Ahh yes, the common refrain heard in homes all around the world, “I’m too tired to exercise.” Sometimes you hear the added “I had a long day, I just can’t workout right now.” I especially love hearing this one from information workers like myself who spend most of the day behind a computer. Yes, that’s right, those long hours sitting on a chair and typing away at a keyboard really wear you out physically. Oh wait, no they don’t.
The Myth
If you worked a full day, you don’t have the energy to exercise. Somehow, work sapped away all your will to move and now you can do nothing but sit on the couch. You poor thing, you need to rest, and hey, my favorite show is on!
The Truth
There are two things that power your body, calories and sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, fix it. Go to bed earlier or adjust your sleeping position so you don’t snore as much. If you do get enough to sleep then saying you’re too tired to work out is just an excuse, and not a very smart one either.
The Truth
Remember calories? Those little units of energy that you’re trying to work off? If you were really out of energy, that would mean you had expanded all of your calorie reserves. So let’s check that. Look down, is your belly still big? Does your butt still bulge? Is there still fat on your thighs? Yes? Well there you go, plenty of energy reserves for you. You’re not out of energy and you’re not too tired to work. Your body is just not used to doing anything other than sitting on the couch.
Ask people who work out if they feel tired after exercise. Ask them if they feel worn down or out of energy. The truth is that most people feel like they have more energy after working out, not less. They feel invigorated and refreshed. That’s because physical activity tells your body to perk up. You’re telling your metabolism “hey! I need energy right now, so wake up and start working!” Your body responds by upping your energy levels and you feel refreshed. Try it yourself. Next time you get home and you feel tired. Take a walk. You’ll feel awake and full of energy when you’re done with that walk.
Summary
The truth is that you’re not too tired to exercise and you’re not too tired to do something physically active. You’re tired because you don’t do anything physical. You’re tired because you’ve gotten used to sitting on the couch. So instead of whining about how tired you are, get up and do something. Get active, go walk, take a bike ride, lift some weights, dance in your underwear. Whatever it takes, do it. Get active and stay active. You’ll see some dramatic differences in your energy levels and you’ll finally understand why the rest of us always groaned and looked annoyed when you told us you were too tired to do anything.
I used to be the queen of “I’m too tired to exercise” after work. So, I moved my workouts to the mornings so to avoid any “I’m too tired” or “I’m too busy” excuses. I found that working out in the morning really makes me feel like I’m getting a healthy start to the day. Plus, the workout is out of the way first thing.
On the days when I feel like caving into the “I don’t wanna go exercise” lags, I play a little game with myself where I negotiate time. For example, “Just go and workout for 15 minutes, and that’s all you’re required to do. If you want to stay longer you can, if not, you’ve done your work for the day.”…Every time I do that, I end up working out my usual full schedule. It goes to show just how powerful the mind hump is. If you can just put on your shoes and show up, you’re already over the resistance.
Exactly. It may feel like you’re tired but once you start moving, you’ll find yourself filled with energy. That’s actually why I stopped working out late at night. I found that I was too wired after a workout to get to sleep.
Gal
I used to say this in weight loss classes I helped teach, while I was a triathlon stud. Then, something happened. Out of the blue, it felt like I had 2 hours of sleep every night, fatigue like you couldn’t imagine. Been going downhill ever since, and yeah, I feel too tired to exercise, take off running and if feels like a bag of concrete is on my back. Been seeing doctors for a year now. So, when I see articles like this, it just seems like the author is being a total misinformed prick. Sad thing is, I used to be the same way, I could have very well written this, but can now tell you, that’s a stupid attitude to have because it’s just incorrect. Sure, many, if not most people can be labeled in this manner, but even then, talking snappy and being insulting really doesn’t do any good, it will just turn them off, but also there’s other folks like me who this just doesn’t apply to due to medical reasons, so yeah, this whole thing is pretty immature and insulting. Karma… it’s a bitch, watch out for it.
Cory,
While there are a rare few with medical conditions that lower their energy levels, the vast majority of people are either fooling themselves or not getting enough sleep.
I apologize if you did not like the style of writing in this particular post and I thank you for the feedback.
Gal
Cory,
Have you thought about having your thyroid levels checked? I was hypothyroid for years and a gym rat. Then, I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning and would sleep 24 hours a day during college. They ran my blood tests and I had super low thyroid, and now I’m getting back in the gym. Get that checked out if you haven’t already; I feel 100% better and have lost 15lbs through walking (70 more to go lol). Good luck.
What about people who DON’T sit behind a desk and DON’T have an air conditioned enviroment and actually MOVE ALL DAY in different weather conditions. You should include something for these people also because your explanation is for a SMALL majority of people.
@VVVFDS
You’re right, if you lead an active lifestyle already or if you have a job which requires you to be physically active all day, this probably doesn’t apply to you.
Without knowing more about you and your lifestyle though, there’s really no way for me to say more.
Gal
I wonder if it is unhealthy to exercise when you don’t get a proper amount of sleep….I am in grad school and I stay up reading until around 12:30-1am and I wake up at 6am to go to work…Is there a resource that anyone knows about that says if you don’t get enough sleep, you shouldn’t exercise? I’m sure I could do low intensity but I’m trying to lose weight…..let me know what you guys think.
Some people really are just too tired though, it’s natural to feel tired when you sit in front of a computer for roughly 8-9+ hours daily, the blood is stagnant in your body all day. Working & real exercise rarely go hand in hand.
Capitalism in general is designed to make everyone fat consuming mammals. Sure you can force yourself to get a little exercise in at night and have the will power of an Ox to pass on all the fast food… but that isn’t dealing with the underlying economic-social system producing the problems, you want to get rid of cancer you don’t just treat the symptoms, you remove the root of the problem, it is the system itself that is causing all the problems, we can’t just continue to let children become obese with diabetes and say “oh well it’s his or her fault”… no, it’s not, they are just the result of the system we set up for them.
Only a very small percentage of people make it out and say “If i can you can”… that is a very very small percentage. We need to deal with the root cause of our society. But that requires a lot of courage, determination and a new vision of what we can be as humanity.
We are more than money making, consuming machines.
Why do you believe working and exercise don’t go together? I typically work in an office setting from 8am to 7pm. I always find time to go workout. It gives me a break from sitting in front of a computer and lets me get back to work with a higher productivity level.
I think you’re overthinking the problem and trying to blame capitalism or society for what is a pretty simple issue.