You’ve probably seen her: The woman in your exercise class who never really does all 50 crunches, or the one who always stops a few minutes shy of the end of a spinning class. I’ve been thinking about cheating and exercising this week, because it seems I’m now well-enough in shape that there are no easy workouts; light weights don’t do anything for me any more, and walking for only half an hour, even really fast, doesn’t make a dent.
My favorite aerobics teacher, Lisa Sanchez (her noon Monday class at the Downtown Y starts my week off right) says some of the cheating she sees in her classes comes from habit: You think you can’t really do 50 crunches, so you don’t even try, despite the fact that you’ve been doing the same class for months, and, presumably, getting fitter. Another trainer I know says flatly, “You’re just cheating yourself.”
Do you ever cheat on your workout? Why? What kind of head games do you play with yourself to keep going?
Responses to “What’s with exercise cheaters?”
October 6th, 2006 at 2:52 pm
For crying out loud, why assume a person is “cheating” because she doesn’t finish the requisite number of crunches or minutes on the treadmill? No reputable trainer or instructor would encourage anyone to go beyond what they feel is their safe limit. As long as you are performing every aspect of your fitness program to the best of your ability, you’ll get great benefits from it.
October 6th, 2006 at 4:50 pm
To me, it’s like choosing romaine vs. iceberg…the romaine is better for me (more fiber, vitamins, etc) but I’ll eat the iceberg if there are no other options… at least it is healthier than fries or chips. Whether you’re working out in the gym or at home, you’re headed in the right direction. An “exercise cheat” to me is the gal leaning all over the handles/bars of the treadmill or stair climber. Whether you do a little or a lot, do it right…
October 4th, 2006 at 3:13 pm
I challenge myself to keep motivated. I also mixup the workouts so that I’m not doing the same thing every day. I mix it up with outside walking, indoor classes, indoor cardio machines, weight training, and an occasional yoga class.
When walking became too easy, I added short spurts of very slow jogging to get my heart rate up.
I do interval training on the elliptical machine. I do level 1 for one minute, level 2 for one minute, level 3 for one minute, etc., until I get to my maximum heart rate. Then go back to level 2 and start over. Repeat. Then I go back to level 3 and start over. Repeat. I do this for an hour on a good day.
When I work out with weights, I increase the reps or weights when the weights get too light.
The payoff is weight loss, muscle tone and smaller clothing, which is the most thrilling part for me. Another payoff: low pulse, blood pressure, cholesterol level, etc.
Cheating for me is not doing 60 minutes of cardio every day and it’s usually because of lack of sleep the night before or lack of time with everything else that has to be done. It happens, and I just deal with it because it’s all about balance.