Wednesday July 6th

Workout of the day 

Training:
5 sets of:
A1. Back squat; 3 reps
A2. Trap 3 raise; 10-12 p/side

WOD:
Run 800 meters
Snatch, 30 reps
Run 800 meters 

 

 

"But I Can't Exercise Because..." Debunking 6 Common Excuses Why NOT to Exercise

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.   

Now trust me, we have all been there.  Our lives get so busy at times that exercise seems like the last thing we want to do.  We’re tired, stressed, and do not feel like going to the gym and exerting energy we feel like we do not have.  It is at this point that we 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, our excuses are so outlandish and ridiculous that we shock ourselves with our own creativity!  But when we buy into them, we end up disappointed in ourselves 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.  You can not allow your excuses to deter you from exercising (unless they are real and life-threatening).  This may be hard in the beginning, but if you stick with your commitment to exercise, you will find that soon enough the excuses will be whispering in your 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’m sure you 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." Sounds very familiar, right?  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. "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. 

4. "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. 

5. 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. 

6. And last but not least "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 this one.  But here is the thing you have to remember, the gym (and exercise, for that matter) is what will get you to your goal. So on those days when you’re feeling ultra sensitive, suck it up for your own betterment. 

So there they are:  6 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?  If so, I would love to hear them (so I can debunk them).

Always remember this: your health and vitality is in your hands.  So get your ass into the gym and you will feel better for it!