Excuses

Exercise has the ability to change body shape, reduce body fat, fight disease, rehabilitate from injury and even delay the inevitable ageing process. All you have to do in return for these priceless gifts is that you participate on a regular basis.

You don't even have to join an expensive gym, buy lots of fitness gizmos or even exercise hard. All that's required is a couple of hours a week to challenge your heart and lungs, move your joints and strengthen your postural muscles and you, too, could have good health and a good body to match.

For such a small outlay you'd think that people would be flocking to this 'wonder pill' in droves, but this really isn't the case at all. Aside from January when thousands of us sign up for gym memberships and exercise classes, it seems that there are always more people quitting rather than starting fitness programmes and diets.

The reasons for quitting are many, with some of them sounding really quite credible, yet a deeper inspection reveals them for what they are... excuses!

This excuse-making may be the result of a little-known yet highly contagious medical condition known as Exercisicus Excusicus.

The following is a guide to this most persistent of medical symptoms, allowing both health professionals and sufferers alike to identify and overcome this condition.

Symptom 1: The patient complains that they do not have enough time to incorporate even the briefest of exercises.

Diagnosis: Time is the easiest of all excuses, as it seems that if there is no time, there is no time. Yet realistically, it's highly improbable that someone has no time at all to spare, unless they are literally on the go from when they rise to when they go to bed.

Cure:1. Cut out (or down) on the time-intensive, non-essential parts of your day, like TV watching or chatting on the phone
2. Work out near to home or work to save on travel time – even better, walk to or from work for at least part of the journey
3. Use the stairs at work or at the tube station and ban yourself from lifts or escalators
4. Use workout videos at home
5. Hire the services of a personal trainer – let them plan and organise your sessions at the time and place of your choice. You'll also find that the cost of cancelling will do wonders for your time management!