Brett's Blog: Just Do It: Top 5 Excuses for Not Exercising
May 28, 2008 | by Brett Blumenthal | 45 Comments
by Brett Blumenthal
Nike makes a great point. Those three simple words – Just Do It – really sums up a lot of things in life. Even when we know something is good for us or that we should be getting our butt in gear, it can be extremely hard to motivate. We, as a species, have become masters of creating excuses…whether it be ‘the dog ate my homework’ or ‘I had a hard week and therefore deserve to eat a whole bag of Chips Ahoy’, we find ways of procrastinating and getting out of so many seemingly basic ‘have tos’, ’shoulds’ and ‘need tos’.
Unfortunately, the more often we make excuses, the easier it is to perpetuate. Creatures of habit, we get used to things…whether they are good for us or bad for us. A procrastinator myself, I thought it would be good to talk about excuses that are commonly used to get out of exercising. The five excuses below are pretty common, but I’m sure there are tons more out there to poke holes through…
#5. I Don’t Feel Well: Ok, if you are in the hospital, are excessively nauseous or have a fever, you probably shouldn’t be running a marathon. That said, a cold, allergies, a headache, menstrual pains or just ‘not feeling great’ shouldn’t stop you from breaking a sweat. Is a matter of fact, exercise can sometimes cure some of the most common ailments, including: hangovers and colds. Sweating, a form of detox, allows you to release toxins that are guilty of making you feel under the weather. So next time you have a sniffle, get out there and sweat your sniffles away…
#4. I’m too Tired: This used to be my excuse. When I got home after work, the idea of putting on my workout clothes and heading to the gym was a very painful concept. So painful, I sometimes would rationalize that I didn’t need to exercise. Granted, missing a day or two can be okay, but sometimes I rationalized that I didn’t need to go for several days in a row. Not good. The reality is, that exercise can get you over ‘being tired’. Exercise is helpful with improving and maintaining stable energy levels throughout the day, regular sleep patterns and overall mood. Exercise also improves regularity (yes, I do mean your digestive tract) and reduces incontinence, which can contribute to a feeling of sluggishness and being tired.
#3. It’s too Early or It’s Too Late: This isn’t too far off from #4. And actually, if one of these is an excuse, the other shouldn’t be…unless you are a professional sleeper. When I realized I hated coming home to exercise, and could think of a million other things I’d rather do, I decided that I needed to buck up and get up in the morning to get in the workout. Yes, it was painful for two or three days, but now, I wouldn’t go back if you paid me. If you are a morning person, get up and get your exercise groove on in the AM. If you are a night owl, exercise at night (Although it is healthier to exercise in the morning, it is better to get the exercise in at night than to not get it in at all). Be sure, however, to leave a couple of hours in between your workout and going to bed so that you give your body enough ‘downtime’ to transition to sleep time.
#2. I’m Traveling: Granted, it can be more challenging to exercise when you are traveling…especially for business…but that doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. Some tips:
- If you are staying at a hotel, try to stay at one that has a fitness center or gym.
- If the hotel doesn’t have a gym, walk, jog or run outside. Make sure you bring appropriate clothing for the weather. And don’t forget your sneakers!!! Seriously, forgetting your workout clothes should not be another excuse.
- Tuck some fitness DVDs into your suitcase. Play them on your laptop and exercise in your room.
#1. I don’t Have Enough Time: This is the absolute worst excuse of them all. Why? Because you have to make time. If you don’t prioritize exercise, you will never have enough time for it. Once you get used to making time, you’ll realize that you always have the time to fit in a workout. Whether it be squeezing in a brisk walk at lunch, scheduling ‘you time’ in your calendar or developing a daily routine that you can stick to, your time is yours. So use it wisely.
In short, the trick is to discover the excuses you buy and which excuses don’t fly so that you can Just Do It. What are some of the worst excuses you have used?
REALLY!!! Is it that hard to carve at least 30 minutes out of your day to work out. I loathe working out the entire time, treadmills are monotonous and I always feel like I’m on display. However, I still manage to go at least 4 days a week even though I’m a college student with 22 units, a part time job working 25+ hours a week and taking care of housework and cooking for my husband and myself. You have time; you just have to put in the effort.
I’m a 50 y/o male, always been in good shape. Two years ago I just got lazy and stopped working out. I really didn’t feel much different for the first year, then I began to notice subtle changes, my energy level had decreased, had more trouble going up multiple flights of stairs, my joints were stiff when I woke up, etc. I went in for my annual check-up and found out I was pre-diabetic with elevated blood pressure. I had never had any problems when I was in shape. I immediately cut out all junk food and sugar, re-instated my gym membership and got to work. Now six months later, my blood pressure is normal as is my blood glucose-with no medication. I will never again allow myself to get lazy or make excuses for not exercising. It isn’t worth destroying your health.
