man to develop an interest in paintball and form a team of veterans to rival the youth.

The limitation of age tends to be more of a mental block most of the time. My own grandfather, who is past 80, still makes time for a jog in the mornings. Who says the elderly can't move? Even Zumba Fitness has developed the Zumba Gold programme that is suited for the elderly so that they can enjoy working out albeit without the jumping, hopping and skipping.

Of course, with age, there is the need to be more careful as the risk of injury increases.

Voices

As if doubting yourself isn't bad enough, it gets worse when you start listening to people who ask you, "why do you have to do that?" or "are you sure that's fun?" Workouts are not universal and while one routine works for one person, it probably won't for another. Why do you think there are plenty of different sports to play out there. We each have different perspectives on what is fun and shouldn't fall victim to the judgment of others nor peer pressure.

Stop listening to what others say and continue listening to your own body. If it's fine with pushing on, then go ahead. If it's not, then take it down a notch. However, a personal trainer will try to be aware of how your body is responding to a programme and keep you from hurting yourself.

Commitment

Very few of us are professional athletes who seem to do nothing but train and perform. Life requires most of us to study, work, pray and socialise. Naturally, we need all of that to provide security mentally, financially, religiously and emotionally. But we also need to be physically secure as well.

A workout doesn't last several hours a day, seven days a week. Sometimes it's as simple as blocking out one to two hours in our 24 hours so we can focus on just that.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of last minute plans. I'll accommodate if I can but if I've already scheduled myself for a class, I would politely turn it down or let them know that I will be late. Good friends will be able to understand that you consider working out as important and they will accept that.

Travel

Being away for weeks at a time can be taxing on the body as the convenience of a readily available gym is no guarantee. Packed schedules make it even harder to try to look for them.

One of the easiest ways to continue working out while abroad is by bringing a resistance band, which looks like a stretchy rubber scarf, with you. Light and doesn't take up much space in your luggage, a resistance band is so versatile that it can be used for a huge range of motions and work out your entire body. From resistance push ups to bicep curls, you just need a big enough space in your hotel room.

The English equivalent to the Malay proverb "hendak seribu daya, tak hendak seribu dalih" would be "where there's a will, there's a way". And I'm sure there is an equivalent in just about every language known to Man that says that excuses can be made but success has to be worked for.

So what's your excuse now?

The Brunei Times