Why Excuses Kill

Have you ever gone to bed thinking “Tomorrow, I’ll workout and eat healthy” then by 10 am you realize you haven’t worked out, you’ve binged on caramel lattes and your stress level is through the roof?

Yup, been there. Actually, forget the caramel  and let’s sub in some chocolate covered almonds.

OK, so excuses. We all make excuses. YES, we do. Really. But are they killing us?

According to Wikipedia, it is estimated that roughly 150,000 people who die each day. The Center for Disease Control indicates that it is possible to prevent up to 40% of these deaths! Wow.

Many risks are avoidable by simply making changes in personal behaviors. These include,

• Heart disease risks – tobacco use, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, poor diet, overweight, and lack of physical activity.
• Cancer risks – tobacco use, poor diet, lack of physical activity, overweight, sun exposure, certain hormones, alcohol, some viruses and bacteria, ionizing radiation, and certain chemicals and other substances.
• Chronic respiratory disease risks – tobacco smoke, second-hand smoke exposure, other indoor air pollutants, outdoor air pollutants, allergens, and exposure to occupational agents.
• Stroke risks – high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, overweight, previous stroke, tobacco use, alcohol use, and lack of physical activity.
• Unintentional injury risks – lack of seatbelt use, lack of motorcycle helmet use, unsafe consumer products, drug and alcohol use (including prescription drug misuse), exposure to occupational hazards, and unsafe home and community environments

So what role do excuses play in all of this?

EVERYTHING! We all make excuses… WHY we’re not pursuing what we feel we should be doing. All of us have too many obligations. There isn’t enough money. We are too busy and there aren’t enough hours in the day. It can be done later, right?

Eventually, we ALL get to a place where our excuses don’t help us anymore.

That’s the moment we end up staring at ourselves in the mirror wishing we’d have taken control years ago. Eventually, our excuses disappear because we come face to face with the fact that our excuses are killing us.

There are a few things you can do to kill the excuses that are ravaging you from getting ahead. You probably know you need to  get your workout in but you’ve said, “I’m too tired” or “I don’t have the time.” What about, “I don’t feel motivated” or “I’d rather do nothing.”? Perhaps you’ve seen me talk about my fitness programs and results on social media and you’d love to jump in with me and challenge yourself but you tell me, “I don’t have the money, equipment, space.” OR “I can’t because …”

Let me be 100% honest.

I have heard every excuse in the book. I have some serious health concerns (aka possible excuses) that could prevent me from being fit and healthy. However, instead of letting them wreak havoc on my life, I embrace them and stomp on them every single day. I’m not going to let my osteoporosis, diabetes, BRAC mutation etc, hold me back from living.

Are you living? Are you making excuses?

Well, we’ve all made the excuses.

Here’s how to silence these demons before they silence you:

1. See the positive. Excuses are made because we don’t feel like doing something — we’re great at accentuating the negative. Instead, try to see the fun and joy. If you don’t maintain a positive attitude, you’ll never beat your excuses.
2. Take responsibility. Excuses are ways to get out of owning up to something. If you say you don’t have the time, money, equipment, etc., then it’s not your fault, right? Wrong. Take responsibility, and own the solution. How bad do you want it?
3. Find a solution. Just about every problem has a solution. You say you don’t have time? Well then, start with just 5-10 minutes of a workout and MAKE the time. Aren’t you your priority? Wake up earlier. Go for a walk during lunch. Don’t have a gym membership or you can’t afford one? Workout at home or in the office. I have so many affordable options for you. You say you don’t have the energy? What if you workout when you have higher levels of energy. You could talk to me about ways to increase energy. I know you’re smart. You really can figure out the solution!
4. See your goal. This is your motivation — your reason for doing it. Nothing can get in your way here. Sure, you could just lay on the couch and keep your lazy boy warm BUT if you remember why you really want to achieve your goal (a wedding, a vacation, better diabetes control for example), you’ll be motivated. You MUST visualize your goal and just get started.
5. Be accountable. Accountability is a driving force for success. Find a workout partner with similar goals but please don’t rely on them for motivation. They don’t care about your goals as much as you do! Most of our friends and family members don’t understand our new fit-minded lifestyle.
6. Go ahead – make your excuses. Then do it anyway.

What do you regularly make excuses about?