Brandy Blain sounds like the typically overweight housewife who blames everything but herself on reasons why she can’t exercise. I work full time and go to the gym three to four times a week for at least two hours, so don’t tell me your too busy. Brandy, your leaving out the time that sit around watching TV while the kids are at school in between your days of total housework? How about instead of watching Oprah, you try a exercise video. Btw, who the hell has to do housework all week. You actually can’t go workout for at least hour? I am sure you go shopping for a hour. Stop making excuses. Come on. That’s why this country is obese. Get the food out of your mouth fatties and go walk somewhere.
The thing is…. there is no point to busting your ass at your job or your own business, making money for the future and retirement, and not be in any condition to enjoy it or worse yet be dead.
Bend and sip, and bend and sip, The TV is a great resource for working the triceps.
I’m a 42 year old married working mother of 3 young boys. I used to come up with every excuse, namely the ones you brought up. Finally a year ago, I started a new job and one of the perks is a free gym membership to a gym across the street from our building. Instead of eating out over lunch, I started working out 4-5 times a week. In the past year, I’ve dropped 27 lbs and look better than I have in YEARS. The bottom line, you have to make time. In the long run, it makes you a better wife, mother and person.
@ Brandy you can always take your kids with you on a daily walk. I see mothers do it every morning on my way to work.
i have to admit, i would love to work out but nowadays i’m just too busy to even bother. between my job, my two small children, my small nephew, and a household that i must maintain i already don’t get enough sleep and everybody knows that you need to get the right amount of rest if you’re going to be fit. i do make the attempt from time to time by taking the kids out and running around with them that’s got to count for something.
When I get the feeling like I need to go workout, I just sit down and close my eyes and it passes in 5-10 min. or so!
the.switch: you are correct…sweating helps us regulate our body’s temperature. I wouldn’t say I’m ’spreading a myth to help myself feel better about sweating.’ The reality is, I have no reason to feel better about sweating…there is nothing wrong with it. Some sources believe that although your kidneys and liver take care of most toxin removal, sweating also can contribute to some removal as well.
Although the article isnt bad, and contains some good points, I wish people that write these columns and blogs would quit saying that sweating removes toxins from the body. Don’t these people, who purport to know something about the human body, know that the liver and kidneys remove almost all toxins from the body and those that arent removed by these organs are passed into urine and feces? the function of sweating is simply to regulate body temperature, and in fact, if someone sweats too much, the body’s ability to remove toxins is actually impaired. So please….brett…quit spreading this myth in order to feel better about sweating.
I agree with the “making the time” idea very well. It has to be a priority as does a proper diet. I won’t work a job that won’t accomodate my healthy lifestyle. Obviously not everyone can have that luxury, but it really only takes an hour to get a good full workout, and yes that includes drive time. I work out at lunch and eat at home afterwards every day. Keeps me out of the fast food realm and it is WAY cheaper to eat at home and healthy by far. Just do it. The long term and short term benifits outway the pain. BTW I have 2 jobs, a house I work on all the time, and I still have time to socialize a little. No Sacrifice, no Victory!
Hey you know who you’re … DOn;t be a lzy bumm
Doing exercise after coming from work feels great.
the problem I have nowadays is that I feel exhausted because of my thyroid problems.
it’s not an excuse, I still manage to jog 3 times a week, but it’s very difficult.
June, if your working 80 hours a week running your own business and still have to do a part time job then you need to be looking at if your business is making money and worth it. If your putting in that much time then you should be getting great results! (fellow business owner) Try yoga for that hip and if you need some business advice drop me an email
Would love to have more time to exercise – but I have a business to run – put about 80 a week in and work a parttime job bartending 2 days a week – I’m so exhausted on my one day a week off – I work at full steam to get laundry and house cleaned on that day – no social life either – plus I have a bad left hip and recently broke my left ankle – so even walking is a little difficult – so I know people make a lot of excuses for not exercising but some of them are true!
I like to be out of shape and lazy… it takes a lot less effort.
Brandy, I hear your pain. It isn’t easy is it? Three kids can be enough of a workout! And yes, today especially, food isn’t cheap…especially healthy food. My philosophy is to do the best you can. Being mindful of being balanced is better than not caring. Even if it means making one less trip to a fast food restaurant a week…it is a step in the right direction. I don’t think being balanced is ever completely achievable. There ALWAYS are things that keep us from maintaining a healthy balance. It is TRYING that is what is important!
Sure I want to work out, and get healthy, but how about three kids at home, and a husband that is either in a war zone or training to be in one? I spend my days keeping up with laundry, and makeing sure I can walk from the front door to the bathroom with out breaking my neck. The last thing I care about is working out. It’s too hot where I live to walk outside, unless I get the whole house up at the crack of dawn, and there is no where to put excercise exquipment in my home. Never mind the fact that eating healthy isn’t cheap. What’s the point in working out if you can manage a well balanced diet too?
My favorite cure for a hangover isn’t orange juice, omelets, ibuprofen, or sleeping on the couch. It’s hitting the streets for a run. Sweat out the bad stuff…