Today I figured we would talk all about excuses. Let's face it, we're full of them. I've heard, thought of, or used just about all of them. It's a shame excuses don't burn calories. Since they don't, we're going to list them here, and then we're going to destroy them!
The two most common excuses by far are "I'm just too tired." and "I don't have time."
"I'm too tired."
Well it's a good thing that working out jump starts your adrenalin, you'll probably have more energy after you work out than you did before. Also, the more you work out the better you are going to start to feel.
"I don't have time."
A one hour workout is 4% of your day. Please tell me more about your busy schedule. Somewhere out there, someone busier than you is working out right now. Also, there are tons of ways to incorporate working out into your every day life, and there are tons of short workout routines. If you go onto pintrest and look up "one song work out" you'll find a series of hardcore workouts that require only the length of, you guessed it, one song.
"I can't afford to." or "I don't have any equipment"
As stated in my very first blog, my biggest expense in this lifestyle change was my fitness journal, and they have tons of apps and free print offs for them. Most of the things I do require no equipment, and the things that do can mostly be worked up at home. For example, I have 5lb and 8lb dumbbells that I use every day, fill a water bottle up with rocks, viola! You don't need equipment to walk, you can do that literally anywhere. Good old fashioned jumping jacks, high knees, and lunges go a pretty long way too.
"I feel self conscious about being in the gym." or "I don't like working out around people."
You don't need to go to the gym. There's plenty you can do alone. If you want to try something like Zumba but are uncomfortable in the classroom get the home DVDS. Zumba for the wii is cheaper than the actually DVDs but obviously will have less songs and options as well. Still, it's great to get started. There's no law that says you can't work out alone. I actually prefer it this way.
"I get bored."
Then you aren't working hard enough or you need to change it up! I find walking on the treadmill completely boring. I do however like walking around the neighborhood. If I'm working out and I'm bored, I'm probably not pushing myself at all. There is nothing boring about being out of breath, sweating, and feeling like your legs are jello. I promise you, if you push yourself you will not be bored. Put on some upbeat music, when I do my dumbbells I even do it in front of the TV. You could even turn it into a game. Like a drinking game? Every time Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory doesn't understand someone's sense of sarcasm do 25 jumping jacks. Get creative with it!!
"I don't like to sweat."
I don't like looking like a tub of lard. Would you rather be covered in sweat at the gym (or where ever you may be working out) or covered in clothes at the beach?
"I have never worked out before"
And there's obviously a reason you're reading this now. If you were comfortable with your body you wouldn't feel the need to come up with excuses like this. There is a reason for your health and weight issues, and you just nailed part of that problem."
"I don't know how."
You put one leg in front of the other that's how. But seriously, this is probably one of the worst excuses out there. In this day and time there are practically unlimited amount of information at our finger tips. While I highly doubt anyone doesn't know how to do jumping jacks, to jog, or what a push up is, if this were actually true a quick search on the internet would do, also there are tons of apps for this sort of thing. No internet? There's thousands of movies out there with routines. Healthy living magazines, hell even my Cosmo magazines give me different exercises! If all of that fails, call me and I could teach you fifty different things in a half hour!
"My kid won't let me." or "I don't know what to do with my kids when I do."
One, a lot of gyms have childcare provided too, two if you have a partner they can watch them, three, you could get a sitter if you really wanted to. If none of those are an option here's tons more! When they are babies you can do it while they nap. If you have a partner or spouse you do it while your spouse bathes them or puts them to bed. If they're old enough you encourage them to join you! and if all else fails you wake up an hour early or stay up an hour later to get shit done. My three year old thinks he's a jump rope champ! (Though hes never actually managed to jump the rope once.) He knows as soon as I pick up a dumbbell "You exercising!" He mimmicks all of the stretches I do in his own special way. You could even use your kids as your exercises. Pushing them on the swings, taking them for a walk, racing around the house or up the stairs, take your kids on a bike ride, bring them to the track with you and let them walk with you, piggy back rides. If anything, kids are any but an excuse. My kids are my biggest motivation even! Most of the things I do are after they go to sleep but Wyatt loves working out with me if I try to nab a quick 15 minute spell while lunch is cooking.
"I'm too big." or "I'm not good at it."
Isn't that the point? No one expects you to be great when you start, but you have to start to be great. There is almost no better feeling then doing something and realizing two weeks ago your body couldn't do that. It won't happen all at once, but you get stronger every day.
