Well, I would really like to just thank just a few of you here who just make me feel so very "supported." Not just by telling me I'm a liar when I say they are real obstacles and not excuses but by judging me and questioning me as if I don't know what it is I think and I don't know how things really are in my own life and you instead know my situation better than I do.

I don't see why I'm getting judged here because some ideas just don't work for me. If places were switched, i'm sure there's some that I might suggest that wouldn't work for you either but I'd hardly sit here and tell some stranger over the internet they're excuses when I don't have a clue if they really are or not because I'm not them. Besides that, I only asked for suggestions for exercise. I didn't ask anyone their opinion of wether or not I was making excuses. I'm a big girl, I can think of that for myself and deal with that myself and have in the past. If you think they are excuses and don't like that, you honestly didn't have to write to me and tell me that. It wasn't necessary for someone to tell me that they guess "I just don't want to exercise." Do you really think I'd waste my time posting a question I didn't really want an answer to? It doesn't matter what it may SEEM like to you, assuming isn't fair and it's not helpful especially when you have, what, a paragraph worth to go on? But again, I didn't even ask.

I'm really not sure how anyone thought that could be supportive or helpful to me to tell me what I think and feel. This is supposed to be a Support forum but it sure doesn't feel like it from where I'm sitting.

To the rest of you, thank you for your suggestions. Despite words on the contrary, I do appreciate the input and ideas and will think them over.

This is the last I'm going to post about this, I'm not going to try to justify myself any further.

madscientist -- as I read the responses, I could see your answer coming, because yes, some of the responses did seem harsh and blunt. But it also seems that you asked for suggestions from others about exercise, and then shot them down when people gave them to you.

I think people were trying to be helpful. I also have a feeling that a lot of people also heard themselves in your words. We have all probably been in a place where we came up with lots of reasons why we couldn't do X or Y. What's the difference between a "reason" and an "excuse"? I think it's in the interpretation.

When others said you "were making excuses" you heard it very differently from "having reasons". Excuses don't mean you are lying. I think what people are saying is that those reasons are not necessarily justified, while you are saying they are justified.

We have all made excuses for not exercising. I still do sometimes. So I don't think people were calling you a liar, but trying to get you to look at your behavior in a different way. I know that I resisted incorporating regular exercise into my life for years, and had all kinds of valid reasons: time, ability, lack of space, funds, etc. But now that I find ways to make it work, I look back and re-interpret those reasons as excuses.

Harsh and blunt I can take. Unsolicited judgments and assumptions I will not. I may have shot the ideas down, but not saying anything at all would just mean others who responded would repeat the same thing. I don't want anyone wasting time saying something that I can already say won't work. And furthermore, why should anyone get upset if their idea won't work and gets shot down because of it? Hey, they tried. That's cool. Everything isn't for everyone. I have my own lifestyle and schedule and limitations and preferences and so on. I would think people around here could get that and not take it personally. I said I appreciated the input and people taking the time to respond to me and I meant that.

I did not however appreciate people going on to tell me that I am wrong when I say they're not excuses and acting as though they know better what I'm saying than I do. If for no other reason than simply because it's rude to do that to someone you don't even know and therefore, don't really have any evidence one way or another. And what if it were an excuse? So what? Like I said, if someone doesn't like what I'm saying, it is not necessary to reply to me on a Support forum and tell me their negative opinion about it especially when I never asked. That's hardly supportive. If they think I'm making excuses and being ridiculous, by all means, don't waste time responding to me. Or at least find a more constructive and less judgmental way around it. I've stuck around here because up until now, I've gotten encouragement when I post here. This is not what I am here for.

The bottom line is that regardless of wether someone see's it as justified or not, a "reason" or an "excuse" I did not ask anyone their opinion about it and the unncessary, unsolicited commentary was rude and very unhelpful from my POV. If I'm making excuses, the only person who needs to deal with that is me. Being rude to me about it on a forum is really not going to make me see it any more than before... that is work to be done by me and me only. Been there, done that. I've been doing this long enough that I think I know when I'm making excuses and when there's something real that is in my way. Of course, if anyone had bothered to really ask or talk to me about that, they'd know all of that. But I guess I was only worth a quickie judgment call.

Thank you for being decent to me in your response and taking the time for explanation rather than judgment.

Wyllenn, your post has been very helpful to me. The other day when I was reading a post about a woman with young children who couldn't get her exercise routine together I decided not to post anything. To myself I said, "What have I got to offer? I couldn't get exercise together either when I had kids and a job and blah blah blah." Now that I look back no matter how busy I was I could have fit exercise in. If I had known how and had recognized my lifestyle as unhealthy. I would have to say a lot of it was 'excuses' that I thought were justified reasons. And a lot of it was just not knowing how to fit it in or what to do.

I make excuses. This week I've made plenty. Sometimes the little excuse maker in me even loves it when someone stops by unexpectedly during my workout. Though she says online "I was interrupted again today. Boy I wish people would stay away sometimes." In actuality a part of me is jumping for joy 'cause I've had enough.

Madscientist, In order to workout and stay cool, I was thinking that many pools have special times available for adults only. If your pool doesn't I would suggest it to the manager. Perhaps an hour before opening to everyone else in the morning or later evening hours on a certain day.

