Excuses Excuses
 

:(Hey all- I'm brand new to the site and I am determined to lose weight. I say this everytime I try, but I just feel like I need to do it to be healthy for me. Thinking about all the times I've tried to lose weight got me thinking about my excuses. They seem very relevant at the time, but thinking back they're very trivial.
Do you guys have excuses like mine and what do you do to overcome them?

Here are my regular ones:
*I'm too tired
*I want to spend time relaxing with my husband
*I didn't overeat today so I don't really need to work out
*I worked hard at work today so I deserve a night off
*I don't feel good
*I'm too sore from yesterday

These would all be fine excuses if I was a regular exerciser, but I usually only stick to a program for about two weeks and then these excuses pile up.

My #1 tip for overcoming these excuses: Just 15 minutes.

I always tell myself that I only have to exercise for 15 minutes. If, at the end of that, I really feel like I'm still not wanting to do it, I give myself permission to stop.

19/20 times, I don't stop once I get started. The "Just 15 minutes" gets me out the door, and once I get out the door, I almost always have the drive to keep going.

I have TONS of those excuses... but it's been such a long day... but I'd have to change clothes... there's no clean sports bra... i'll get all sweaty...

Lately, my ridiculous puppy who quite literally NEEDS a daily 2 mile walk or else he'll eat the carpet off the stairs and the pretty lingerie that I want to fit into that my boyfriend gave me for Valentine's have been my motivation to shut that annoying excuse-y mouth. :)

And I do the same thing with exercise programs. I have to say that this time around, I take the dog for a walk and try to run as much as possible around that 2 miles... it's really worked. I can't just not go, since he has to go out, and I am already outside doing stuff, and I don't seem to just get tired of it or hide the fitness dvd like I used to.

Good luck with your workouts!

i can't trick my brain... for me it was just a conscious thing that i was absolutely fed up with the way i was. i woke up one day and just changed it. and haven't looked back...

My excuse that gets my butt up is

"you'll feel GREAT after you exercise or you can feel like crap the rest of the day for not"

I'm too tired is my number one excuse. And sometimes I use "I'm too sore" & "I can just do it tomorrow".

But my fiance kicked my butt tonight. He said "No, we're going tonight"! I think it's because he saw 240 on the scale this morning (he was at 250) and wants to see the 230s. I saw 217(!!!) and I should be move motivated.

I have to not give myself an option. I try my best to remind myself that I feel much much better after a work out, not just physically but also mentally. It is my alone, me time. When I really don't want to work out I also tell myself to just do 15 minutes and I keep telling myself that anyone can get up and do something for 15 minutes... that usually works for me.

These are all great ways to get over the excuse mentality. I'm on the way to the gym now:)

Ha. where do I begin?
*it's too cold outside
*I'm too tired
*I worked hard at work, that should count
*I need to spend time with my baby
*I feel crappy
*It's too late
*I don't have time to do that and take a shower before I leave cuz then I have too add time to blowdry my hair [thats my fav.]
Lately I've been having my bf pressure me, and as Corozonas said I'm just fed up woth myself and the way I am.

My main one is....I'll do it later and then later never comes.

I'm better doing short bursts of exercise throughout the day. For example while my lunch was cooking I stood there and did squats. Or I will jog in place for 10 minutes. Anything helps and for me I feel that doing short bursts is better than nothing at all. If I had to sit and do a video I will generally get bored because it is not keeping me focused enough.

Just find something that works for you :)

I thought of my excuse breaker for overeating today.

"Nothing tastes as good as thin feels"

I always want food because 'it tastes so good!' but this helps cut that out!

Thanks - I just worked out after reading this :)

I have found that setting goals and writing down my workouts on a calendar really help me stay focused. For example, I recently challenged myself to do a pilates workout 30 days in a row. I wrote it down on the calendar each day that I did it. When I didn't feel like doing it, I would look at the calendar and think about how bad I'd feel tomorrow if I missed a day. I guess it just makes me feel accountable, much like writing down what I eat.

Also, another thing I've realized is that I tend to make excuses because I hate going to the gym. I get bored, and I find it super inconvenient. I decided to start working out at home, doing workout dvds and such, and it's been much better. Maybe mixing up your routine or finding an activity that you really enjoy might motivate you?

Best of luck! Good for you for going to the gym :)

I figure out when a good show is on that I really want to watch and make myself go to the gym during that time.


The cardio equipment at my gym has little TVs on each machine and like, 70 channels to choose from. My favorite shows are usually one-hour long...so I'm able to watch the show without counting minutes, and I'm getting a workout in at the same time!

i find being tough on myself works xD I know this probably isnt the best idea for some people, but telling myself my excuses are lame and being stern and telling myself to get my :censored: to the gym helps. Also, i try not to even consider alternatives. So i plan to go to the gym after work/uni, i make sure i will have time and then i dont even think about not going, i just go. Its a lot easier. You still fight with yourself, but a lot less and i tend to be more successful

OMG thats so cool i wish i had a tv and my cardio equipment at the same time

i usually make the worst excuse of all. i already overate today so why bother -- ill just start fresh tomorrow. or an even lamer excuse than that, there isnt time to a really good workout so i just wont go at all. sooooo foolish. it really is about getting out the door though. once im at the gym i almost never want to leave. ill do every kind of cardio machine on the floor. the person who recommended saying to yourself to just go for 15 minutes is def on the right track, that has worked out in my favor countless times.

I have also been trying not to listen to the girls in my office. They all talk about wanting to lose weight, but then eat terrible and have really bad habits. They tend to make me feel bad when I don't partake in their eating fests so I've just been reminding myself that they're just not ready for a change and I've got to do what's healthy for me:)

Omg- Angeline- can I ever relate to that!!

I worked at an office in the summer where it was ALL women between the ages of 30-60, and they were ALL overweight. All they did was whine about their latest fad "diet" and then they'd be gorging on cheese, donuts, and frappucinos. Yet when I had a healthy lunch, they were super critical of that, too..It was either "Oh, I can't eat that on my diet", or "Is that all you're eating?!" (as they eat a burger and fries). The break room was always fully loaded with snacks, cake for every occasion, etc, etc...

When they pressured me to partake in their giant buffet lunches, I usually made an excuse like "I have to much work to do- i'll come by later!"...and then I'd never show up. They'd usually finish everything off, anyway :)

I always bring healthy things and they eat my stuff as well, but they always try to make me feel bad about being healthy. It's that old 'misery loves company' only with eating:)

I have a nosy neighbor that lives across the road from me (I've even caught this lady going through my garbage once!), and everytime I go walking she always bounds down her stairs and joins me (I am totally convinced she spends at least some of her day staring at my house watching me). I don't like walking with other people, because I've noticed that if I talk, I slow down in my walk and it turns into a leisure activity rather than a work out. I use this as an excuse a lot "Oh I don't want to deal with her!" but I've noticed if I keep my head down and pretend I don't see her she won't bug me.

My other excuses:
1. Too tired
2. Too sore
3. Too late in the day
4. Need to change music on my mp3 player (haha)

I'm doing better though! I'm just going home and changing and getting out before I have time to think about it. If I can get myself out the door and walking, I actually get bummed out when I have to quit.