Cara Windham 
In a day as busy as yours it’s easy to put off a workout or choose the healthier option on the menu. This doesn’t just apply to fitness and nutrition, it applies to everything. Ever had a case of the Monday’s? Or ever put something off until next week cause it’s 5 o’ clock on a Friday?
Yea dude, you’re not the only one.
You’re probably at your desk right now reading this article thinking about how you’ve got all this stuff to do. Finish work and then it’s happy hour, a hot date, or even dinner with the family. Maybe you just want to chill with a nice glass of beer or wine because you’ve had a stressful week. Bottom line is you just can’t workout.
Why?
Oh, you know . . .
“I don’t have time.”
“I can do it tomorrow.”
“Just this one time I can skip it . . .”
Sound familiar?
It’s easy to make excuses. I
f you’re making a lot of them, you’re probably not getting better at your job, mindin’ ya fitness, or even life. Yea, I said it. And the irony is that it’s actually easier to get stuff out of the way instead of making excuses to put it off. It’s better for you too.
The bottom line is that excuses hold you back from the short term goals that build up to the even more important long term goals. Hold off that report until next week and you might not get that promotion. Wait to call that special somebody and you might not get that date. Put off mindin’ ya fitness and you won’t be getting in better shape.
SO STOP USING EXCUSES TO PUT OFF TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF.
We’re only human though. The statement above is MUCH easier said than done.
So here are some tips to help you get you focused on following through when those excuses start nagging at you:
1. Set specific goals for yourself. And I’m not talking about, “Oh, I’m going to lose some weight”. The approach that will get you best results is thinking “I want to get rid of x inches off my waistline by a certain date” (and “4 inches of my waistline by next week” doesn’t count). That way you’re focused on hitting the goal instead of using an excuse to blow it off. If you need some direction on goal setting – check this link out.
Here’s a great article from the Harvard Business Review which addresses follow through on your goals:
http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2012/01/your-problem-isnt-motivation.html
2. Work out when you feel best. For me personally, working out in the morning just sucks. I can barely roll out of bed to get to work, let alone hit a workout hard. I’m not a morning person and that’s straight. Just do you. If you can wake up for a 5 am session, then do it. If you need to break a sweat in the middle of your day, then use your lunch break. And if that late night lift does the trick, then by all means lift away.
3. Get a partner. The good ol’ guilt trip. You know you’ve had this happen to you before. You don’t even want to lift your finger to turn the snooze button off and then you’re bud calls you up and wants to workout. Damn it. It’s tough to say no to a workout when you’ve already committed.
If you’re having a hard time finding gym buddies, here are some ideas to get you started:
- Enroll in group classes.
- Ask your buddies, colleagues, or even your significant other.
- Make a new friend at the gym – and partner up with them.
- Get a trainer.
If excuses aren’t your issue, that’s fine. It might be finding motivation, and mind ya fitness can help with that too.
Listen, excuses suck. They’re just not awesome.
And I want to be awesome. I’m sure that you do too.
Whenever you’ve got an excuse, think Barney Stinson:
“Whenever I’m making excuses, I stop making excuses and just be awesome instead. True story.”
