It’s NEARING the end of January and if you’re already slacking on your get-in-shape resolutions, celebrity fitness trainer Juliet Kaska will put an end to those nonsense excuses with a little tough love. These funny and real conversations with her famous clientele, like our own December guest editor, Erin Heatherton, show us that celebrities are human like the rest of us, and that there is always an excuse – so just get up and get moving!
Here’s some extra motivation with Juliet…
I have heard it all! Every excuse you could ever think of and then some when it comes to why someone “cannot” workout. My theory is, short of the “I am dead and therefore cannot workout today” excuse, you can always workout. Yay!
Here are some of the excuses I have heard over the years and how I responded. Let’s get past all the excuses and just make health happen!
The Not Prepared Excuse
Client Sara Lindsey, from “Concussion,” called me hysterical, 15 minutes before her workout:
SL: I forgot my sneakers! We can’t workout!!! OMG!!! I am so sorry for wasting your time! I am so bummed!
Me: What size are you?
SL: 9
Me: Great, see you in 15, I have sneakers for you.
Luckily Sarah and I are the same size and I had just gotten a new pair of Vionics, which Sarah fell in love with and wanted to keep. I told Sarah she could keep them, as long as she promised to leave them in her car so that forgetting her sneakers was never an excuse again.
ExcuseBuster: Be prepared! Leave sneakers in your car! Have a complete spare workout outfit you leave in a bag at work.
The It’s Raining Excuse
It almost never rains here in Los Angeles, but when it does, it shuts the city down, especially in the canyons and hills. So when client Liza Weil, from ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder,” called to say she had to cancel our session because the rain had her stranded, I was neither surprised nor detoured.
Me: I’ve just sent you a Skype request
Liza and I did an hour and a half full-body workout, without ever being in the same room or even having to leave our respective homes. That is one of the many blessings of living in this era of technology. Everything is at our finger tips including great workouts.
ExcuseBuster: Utilize technology! There are literally millions of workout videos, fitness groups and workout memberships right at your fingertips, from the comfort of your own home and for free! Google “workouts for beginners” and under videos, 3.6 million hits pop up.
The No Gym Excuse
I was scheduled to meet client Erin Heatherton, supermodel and former Victoria’s Secret Angel, at her hotel. We had been using this hotel for the past year when she was in town because they had such a beautiful gym. The only problem was, on this visit, they neglected to tell her the gym was being renovated; we only learned this after I arrived. Neither Erin nor I were deterred, even though we needed to do weight training on this day because we were getting her ready for a fitness attire shoot. Using her own body weight and my body weight as resistance, as well as items I “christened” as weights, we had an awesome arm-toning and full-body workout!
ExcuseBuster: Be creative. You don’t need a gym, instead turn regular household items into weight training devices: bottles of water, books, cans of soup, etc.
The I Need to Lose Weight First Excuse
The first time I spoke to Maureen McCormick, the iconic star of The Brady Bunch, on the phone, she said, “Now, I want to come to your gym, but I have to wait until I lose weight. Give me 2-3 months to lose 10 pounds.” Now this is one of my all-time favorite and most perplexing excuses, which I hear all the time. Especially when speaking to new acquaintances. Once they find out what I do, they will inadvertently say the same thing Maureen did. Here’s what I told Maureen:
Me: Okay, what is your plan to reach that goal?
MM: I’ll start a diet and go for daily walks.
Me: How about you come to my gym and do everything I tell you for 60 days and lose 10 pounds?
Maureen and I went on to take off that 10 pounds in less then 60 days and more – totaling over 50 pounds lost – concluding with a “reveal” piece in OK!Magazine where Maureen wore her infamous pink floral bikini from the Brady Bunch.
ExcuseBuster: Don’t wait to lose weight – this makes no sense. Make short realistic commitments and stick to them.
The Injured Excuse*
Client Michael Weatherly, star of CBS’s NCIS, texted me:
MW: “I sprained my ankle. Doctor says I can not weight-bear on it”
Me: “Sorry to hear that. I will see you at 11 a.m. tomorrow for our workout”
MW: “Wait what?! Doc said I ‘cannot put weight on it’, so I can’t workout…?
Me: Yay! We won’t put any weight on it. See you at 11!”
The next day Michael and I did an hour workout that kicked his butt! He was sweating and burning calories, and he never got off the workout mat. To this day, it was one of the most favorite workouts I ever gave!
ExcuseBuster: If one area of your body cannot function fully, focus on the areas you can use!
* Always listen to your doctor. If your physician tells you to stop working out, stop until your physician gives you medical clearance to resume your activities.
