Arm Yourself Against Exercise Excuses

Guard Yourself Against Exercise Excuses

Winning the Fight Against Yourself

I got into a fight this morning. It was not a “debate." It was not a “disagreement.” It was a full blown battle. No, it wasn’t with my husband or kids or even the other drivers on the highway. The fight started before work and even before anyone else in the house was awaken. The person I had a fight with was myself. You see, if I am going to exercise, it has to go like this: Up at 4:45 a.m., running by 5:00, in the shower by 6:00, and then out the door to work. Now, I never said  this routine was easy (thus the fight). Always on time, I was awakened by the sound beep, Beep, BEEP of my alarm,signing the start of the fight. It was on! You must be joking. I feel like I just went to bed a few hours ago! FOR GOODNESS SAKE, IT IS BLACK OUTSIDE! Another excuse stab here: I’m tired! A plea blow there: It’s dark! A surprise shot in the dark: Don't get out of this warm bed! I kept moving during the attack as the barrage of excuses filled my mind. I slowly made it to the restroom to find today's running gear where I left it the night before. Even there, the assault continued: I can't get up and run when it gets cold.  Then I was hit from behind with another blow of plea: It’s too dark. I could get hit by a car! I put on my guard to boost my strength and defend myself better. Socks on.   Pants. Shirt, shoes, and . Trusty MP3 player in hand. That was all it took to bring down the offender. The battle was over and I was out the door. Even then I could roughly hear this voice from afar telling me: Just run three miles instead of the usual five. But it was too late—I had won today by a putting it down! That was my battle this morning, but in reality, it's a battle I fight every day. I’d like to say that I am an undefeated champion, but that would   not be right. Sometimes I do lose and the voice wins. Many people think that a personal trainer never misses a workout and never struggles with eating the right things (or staying away from the not-so-right things). But I struggle just as much as everyone else. It is not easier for me than it is for others. It all comes to the moment of the decision—like 4:45 a.m. every morning. That's where the battle is won or lost. We all know how important exercise is to our health. We  know we should do it, but we allow ourselves “outs” with what we consider justifiable excuses. You can excuse yourself out of anything if you keep listening to yourself long enough. You can let those rationalizations make sense if you try. But I have come to a personal conclusion, a motto of sorts: I will do what I need to do, in order to do what I want to do. If that means getting up at 4:45 a.m. then so be it. I want to be healthy for a long time. I’ve got a long list of reasons why. I like to feel good and feel good about myself. I like the way exercise and eating well make me feel. I want to be around to spend a long, healthy lifetime with my husband. I want to wrestle with my son and laugh and play and see him grow up and even  play with my-grand kids ! I want to be in the "90 and up" age category in the local 5K! I will do what it takes to do (exercise and eat right) in order to do what I want to do (live a full life). I'll tell you something I don’t want though. I don’t want to cheat myself I want to treat myself because I didn’t do the things I should have to live that long life. I don’t want to take away from my husband or kids of years they could have with me. I don’t want to in the  hospital room one day thinking, “I wish I would have taken better care of myself and not allowed this to happen.” I want to reassure others to do what they need to do to be healthy. I want to encourage you to stay in the game and not give in so easily. Nike still has the best excuse-buster I can think of: Just Do It! Does it mean getting up early even though you'd rather sleep longer? Just do it. Does it mean staying up later to hit the gym and cook a healthy meal? Just do it. Is it hot or cold outside? Just do it. Name some reason's why you shouldn’t do it, and just do it anyway. The fight will be on again the next morning. Same time, same place. Wish me luck—no, wish me determination—and I’ll do the same for you! After all, we are in this battle together