How to Overcome Excuses
People who don’t work out always have a reason why. But except for a very few people who truly cannot exercise, these reasons are thin excuses.
Working out is hard. It takes time, energy and sometimes gut-wrenching motivation and will power. Some days it is easy, but many days it is not. Fit people work out when they do not want to. And, they work out when they do not feel like it. They have excuses not to work out too, but they look at those excuses and walk right over them on their way to the fitness room.
Let’s look at a few common excuses for not working out and diffuse them.
- I do not have the time. This is probably the number one excuse that people give for not exercising. It is true that we are busy. Nearly all of us have more to do every day than we can possibly get done. But why do some busy people find the time to exercise and other busy people do not? It is a matter of priority. There are people who are very, very busy who nevertheless find the time to take care of their health.
It is important to realize that you will have to take the time to care for your health at some point. You can put the time in now by working out and preserving your strength and health, or you can put the time in later, when you will have to clear your schedule for multiple doctors’ visits and medical procedures.
Lack of exercise is one of the most significant reasons why people become ill with chronic diseases. So it is not a matter of if you take time to take care of your health; it is a matter of when: NOW or LATER! The choice is yours.
- It is not the right time. This is a very deceptive excuse, because it will never be the right time. There will always be reasons why it is inconvenient to workout. You will always be too busy, too stressed, too tired, to distracted, too bored or too overweight. Tomorrow never comes when you are waiting for the perfect tomorrow to start working out. Start today; don’t wait for tomorrow.
- I don’t have the energy. When you are not used to working out, you will not have much energy to bring to the table when you begin exercising. But putting off your fitness plans will not magically make more energy appear. The way to get energy is to expend it. Once you begin working out, you will steadily have more energy as your aerobic base increases and your muscle mass grows.
It’s time to get rid of the excuses and get fit!