"None of my friends work out."
Good for them. But this isn't about anyone but you. When you lose weight because of other people you're less likely to keep it off. Do it for yourself and you'll have greater motivation and more to be proud of. Watching your journey and improvement might actually inspire your friends to do the same.
"I don't have any motivation."
This is actually a legitmate problem. You need to find what motivates you, what keeps you on track. Maybe you're getting married and want to look your best, or bikini season is coming up. Shallow reasons do work pretty effectively but do also tend to be a long term achievement. If you decide to lose five pounds for your wedding are you going to go back to how things were right after the wedding? In which case you will probably gain the weight back. If you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle and look great doing it, that might be a more long term commitment. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being motivated to look great! Just remember once you achieve your goal you have to keep going! I've heard of people taking pictures of themselves in a bikini and taping it to the fridge, I've heard of people putting their scale infront of the fridge so they have to step on it before they can open it, I've heard of people writing down a small goal first thing every morning and hanging it on their wall. Whatever works for you, do it! I actually cut out a ton of mult-colored hearts and wrote a reason to do this on each one. Some reasons are shallow, some are great. The best kind of motivations are ones you do for yourself.
"I have asthma/bad knees/sore tendons/a bad back etc"
I have a bad ankle. I had surgery on it about 5 years ago, they actually took some small bone out that literally does nothing. And now being on it still hurts something fierce. I have an ankle brace. I use icy hot, I do as many exercises on the floor as I can. I was having knee problems a few weeks ago, but I'm pretty sure it was actually weight related! My sister's spine is literally shaped like an S, losing weight would actually help with the pressure on her spine and her doctor actually gave her exercises to help. Working out is good for your body. There are plenty of athletes, famous athletes, who have asthma or other health issues. Jerome Bettis (former Pittsburgh Steeler player and Super Bowl champion) was diagnosed with asthma at 15, Bobby Clarke (Philadelphia Flyers player, Stanley Cup winner, regarded as one of the best hockey players of all time) was diagnosed with diabetes at 13, and Dana Vollmet (first woman to ever swim the 100-meter butterfly in under 56 seconds) was diagnosed with long QT syndrome (an electrical disorder within the heart) at fifteen, and these are only to name a few! Whatever aches and pains you have are not a good excuse only you let it be.
"I don't like to work out alone."
Attend a class, go to the gym, get a trainer, even just following along with a work out video might make you feel less alone. I think it's great to have a work out buddy though, often it executes a level of friendly competition so both may push the other to have a better work out. Unfortunately, life for most people, especially parents or those with demanding careers, is pretty hectic and it's difficult to work schedules to always have a work out partner. Make an agreement with yourself that you can't always have a partner that you will at least mirror your workouts, if you work out with a friend one day you have to work out by yourself atleast once that week too, if you meet with a friend twice you have to work out alone twice. Working out twice a week, or four times a week, is better than only once or not at all.
"I'll start tomorrow."
Is there something special about tomorrow? If it's something that you could start any time why wait? If you keep pushing back your start for three months then in three months you'll have wish you'd started today. In all the time that you are procrastinating imagine how much you could actually be getting done!
"I don't have work out clothes/shoes"
Yes, I have literally, actually, heard this one. I don't have a set outfit to work out in. Most days I wear pajama pants and a sports bra or lose shirt. Hell you could exercise naked for all I care (assuming you are home alone. Don't exercise naked at a gym.)
"I'm too stressed/sad/lonely/blah blah blah"
I have anxiety issues and in the past few weeks have been less stressed than...Jesus I can't even remember the last time I was this relaxed. If you're angry use that in your work out. Let out your frustration!
"I just don't feel like it."
Honestly, I don't usually feel like it either. And then I go back to whatever I found to be my motivation a few excuses ago. I play with my kids, I check out my collar bones (which for the first time in my life are getting visible) I go online and look for some inspiration other used (not pictures of super skinny chicks, I'd rather read blogs, see before and after pictures, talk about all the benefits etc) and then I just get up. And I do it, even if I don't want to. And guess what, I feel awesome afterwards.
That pretty much runs me dry of excuses. Basically the point I'm trying to get to is that no one gives a damn about you're excuses. Whether you're telling everyone else why you still haven't lost that weight you've been talking about getting rid of for months, or whether you're trying to tell yourself all of these. Be stronger than your strongest excuse. Now get going!
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