Jayde -- One of the many strengths of this site is that we all find little "clicks" and ideas from so many places. I look back at myself who didn't exercise, and I think you're right -- some of my excuses were about not really knowing how to fit it in, some was about not knowing how it would work, part of it was laziness and not being ready to make a commitment to exercise, no matter what.

When I look in contrast at the past year, however, I see someone who found ways to fit exercise in regularly, even when I was busy or sick (not deadly sick!). The biggest difference was the commitment I made to myself. I didn't do it every day, but I made a commitment to do so much of it a month and found a way to fit it in, even if it meant making other sacrifices. If I'm going to do this for the rest of my life, I'm going to have to keep doing that! And keep reminding myself that it IS possible!

when its HOT, like REALLY HOT, its the best temp for power yoga! (The heat helps most people when they stretch)

Exactly. When I started back to school after losing a chunk of weight and regaining some lost energy, I saw myself slacking on exercise. I mean...I was working 8 hours a day 5 days a week and going to class 4 hours a night for 3 nights a week...WHEN would I exercise. So I didn't on those 3 days. And then there was homework. But that wasn't what I wanted. I NEEDED to exercise. I still had weight to lose and was NOT getting back into my old rut. So I got a bike and started biking to work. And I started running on my lunch hour. At least even just walking was better than nothing. I was determined to continue exercising. I just had to find time to do it on a full schedule. And realized that it wasn't that full, I had a whole hour to myself everyday at lunch.

The nice thing about it is that I also found a way to save time for the rest of the week. I would run and end up at the store back near the office and grab a salad from there...along with some of the grocery items we needed for the week. I'd then get in my weight lifting carrying them up the hill back to the office. I'd stowe them in the office fridge to take home after work and eat my salad at my desk. There! Shopping all done, exercise all done. Didn't have to go shopping on one of the days I wasn't going to class.

I am really sensitive to the heat also and absolutely HATE it. When it is hot I have to go more slowly with my walking and stuff... but I am absolutely determined I am going to DO it no matter what and get this weight off!

I had kind of a compliment recently on that, in fact. A woman at work came up and asked if she could go walking with me at lunch so we have been going for the past couple weeks. She told me she chose me to ask because she wanted to commit to it and to go with someone who was really going to DO it rather than decide to take days "off" and go to lunch, etc.

Now that the pool is open I am coming home a lot of days and jumping in... our pool is not heated so it is wonderfully refreshing. I love it even though the weather has been cool. Yah sometimes I have to put up with the shrieking kids <G> but I go right after work at 5 PM so most of them are not out there at that time.

Anyway, sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do. There was a quote here that someone posted a while back that has really inspired me... "If you love the results, learn to love the process." That is SO true and I have found that when I love the process... even when I have to remind myself to love it... it really does help!!!

You could always buy a recumbent bike and sit in your livingroom and watch tv with a fan blowing on you and get in a great workout everyday. My favorite bike was only like $100.00 at Kmart. This way you are getting in a workout,not making any noise for your downstairs neighbors, it is cheap and it is in the privacy of your own home. That is what I did the last time I lost all of my weight.

I have the same problem. But my cable service has a station called AHN ... so I watch those ... and record them ... and use exercise tapes.

Good luck!!

madscientist: this is a very good point made by wyllen, what is the difference between a REASON and an EXCUSE? No one here is saying that you are lying and no one is judgin you~ how can we judge when we have all done it at one point. I made the decision not to use the fact that i have a Metal rod in my leg from removing Cancer as my "reason" not to exercise my life was soccer before cancer, I was very angry and felt nothing could replace it~thus gaining weight cuz I didn't exercise, but once I had my "wake up" call, I simply made the decision to TRY new things ~ I changed my thinking. I think most of the posters here just want to help and maybe they are a little harsh but we all need that "wake-up" call at some point.

I hope you find something that fits your needs, maybe do a google search for low impact exercises? or heck DANCE!!!! that is something we all "can" do, its low impact, fun, and you can do it at home--pop on MTV and dance like no one is watching!!!!

There's nothing wrong with looking like a fool in your own home. That was how I got my exercise going when I first started a few weeks back. I absolutely HATE the heat but you do what you gotta to get what you want...that's my thinking

Agreed!!!

if one wants something bad enough they will do what it takes to get there, regardless!

How about yoga? I couldn't believe how much I began to sweat when I started my yoga done to beginner yoga DVDs that I got at the library! Yoga wouldn't make any noise, and the flexibility that you get from the practices is a great bonus! I also do weight training using barbells. Those don't cause noise or bouncing either.

Cheryl

I have to totally agree with you on the heat and exercising thing. It has been very warm for us lately, in the middle 90s and one day up to 118! It doesn't matter if you have a fan or not, to even work out to a video in your home, which is what I always do, won't work when it's this hot. I have about 13 WATP dvds that I use, but when the heat comes out, and I'm not making up any excuses, it makes me very sick to my stomach. Also, I agree with you on the apartment thing. If nobody has ever had to apartment live below people, they have no idea what it's like to have that above your head. It does make a person feel so much better when we are able to get our exercise in, but I for one, cannot handle the heat either, and I'm hoping as I lose more weight, I will be able to handle it better.