Most of us know that exercise is imperative to long-term health. We know it, yet why is it that exercise is so easy for us to excuse from our daily life? I believe there are many reasons, yet most of our excuses point to this one thing: laziness. What is your excuse for not getting fit?
Now trust me, I have been there. My life gets so busy at times that exercise seems like the last thing I want to do. I am tired, stressed, and do not feel like going to the gym and exerting energy I feel like I do not have. It is at this point that I come up with a lot of excuses.
“I have a headache”, “I will hit up the gym tomorrow”, “I am too tired and my body needs to rest”, “I have too much to do”, and the list goes on and on.
Sometimes, my excuses are so outlandish and ridiculous that I am shocked by my endless creativity! But when I buy into them, I am also secretly disappointed in myself and so begins the cycle of inconsistent exercise and constant excuses.
I have found that with exercise, it comes down to this: COMMITMENT.
Without commitment to exercise, it is impossible to do. I recently sat down with myself and had a talk. The outcome was this: I would not let my excuses deter me from exercising (unless they were real and life-threatening). It was hard in the beginning, but I stuck with my commitment to exercise and now those excuses are whispering in my mind instead of screaming.
Let us get real together for a moment and look at exercise from another angle. Let’s look at common excuses we all use for not hitting the gym and finally put them to rest.
1.The infamous “I am too tired.” I have used this one all too often. But here is the fact: Exercise can help! Exercise actually livens up our system, not to mention also helping us to lose weight (a common cause of tiredness).
2.The all too common “I am too busy and do not have the time.” OK, I am guilty of this, too. But think about this: most people now a days are truly very, very busy. But somehow, a lot of people find the time to exercise. We CAN fit in our workouts…it comes down to scheduling and prioritizing.
3.“The gym is too far. I will probably spend more time in traffic than at the gym.” Is your gym further than 30 minutes from your house? If so, join one that is closer. I did this last year and it has made a world of difference. With my gym only 5 minutes away, it is difficult for me to make this excuse.
4.“I want to sleep in.” Did you know that too much sleep can be just as bad as not enough? If this is a common excuse for you, go to bed earlier.
5.“I do not want to go to work sweaty.” Here’s an interesting one that comes with an easy solution. Most gyms now a days have showers and enough space to get ready for work in. Now that is convenient!
6.“I have to take my kids to (insert whatever it is you do here).” Now I can totally understand this one to an extent. Of course, your children should be a top priority. There are a lot of activities your children need you for, no doubt. But do you think there are some occasions where you can arrange a carpool or other arrangement? Sometimes this can be a logical choice.
7.The ole’ coach potato excuse “My favorite show is on.” All right. If you are using this excuse, then stop right here. We live in an incredible age where TiVO and VCRs exist. Just tape your show and watch it later.
8.And now for one of my personal doozies “I am feeling too fat to go
to the gym.” Now I am sure there are a lot of you saying to yourself, “Huh?” But I am almost willing to bet that there are some of you out there who can relate to me.
Sometimes the gym can be uncomfortable and it is easy to feel out of place. There are a lot of people there who look absolutely fantastic, and I tend to compare myself with them. But here is the thing I always tell myself: most of them had to start somewhere. Plus, the gym (and exercise, for that matter) is what will get me to my goal. So on those days when I am feeling ultra sensitive, I make myself suck it up for the betterment of me.
So there they are: 8 common excuses for not exercising. Do you let excuses rule your exercise? Have an honest talk with yourself and find out what is really beneath the excuse. Do you tend to come up with colorful and creative excuses like me? If so, I would love to hear them!
Always remember this: your health and vitality is in your hands. Get yourself out and exercise. You will feel better for it!
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