That is what my friend told me as I was discussing the VERY TRUE and LEGITIMATE reasons (not excuses) as to WHY I don't exercise. No, I didn't punch her in the throat. I didn't even want to. I just stood there in shock. I was in shock that 4:30 came TWICE a day, that she called me out on my complaining, and that she was right!
Exercising is NOT a priority of mine. WHY should it be?? HOW can it be?? I do enough chasing around with my kids! (Not really, I mean, I don't LITERALLY chase them around.) I don't have enough TIME! (Well........yes, and no.)
MY REASONS EXCUSES TO AVOID WORKING OUT.
1. My kids do online school. They are home all of the time and they are too young to leave home alone.
a. No, I won't put them in public school so that I can workout. That isn't fair to them, and they LOVE doing this school. Plus, this school is so awesome!
2. Jeff is gone for 10-12 hours of the day WITH our ONLY car! And when he works for an airline or corporation (Jeff is a pilot,) he will be gone for DAYS at a time. Although, I will have the car then, I still have the kids (see above.)
a. This means that I have to workout at home......IN the home. Let's face it, taking my kids on a "walk" means exercise for THEM, not me. I might be out of shape, but I can FOR SURE out run them...for now.
b. It might be worth mentioning that we live in Arizona. We have no yard to play in (it's rock) and no parks within walking distance. And, my smallest doesn't ride a bike well enough to get to the park. AND, I don't WANT to go to the park EVERY DAY and TRY to get my kids to play with ME instead of swing so that I can get in exercise as well.
3. I only have workout videos. The boys pretty much have a handle on the TV, AND I just hate listening to the people on the video. Or, TRYING to listen to them.
a. My boys are BOYS...they are LOUD when they play. They fight, make car noises, and karate chops. So, it can make listening to instructions on a video difficult to do. PLUS, it's not enjoyable. I'm a beginner. To be motivated to workout every day, I need to FEEL good when I do it.
b. My kids do online school!!! Every time I start the video, I get interrupted! I have to pause and go see what is going on!
4. I can't get up and exercise in the morning BEFORE Jeff leaves. His schedule is too random. Sometimes, he is gone at 6:00, other times, 8:00. Nope, I need consistency!
5. Who wants to exercise at night? That is my family time! Plus, I am usually SO burnt out after my day, I wouldn't have the energy.
I could go on and ON!!!! See, I had a "reason" for every option that there was! Now, you health nuts out there are rolling your eyes. You KNOW that when there is a WILL there is a WAY. The key is to making the WAY WORTH THE WILL. For example. I could SACRIFICE my evenings with the family, but my desire for family time out weighs (no pun intended, but it's funny anyway) my desire to work out. So, WILL I ACTUALLY go do it?? Nope.
No, we ALL need something that makes it WORTH it for us. No, a better looking body isn't motivation enough. It isn't INSTANT enough. We need something to keep us going....INSTANT GRATIFICATION!!! I could go on and on about how we are a world that thrives on instant gratification, with our cell phones, and high speed internet, and credit cards, and such! But, I digress. When creating new motivation for working out, we need a positive reward. (Obviously NOT food related.)
So, I took my excuse list, and I answered each problem. I came up with:
- I need to do something at home
- I want something easy that doesn't take much thought or work. I'm pretty lazy right now.
- When I do workout videos, I FEEL like I am working out, AND I look like an idiot. I feel like I CAN'T do what they want me to, so I just won't do it.
- I need something that I can do at ANY time of day, whether Jeff is home or not.
What did I come up with??? A Treadmill!!! Click here to see which one I chose and WHY!
This was the perfect answer!!! I KNOW how to walk!! I'm pretty good at it! I KNOW how to jog/run correctly! I have read lots of articles and books on that very subject! AND, in one of my past attempts at a healthier life, I actually did quite a bit or running! I could do this at ANY time of day! It's mindless! In fact, I could watch a movie on my laptop, or (thanks to iFit) I can travel to other places and do a virtual wog (half walking, half jogging. It's my word, don't steal it.) PLUS, I already have dumbbells for strength training (another past attempt!) This is it! I could see a possibility that exercise and I might have a future together.
Now, before you say that YOUR excuses are harder to overcome than mine, let me enlighten you...
Check this out:
The top 6 Exercise Excuses and How to Beat Them
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/the-top-6-exercise-excuses-and-how-to-beat-them
10 Excuses for Not Exercising and Why They Won't Fly!
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/fitness/slideshows/fitness-excuses
Top Excuses for Not Working Out and Why They are Lame!!!
http://www.wellnesswatchersmd.com/exercise/articles/exercise_excuses.php
I am on my way to becoming The Healthy Redhead!
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