Excuses, Excuses--Overcoming Internal Struggle

Excuses.

We all make them. I'm guilty, I won't lie.

That pestering little voice in your head, talking you down when you've set a goal. Telling you a million reasons why you shouldn't, why you can't, and why it's better NOT to.

Excuses rear their ugly little heads when you're down and out, and they KEEP you down. They aren't rational; they just call out whatever is in your subconscious to keep you from reaching that goal.

I've made PLENTY of excuses in the past. And now I choose to fight against them. Wanna know why?

Because I am bigger than my excuses.

I can't prove those excuses wrong.

I see them as a personal challenge to better myself, even when I give myself every reason not to.

You can too; you just need to recognize when an excuse is an excuse, be the reasonable one between you and the voice in your head, and overcome.

Let's talk some pretty popular excuses I've heard, and work around them. There are always SOLUTIONS to your excuses if you look hard enough.

I don't have time.

You do have time, you just aren't seeing it. How much time do you spend watching TV each day? Scrolling aimlessly on your phone? Playing around on the computer? I bet it's at least an hour. AT LEAST.

What if you took even a fraction of that time, and did something active instead? Some push-ups, jumping jacks, squats,,,ANYTHING! Get your blood moving and your heart pumping.

If it's important, you'll find a way to squeeze it in. Wake up a little earlier, go to bed a little later, have a spouse or significant other help you with the kids while you fit in a quick workout.

Personally, I keep my at-home workouts to no more than 45 minutes. My husband takes care of bedtime rituals with Peyton so I can get it done. He understands that it's important to me, so he helps me make sure I can fit it in every day. I am out of the house 10 hours a day for work, come home, make dinner, spend time with my daughter, take care of household chores, and STILL get it done. Why? Because it's important to me. I know that being a healthy mom will benefit my family overall in the long run.

Oh, and PS: I still get about seven hours of sleep a night.

I don't have money to join a gym/I don't like the gym.

Gyms can be expensive. I speak firsthand...I once spent $600 in a year on a gym membership I took advantage of three times. That's $200 per visit...talk about the most expensive gym membership ever! I KNOW how expensive gym memberships can be, but I also know that it's how you USE that membership that'll give you results.

If the gym isn't your thing, you can work out at home. I thank my lucky stars every day I found Beachbody, because it saved me from the gym. I literally have zero excuses now, because my gym is my living room. No driving to the gym, no trying to find parking, no wandering around trying to figure out what to do first. Nope, it's all there for me. I just have to get changed and push play.

I'm too tired.

This was a big excuse of mine. I do so much already, how could I possibly fit in ONE MORE THING?! It was just another THING I had to do. I was exhausted as it was, and the thought of exercising literally made me just want to crawl into my bed and sleep.

I did it anyway. At least a half an hour a day. And guess what? This new habit of mine had the opposite effect on me. I had MORE energy. I didn't have that 2 PM slump. I cut out a several-cup of coffee a day habit. I slept better. It was amazing.

You aren't too tired. Just a half a hour. In your living room. You can shower and go to sleep afterwards; your bed isn't going anywhere...I promise.

I don't enjoy exercise.

There are some people who LOVE exercise. Quite frankly, I still find it a bit of a struggle because sometimes I DON'T find exercise enjoyable.

Cardio? It's not my favorite. But I know it's important, and I have to get it done.
Resistance training? Better. But I know I need balance.

What I do is I try to do the things I don't like to do 2-3 times a week, and reward myself with the types of exercise I enjoy doing. You'll find the things you enjoy doing, and it makes creating balance easier.

The funny thing is, you'll start craving physical activity regardless. Some days I crave a butt-kicking from Shaun T...the king of cardio. Sometimes I just need to sweat it out until I'm a huffy, puffy mess.

I don't need to work out--I already eat well.

Wrong, wrong, aaaaand wrong. Think of it as an equation. Losing weight and getting healthy is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Yes, eating well does make all the difference, but to get amazing results, you need both parts of the equation. You can't out-exercise a bad diet, and you can't expect amazing results simply from eating better. Having both in your life will get you where you want to be.

Long story short--write down all your excuses. Come up with a plan to beat them, show them who's boss, and get it done!