making excuses

You may not know this about me, but I am good at making excuses.  Very good at it.  I can come up with very reasonable-sounding excuses for why I can't exercise, why have to eat certain foods, why I can't always get all my calcium in, etc.  And I'm not lying.  It's absolutely true that I cannot afford a gym membership.  It's absolutely true that when it's cold outside, I don't like walking outdoors because the cold makes my joints ache something awful.  It's absolutely true that I have back problems that make certain kinds of movement very painful.  I'm not making any of that up.

They are still excuses, though.  you can tell because each time anyone suggests a possible alternative or way to deal with a particular issue, I have another excuse (also true) about why that won't work.  I'm not really interested in finding a solution that will work, I'm more interested in justifying why I don't exercise.  Which is actually kind of silly and a waste of time, because I don't owe anybody an explanation and I don't have to exercise if I don't want to.  I can just say "I don't want to" and I don't have to do it.

But look at how much time and energy I sometimes put into those excuses.  What if, instead of coming up with all the good and valid reasons why I can't exercise, what if I put just half as much time and energy into coming up with reasons why I could exercise?  What if I said, I can walk to the corner and back, which is a very short distance and even if it is cold outside I won't get that cold just walking for a couple minutes.  What if I said, today I have to go grocery shopping and I'm going to park at the far end of the lot so I walk a bit further to get to the store.  Or, when I get inside the store, I'm gonna do a lap around the place before I start picking out my groceries.  Yeah, I know that's not much exercise.  But it would be a start.

So what are your favorite excuses?  Put a little time and energy thinking of things you can do instead of what you can't.  What do you come up with?

Kelly,

I think the effort that goes into those excuses is DEFINITELY exercise.  And don't discount the exercise your hands get typing away at that keyboard!

Take whatever small victories you can, girl!

Making up excuses on why I can't exercise is one of my favorite pasttimes. So for those evenings when I really don't feel up to exercising, I've making myself take my dog out for a walk. If nothing else, it's become our special time together and even if I do nothing else, at least I've walked a mile or so (he's 12 1/2 and can't go farther). It may not be much, but it's a start.

I have lots of things I make excuses not to do (or just forget that I wanted to do them). Now I blame it all no peri-menopause! It's a great excuse and verified by my blood test so it's now my catchall!

Jan

I like to say, "I'm tired" even if I slept well and don't need a nap. Napping is an escape for me emotionally so I like to use it since "I'm tired." Lol. Such a silly game I play with myself. Sometimes I just catch myself sounding like a whinny child saying, "I don't want to." At least that is more honest. Truth be told there are lots of things I don't want to do, but I do. So the adult in me tells the child to eat right, go to the gym, and use the stairs, in the same way I might tell a real child to brush their teeth, wash their hands, and cover their mouth. I guess I'm growing up into this new healthy me so I try to remember that every little bit of progress I make is exactly that...progress! In the meantime, "I'm tired" so it's time for some coffee since it's too late for a nap! ;)

 I have one 'go to' excuse for everything...from being behind on laundry to having a sink full of dirty dishes..not going to the gym, not straightening my hair, being forgetful etc, 


I have 3 kids so I cant "fill in whatever thing I can't do today" 

Since my surgery I've been trying to reapproach everyday differently..although I still hear myself using that excuse way too often I can say that I'm completely caught up on laundry, all the dishes are done daily, my house is as spotless as many people I know who dont have 3 kids and I'm getting to the gym as often as our "actual" schedule allows us to. I was going 8 hours a week but now that softball has started back for my daughter it cuts into our available gym time. (I hope that isn't an excuse..LOL)

Oh, let's see.... Some of my more common ones...

Excuse:  "I don't have time to cook, so I rely on convenience foods."
Truth: I have plenty of time. I just don't want to do dishes. 

Excuse: "I'm not going to the gym today because I busted my butt yesterday and need a rest day."
Truth:  It IS true, but usually, I'm just tired from yesterday's workout and am feeling lazy. In reality, a bit of swimming would probably relax me and loosen my muscles a bit. 

Excuse: "Well, we were out, and by the time we'd get home, the kids would be tired, and....blah blah blah"
Truth: I just wanted Taco Bell.

 Excuse:  "I don't have time to cook, so I rely on convenience foods."
Truth: I have plenty of time. I just don't want to do dishes. 

Amen, sista.

 I don't have time to exercise, because I only have one car, and work an hour away from home.... (and add all kinds of passive aggressive **** that is just plain bogus).

The truth is that I like sleeping in, and I resent having to give up an hour in the evening after 6:30.  I could take a walk during lunch, though... or give up some of my precious "lazy me" time.  Heaven forbid I wake up at 6:30 in the morning and go do something.

To be completely honest, I don't think I rely on excuses very often. I DO occasionally, but more often than not, my problem is PURE procrastination.

I get sucked into Facebook or OH or Etsy or Pinterest or some nonsense, and before I know it, the day's half over, the kitchen's a mess from breakfast, I have to pick up the kid in 20 minutes and get dinner started, and I've gotten nothing done.

"Oh, I'll have time to get to that tonight, after the kids are in bed."
"Well, if I do them tomorrow morning, they'll still ship out on time."
"I've got all afternoon to wash dishes, I can check my email real quick..."

If I got rid of my damned laptop and DVR, I'd probably get a LOT more accomplished.

Oh, oh, oh! ! !   This is me, too!  I've been procrastinating my entire life - and that's probably one of the big reasons I'm broad as a barn!  My motto is, "Why do today what I can put off until tomorrow?" 

Beth