With the announcement of our newest family member Blaine Callaway I wanted to give him the opportunity to just write, write what he was passionate about and let him have a chance to let out how he feels.
I asked him if he wanted to write a blog post and he enthusiastically said “Yes!”
“What about?” followed.
So I just told him to write about what ever he was passionate about, what ever just motivated him to rant.
Beating Back Excuses
If you try hard enough you can find an excuse to get out of or not do just about anything.
As the old saying goes “…excuses are like (insert explicative)” yeah, you’re just getting to know me so there’s no need to start throwing around that kind of language…yet!
The following are the top six excuses I hear, AND the methods I suggest to beating them back:
1. “I’m too busy!”
This is the most common excuse, and one that should be squashed quickly.
You can make time for anything that is important to you in a day. There are 24 hours in a day, and just 15-30 minutes of physical activity is better than nothing at all.
I treat working out as job and my social calendar revolves around it.
-A suggestion-
Find a trainer *raises hand* or workout partner can essential to keeping you motivated; and most importantly it will provoke the feeling of being accountable to that other person (trainer or workout buddy). Once you get to that point of accountability the “I’m too busy” excuse disappears.
2. “I am too big to go to the gym.”
The beginning of everyone’s fitness journey starts with a small amount of insecurity.
Honestly, most people in the gym don’t pay much, if any, attention to those around them. We are all self-involved, and we all care about what others think of us to an extent, but at the end of the day it only matters what drives and motivates you individually.
-A suggestion-
You have to realize that you are not the center of everyone’s attention around you (this is hard for some attention needy people to accept) , and that your biggest critic in life will always be yourself. If you are not careful, you will derail your fitness goals before you even get started.
Trust me, accept that fact that no one is going to care and honestly we will welcome you into our world.
3. “I always gain it back.”
You probably always gain it back because you are seeing fitness as a “fad” or temporary solution to an immediate problem.
For example, you want to lose 15 pounds for an upcoming reunion, so you starve yourself and do cardio every day for a month. You drop the p0unds you wanted, but when you stop doing the workouts and go back to your old habits, you gain back what you lost then some.
-A suggestion-
Losing weight is a mindset, and a lifestyle change. In order to be consistent, you should constantly keep your body moving, eating right for YOU and for YOUR health.
It’s counterproductive to want to get to a certain weight and then stop your workouts/eating . When you think that way, you are not thinking long-term and the weight will come back once you stop trying.
Getting fit is about completely re-booting your lifestyle through diet and hard work. It is a commitment that you make to yourself to maintain this lifestyle change for the long term, not a quick fix.
4. “I never see improvement.”
Slow and steady wins the race my friend.
Repetition and determination will help reach your goals. It’s not about how fast you lose the weight but about how hard you try.
In time, the weight and pounds will come off and you will see improvement.
– A suggestion-
Do not give up if you don’t see change quickly. Change takes time but in the end it will be worth it.
A lesson to learn with weight loss is that many times the tape measure, not the scale; tell the real story of the improvements you are making. <==== Tweet that!
5. “I can’t stay motivated.”
My method to staying motivated is driven completely by working towards a goal, accomplishing it, setting a new goal, accomplishing it, setting a new goal….get the point?
Goals can be anything from increasing the time you run on the treadmill, lifting heavier weight than the last time you performed that same exercise, or your goals may be aesthetic goals like bigger arms, smaller stomach, or other physical characteristics.
Maybe your goal is striving to look more like that smoking hot model on the cover of the last GQ, Vanity Fair, or Maxim magazine you were checking out while waiting in the checkout line with all that great healthy food you were about to destroy for dinner later that night!
-A suggestion-
I’ll keep this one short but set a goal.
Working towards goals is fundamental in driving this bus we call fitness, and once you get dialed in on your goals – it gets easier.
6. “I’m too tired.”
Contrary to popular belief, exercising doesn’t make you tired – it literally creates energy in your body.
Your body “…rises up to meet the challenge for more energy by becoming stronger,” says nutritionist Samantha Heller, MS, RD, a nutrition advisor for the Journey for Control diabetes program.
-A suggestion-
There are not any fancy ways around this one but to just finally make that drive to the gym; 80% of the battle is the drive, after that you’ll be ok.
When you exercise you releases tension, which is a major factor in fatigue. If you work out on a regular basis, the worry and stress you build up throughout the day slowly melts away.
Without this added tension you will find that you sleep better – therefore increasing your energy level.
When you are moving, your blood flow will improve, and the blood flow carries more oxygen which brings nutrients to your muscles which produce more energy.
Your health and well-being are your own responsibility. You have choices in life, and you are entitled to choose to find excuses for yourself. But you will be happier and healthier if you opt for honesty, integrity and confidence. It’s never too late to improve your fitness. Start creating solutions instead of excuses. It takes time and effort to change a habit, but it will be worth it. The holidays are approaching quickly and you can get behind further if you are not careful. Now is the time to bust down those walls and beat back those excuses and get to work!
In Health and Awesomeness,
Blaine Callaway – CPT at Fitness Revolution in Rowlett, TX
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