Fitness & Exercise, Motivation & Mindset
Don’t Let These Excuses Hold You Back
Sep
We have a million excuses not to exercise. Despite all of the well-documented and widely-shared research proving why daily exercise is so vital to health, happiness and longevity, most people don’t do it. Below are some of the most common excuses for not working out, and how to push past them to overcome. Don’t let excuses hold you back!
You will always be able to find a reason to skip a workout. But your excuses aren’t doing you any good – in fact they are just holding you back from the healthiest, best version of you that you dream of. Once you move past the excuses, you will reap the rewards of consistent physical activity and create the forward momentum that will help propel you toward your goals.
Excuse #1: I don’t have time.
You know who works out regularly? Michelle Obama. JLo. Moms, career women, public figures…and yet somehow they find make the time to exercise.
If they can do it, you can too.
I get it. You ARE busy. But the truth is, you CAN break the cycle.
The key is to prioritize your health and happiness just as much as you prioritize others and others’ health and happiness. That doesn’t mean that your kids have to forgo gymnastics practice for you to find 60 minutes to hit the gym. You have options!
Solution: Make Time to Prioritize Your Health
Schedule movement into your day. Spend 3-5 minutes every morning, or 15 minutes on Sunday creating a plan that puts your fitness and health goals on your priority list.
Ask yourself:
- Which days are the most open? Block off time to workout. Don’t have time to workout and drive to the gym? Plan to workout from home or go for a run.
- Do you spend time with your family on the weekend? How about planning a hike, or a bike ride this weekend…something you can do together?
- If certain days are busier than others, make a note to simply get up from your desk every 1.5 hours to take a 10 minute walk. It adds up!
Every weekend I spend 15-20 minutes scheduling my week in my Passion Planner. I plan my rest days, the fitness classes I teach, workouts I can do with my husband and days I’ll have to workout alone. Every morning, I take 5 minutes to take everything in and make sure that plan is going to work. If I have to make adjustments, I do. No need to stress…that’s life! My Passion Planner helps me to visualize the week/day…and I’m lucky enough to work with this wonderful company so if you are interested…use code JULIAG10 at PassionPlanner.com for a 10% discount!
Solution: Create Workouts that Work For Your Schedule
Great workouts come in all shapes, sizes and time slots. You don’t necessarily need a full hour to fit in a fat-burning, muscle building workout. Start with 10-minutes. Next week, aim for 15.
Need some inspiration? Check out the workouts below:
Excuse #2: I’m Too Tired
Most of us could use an energy boost during the day. And while the go to move is to reach for a cup of coffee or fall hard into the couch, exercise is actually the energy level up you need! Even better: regular exercise can make a lasting difference in your energy level and mood!
It’s easy to believe that a workout will leave us feeling more tired than when we started. But that’s not the reality. While sure, your muscles should/will feel the work, overall you’ll actually get a boost of energy!
Exercise increases endorphins, a natural, feel-good hormone that helps to minimize feelings of discomfort and increase feelings of enjoyment. It’s endorphins that contribute to that “runner’s high” feeling exercise feel after a run.
Moreover, exercise helps your sleep better. Over time, more consistent sleep patterns and a better night’s sleep overall will help to give you more energy through out the day.
Solution: Workout in the Morning
Still not convinced? Then don’t put off until later what you can do upon waking up. Schedule your workout for the morning, before your day gets going and fatigue presses in.
You’ll probably find that you have more energy through out the day. My advice: find a class that starts early and gets your blood pumping immediately. That way, you’ll feel more of a push to show up than if you were working out on your own.
Solution: Schedule a Pre-Workout Pick-Me-Up
Make a habit of your pre-workout routine. A small snack will give you the fuel you need to workout. Keep it under 200 calories, and choose foods that are high in protein and carbohydrate. Avoid heavier foods that might feel uncomfortable in your stomach while you workout.
If I’m working out in the afternoon (not too late), I like to grab a small iced coffee or iced tea as well. That boost of caffeine has proven performance enhancement benefits and as long as it isn’t too late to affect your sleep, can be just the pre-workout reward you need to get to the gym!
Excuse #3: I’m Not Motivated
That motivation that you feel at the start of a new workout program or diet…it’s not a never-ending well of encouragement. You need to find a reason to keep pushing, even when motivation dissipates.
Even the mot ripped of athletes and the most chiseled of actors don’t feel like exercising every day. Lucky for them, they have an ulterior motive for working out anyways: money/career/livelihood. You’d work out 2 hours a day too if the pot at the end of the rainbow had a couple million dollars in it.
Solution: Find a Deeper Reason
A lot of my clients come to me with a number. “I want to lose 25 pounds”. “I want to get under 180 pounds”. Those are worthwhile goals. BUT…
There is always a deeper reason.
Ask yourself WHY you want to lose weight/run a half marathon/do 10 pull-ups. When you reach that goal…
- How will you feel different?
- What will be different about your life?
- What is it about that number that means so much to who you are as a person?
It’s the answer to THOSE questions that never go away. Those answers will give meaning to your daily workouts that you might need when the initial motivation wears off.
Solution: Track Your Progress and Reward the Smaller Gains
On the flip side, it’s incredibly motivating to see results! Break your long-term goals down into smaller, trackable steps.
Most of us don’t track our progress closely enough to see those small progressions. But imagine recognizing that you are strong/leaner/more toned on a weekly basis! What if you could celebrate those smaller gains all the time, instead of having to wait months or even years to lose all 50 pounds, or complete that first half marathon.
Excuse #4: I Don’t Like Working Out
Ask yourself why you don’t like working out. Don’t like getting sweaty? Feel awkward on the gym floor, or in class? There are thousands of workouts to try and endless opportunities for fitting exercise into your day…you just have to experiment to find what works specifically for you.
If you don’t like to get sweaty…
Solution: Try a Low-Impact, Low-Cardio Workout
If you abhor the idea of getting sweaty (in public!), you have plenty of options! To start, find a gym with an air conditioner! Or try a low-impact, low-cardio activity like yoga, or barre, that won’t make you sweat as much as say, a run.
Do you feel awkward or out of place on the gym floor?
Solution: Get a Trainer
A good trainer, in person or online, can walk you through every exercise, every set and every rep. Most gyms offer a free session with a personal trainer upon sign up. If you never used yours, ask! Or, find a personal trainer you connect with online and ask for step by step help!
If you feel awkward about your weight…
Solution: Find a Support System
First of all babe, if you are heading to the gym to work on your fitness and health because you aren’t fit and healthy yet…kudos to YOU. If someone gives you a hard time, call me up because I’m not too shy to call a jerk out!
With that mini-rant over, if you are self-conscious about your body and it’s holding you back from working out, there are absolutely ways to feel better about exerise!
First, buy yourself some cute workout cloths. The last thing that you (or anyone), needs is to put on the oldest pair of sweat pants and ratty T-shirt in the closet before heading to the gym. You don’t have to wear spandex, but find something that is flattering and you will feel better from the start.
Then, find friends or a trainer who will workout with you from home! The privacy of an at-home workout can do wonders for your confidence level and start to get you real results!
