Exercise...What Are Your Excuses?
Exercise and excuses seem to go hand-in-hand. Whether you love to exercise, hate it, or are somewhere in between, there will be a time when your mind is trying to talk you out of exercising. How do you get past this?
To begin with, you need to recognize when you’re making excuses. We are all experts at coming up with an excuse…I’m too tired. The weather is too cold. I don’t want to get sweaty. I don’t have the time. There are SO MANY EXCUSES!! STOP LISTENING TO THEM!! Let’s go over some of these top excuses.
I hate to exercise! You might not enjoy exercising, but it’s something your body should be doing. You were meant to move and there are more benefits to exercising than not! If you tell yourself “I hate to exercise” you WILL believe it. You need to keep telling yourself that you love to exercise until you start to believe it. I used to do this when I was running hills. When I changed my mantra to “I love hills”, over time I stopped the negative feelings I had when I came to a hill.
The weather is too _____ (fill in the blank)! I live in Ohio where the weather is rarely perfect. I have learned to enjoy the trails when it’s muddy, cold, rainy, snowy, etc. I rarely miss going because of the weather. Now if it’s dangerous out (icy, freezing weather, or overly hot) I understand that, but making excuses about the weather does not cut it with me. If anything, find something to do inside, but don’t miss your workout. Always have an alternate plan when there’s crappy weather.
I’m too tired! You’ve had a bad day at work and feel exhausted, or you didn’t sleep well, so this excuse comes out. What I do is tell myself to just exercise for 15-20 min. and see how I feel after that. If I start to perk up, I will stay with it a bit longer. If I’m still exhausted and feel like stopping, at least I’ve done 15-20 min. of exercise and I’m happy that I got that much in. Another solution is to get up early and exercise before heading to work. Can you get up 30 min. earlier and go for a walk or find a video to do at home so you can get it in? Sometimes we do need a little break, but don’t make it a habit.
I’m injured and can’t work out! There are certain injuries when you definitely need to rest, but most times you can still exercise but use different muscle groups. I have had clients who still came to see me with a broken foot, twisted ankle, hurt shoulder, achey knees, etc. Well, we still had a work out, but I had them exercise a muscle group that wasn’t affected by the injury. If your shoulder is bothering you, you can still work out your lower body and abs. When you injure your foot, you can still work out your upper body and abs. I deal with spinal stenosis and sciatica on a regular basis. I have learned to exercise in a way that is safe for my back. Be creative, but don’t ditch your work out.
I hate to sweat! I have to say this, but you SHOULD be sweating :). That’s part of exercising, plus it’s very beneficial. Sweating helps to reduce toxins, cools your body, and even improves your mood. Plan your workouts so you can take a shower afterward and don’t be afraid to sweat!
Exercise bores me! What? This one is shocking to me :). There are SO many different ways to exercise, so keep looking for something that excites you. Try different exercise classes, sports, work out with a friend, or hire a fun (ME!) personal trainer. You might also want to mix things up and do something different. Just recently I started going to a pickle ball class. I used to play tennis, but had never played pickle ball. It was so much fun and I am learning something new (a bonus!).
I just don’t want to exercise! Well, I know you’re an adult and you can make your own choices, but remember when you consistently exercise the benefits greatly outweigh the negatives. So, maybe it’s time to get someone to hold you accountable. Find a friend who will go to a workout class with you and will also call you out when you want to miss. Get a personal trainer so you know you will have that one or two workouts each week.
I don’t have the time! This is a BIG one! I say this over and over, if exercise is important to you, you WILL find the time. Think about your day. You should have little blocks of time where you have at least 15-20 min. You can then go on a quick walk or run, find a workout video on Youtube, maybe you just do a few exercises while you brush your teeth, cook, or dry your hair. And, if you have time to watch TV, that’s a perfect time to swap in a workout. Why not watch TV while running on the treadmill? Make your health a priority and you will find the time!
You CAN get past your excuses! Remind yourself how important it is for you to exercise. Your body benefits, your health benefits, your mind benefits, and your family benefits from you being your best self. Comment below with your excuses. What do you do to get past them?
