“Excuses are the leaning posts for fools”
I’m not sure where I originally heard this quote, but it may have been from Mr. Bartek, a teacher in the Norton public school system.
I hear excuses all the time from people don’t work out. In general, it’s from people who have good intentions about training, but fantastic excuses as well. Rarely, do I meet people that say, “I don’t like physical activity in general, it makes me feel terrible.”
Instead, I see a lot more of the Groupon-chasing, gym jumpers who spend more time talking about training than actually doing it.
Here are some excuses I do hear quite a bit:
- I’m too busy to exercise
- Once my schedule slows down I’ll start exercising
- My “enter joint or muscle here” is always aching
- Gyms are too expensive
I’m going to lay out a plan for you that will help you make a change. You may not like what I have to say, but that’s ok with me.
Let’s start with the excuses…
Excuse 1: I’m too busy
I usually hear this one from the person who plays in 2 golf leagues, has seen every season of Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy, and is constantly asking you to play candy crush saga.
Listen, you do have time. The truth is, we all have the same 24-hours in our day, but if you’re the too-busy-to-exercise person, you choose to fill your time with non- health and fitness related things.
Hopefully you’re not one of the people who are starving for attention on Facebook, constantly updating your status with something like this:
I can’t win, everyone is out to get me and I’ve had terrible luck over the last 7 years. When is it going to get better?
I mean, you’ll likely have to spend the remainder of your day counting “likes,” replying to private messages, and soaking up the 12 hrs of attention you got from your debbie downer status. Again. So you’re right…you won’t have time to exercise.
Next excuse…
Excuse 2: You will train when your schedule slows down
Haha, this one is amazing! Particularly when it comes from the single person with one job waiting for things to “slow down.”
Let me tell you this, if you have one job and your only concerns are working, making a car payment and paying down a little credit card debt, you have it easy.
- What happens when you get married?
- When you have kids?
- When a loved one dies?
- The first time you lose a parent?
Life is busy, and most likely it will get busier over time, not less busy. You can pay a little bit of money to join a decent gym now or spend a ton on co-pays, medications and multiple visits to the doctor later.
The choice is yours!
Excuse 3: Your joints and muscle ache
Really? You are achy? That’s it? Does your tummy hurt too? How bad is the boo boo?
Unless you have a medical condition, you are gonna get sore as you age. Your joints are the same age as you are! If you car is 35 years old, will it need some work?
It sounds harsh, but most people really need to toughen up.
When my father was alive, he battled Leukemia, almost lost a leg from necrotizing fasciitis and spent months in rehab hospitals recovering from skin graphs and various infections. I’ve experienced him endure more than I could ever imagine.
When you tell me you are sore, you are probably just complaining. We all know where complaining gets us right? Especially complaining via Facebook… 😉
Excuse 4: Gyms are too expensive
So you are telling me that your health is not worth $150-200 a month?
I get it, joining a good gym with good trainers, useful equipment and a great community will cost you more than planet fitness. Just remember, you get what you pay for.
I’m willing to bet that the people who say $150-200 is too expensive might:
- Buy 1-2 coffees a day
- Go out to dinner 2-3 nights a week
- Buy lunch daily
- Drink alcohol
- Attend sporting events and/concerts
Catch my drift?
By the way, I love coffee, food, beer, the Patriots and live music. None of these things are bad…in fact they are good. Like, really good. But above is absolutely a list of luxury things people spend money on regularly.
If having a gym membership is too expensive, but you engage in a few of the things on the list, you just have different priorities. It’s likely not that you simply can’t afford a gym or don’t have time to exercise, you just choose to spend your time elsewhere and your finances on something else.
If you don’t want to go to the gym, it’s your choice. Let’s just be honest with yourself as to the reasons why and move on. If you aren’t happy with your current scenario, stop blaming others and making up excuses.
Next time you go to use one of these common excuses people use to skip out on exercise or stay away from joining a gym, remember, excuses are the learning for fools.
My advice to you. Commit to something active. Make it a non-negotiable part of your schedule. Put your head down and work hard. Months down the road you’ll lift your head up and see (and feel) the progress you’ve made.