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If there is one excuse you hear from women it's that they don't have time to workout. I am as guilty as the next. But you know what? I have learned that this is generally just a lie we tell ourselves. I am on a roll right now with breaking down lies I and we tell ourselves. We have time to do other things we want to do. We talk on the phone, we read blogs, we pin workout ideas on Pinterest, we do crafts, we shop, we read, we watch stupid reality shows, and so many other things we want to do.
So then we go looking for motivation to get us out there - we read blog posts about great workouts, we read books about running and we talk about joining a gym. We research diets and workout plans, we sketch out extravagant weight loss calendars, buy expensive quick fix pills, or sign up for Weight Watchers online and never follow through. We discuss our weight issues or lack of time to workout with anyone who will listen. But guess what. In the end that's just another use of time we could be using to workout. We need to workout. So let's just get it done already.
If you say it's because you have kids, read this post about a mother who does not use a car but cycles all over town with her six kids! She also kills the excuse that you can't afford a gym. There are lots of ways to workout for free, even in limited space. If you want to join a gym, talk to friends or family who already belong to a good gym. I jumped in on a deal with The Man's gym and my annual pass is only $99/year. That's less than most women spend wandering at Target in a three-week period.
If there is a will, there is a way. Talk to your spouse if you need to about working together to find a time you can workout. I don't know any husband who is going to be against his wife looking fit and trim. Most men will be excited about it and willing to help. There are fringe benefits for both of you. The double edge sword here is that if you make a fuss about working out and don't follow through on your commitment, that can be really discouraging to a partner and actually damage the relationship.
Want to use the excuse that you're just too tired? This post from WebMD will kick that one to the curb. I know some of us put our workout clothes on and then get distracted doing all sorts of other things. Maybe we can set an alarm on our phones that will remind us to get out the door.
Perhaps you have an injury or health issue that derailed you or has given you concerns about your ability to work out. Go to the doctor and make a workout plan with your doctor that will allow you to get healthy and workout. There are people with cancer, or who have lost mobility due to a stroke, and are missing limbs who are working out every day. Remember last summer there was a runner at the Olympics missing part of his leg? There ya go, yet another excuse dead in the water.
Another frequent excuse...it's too hot outside or too wintry cold outside. Imagine me tilting my head with a look that says "Are you really going to go there?" We have options, let's find them. Walk the stairs in your apartment building, do videos in your living room, do all those at-home workouts you've pinned on Pinterest, swim at a local indoor city pool. Just threw that excuse up in the air like a clay pigeon and made a clean shot that blew it to smithereens!
Never having worked out in your life is also not an excuse. How long are you going to invest in your own poor health and a really bad aging process by accelerating it. It's not fair for other people to have to put in the work to take care of you when your health declines because you were unwilling to do the work to protect your health and prevent totally unnecessary wear and tear on your body. Do you want your kids to be overburdened taking care of you for decades because you refused to take care of yourself? Totally not cool.
Jack Lalanne was working out well into his 90s so age is absolutely no excuse either. If you want to stop working out when you hit 100 I'm okay with that, but until then, get up and get moving. You owe it to your body who serves you in such miraculous ways every day and to God who gave you that body and asked you to take care of it. No matter where you are, there is improvement you can achieve today.
Let's all hold hands and admit there is no valid excuse for not taking care of ourselves. Not taking care of ourselves damages our health, our sense of happiness, energy and well-being, our self-esteem, our ability to have healthy relationships, work, parent and live a happy life. There are no excuses, there is nothing more that needs to be done than to strap on those sneakers and get moving. Anything else is a fail. So let's do this already.
Remember there is an awesome emotional high that awaits you after every workout. There is a spring in your step that comes from regular workouts. There is a major boost of self-confidence, peace and courage that comes from conquering hard things in our lives and making and keeping commitments. I can attest that those are just some of the awesome returns for your investment. How about having a great body. That is a fantastic outcome to enjoy. Your skin and hair will be more shiny with the increased circulation to your body. There are just unending blessings to your life when you workout regularly.
Now, having said that I am going straight in to put on my workout clothes, grabbing my gym bag and heading to the gym. After 4 days of being sick I can't wait to get back out there today. Yay!
So I want to hear it. Did this post motivate you to do something today to improve your health? What was it?
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