Excuse Busters
All of us have those times when we know a workout would have us feeling great, but we just can’t muster up the motivation to get it done. Yesterday, I experienced one of those times, so I thought I’d put together this post about common workout excuse busters to help you push past whatever’s preventing you from getting your workout in!
Our weekend ended up being quite a success: dinner party Friday, the wood floors are finished (pics to come!), dancing Saturday night away, and Arizona basketball on Sunday.
We really wanted to take Livi with us since it was a daytime game, but ended up asking nana to come stay with her at home. It gets really loud in McKale -I figured I’d bring her ear protection that we bought for fini flights on base- but we wondered if she’d be surrounded by baby-loving folks (some people aren’t, and that’s cool). I would have been happy to walk around with her in the arena, but in our seats we wanted to consider the fact that not everyone enjoys tiny cheerleaders saying “Hi! Hi! Hiiiiiiiii” to them throughout the game, especially an intense sold-old event. Next time, little Wildcat :/
Later I went to the gym for some cardio (30 min StairMaster and 10 on the treadmill) and then crashed out:
[random note: Men’s Health was my literature for the Stairmaster. Even though I originally chose it because Adam Levine was on the cover and I like the workout tips, I was blown away by the recipes. Chicken coconut curry with sweet potato? Um, yes please.]
Before I left for the gym last night, I felt one of the usual excuses coming on: ughhh, nighttime cardio! It’s so much harder to wind down for bed.
Cardio gets me pretty hyped up, so when I do it at night I have a harder time going to bed when I should. Then when Liv wakes up early, I feel like a sloth in the morning.
Last night, instead of going upstairs right before crashing out, I immediately took a shower and went up to bed to read. Reading in bed never fails to make me sleepy, so I had no problem crashing out.
I have plenty of other favorite workout excuses, and here’s how I work through them.
Workout Excuse Busters
It’s too cold. In Tucson, it’s really not *cold* compared to other cities. I give myself a perspective pep talk and remember that what I call freezing is someone else’s summer. I keep that in mind, bundle up and remind myself that cold runs feel much better than sweltering summer Bikram runs.
(Photo from a crazy Tucson freeze two years ago!)
I have no energy. This happens to me when I head back to work from lunch and have Zumba first. After lunch, I usually want to siesta, not shake it. For this reason, I make sure that my lunch isn’t too filling -I’ll do a salad, small wrap or smoothie- and bring the rest of lunch to eat after class. One of my biggest “I have no energy” busters: I remember how energized I feel when it’s over, and the fact that it usual takes 5 minutes to feel really great during a workout. A little bit of coffee does the trick, too 😉
I forgot headphones/socks/a sports bra/whatever. I usually feel like I need to have all of my “gear” with me to get in an awesome workout. Whenever this happens, I change up the usual plans (do weights instead of cardio if I forgot socks or a sports bra) or if I’m lacking music, I use my workout time to really visualize my muscles contracting and working during the movements. Mind to muscle!
What are some of your usual excuses? How do you bust them?
One “excuse” that is usually legit: I’m exhausted. You have to distinguish your body’s cues between laziness and true exhaustion. If I know that I need to rest, I’ll take an extra day off. Remember that working through exhaustion won’t result in an effective workout. It’s worth it to rest and enjoy a killer session next time.
Hope you’re all enjoying your morning so far!
xoxo
Gina
Check-in time! Did you do Workout #3? How’d it go? Make sure to leave a comment to check in! A lucky reader will receive a new Pack and Dash running tank, courtesy of lucy.
Congrats to the winner of our recent Winter Shape Up giveaway:
Beth, who said:
“After some schedule re-arranging (aka, too tired to get up), today was the stairmaster challenge. Holy man, that is way tougher than it sounds.
My workout reminder for morning workouts – that extra 40 minutes (broken up every 5 minutes by the snooze) isn’t good sleep anyways.”
Congrats, Beth! Send me an email (fitnessista at gmail dot com) and we’ll get your prize on the way 🙂
Stay tuned for more amazing giveaways this week! xo
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My #1 excuse is not having time – so I wake up at 5 a.m. every day and *make* the damn time!
My #1 excuse is laziness/being tired. I lay out clothes for early morning work outs (5:15am spin class), set my alarm, make my shake the night before, and then just keep hitting snooze when morning comes. I then get mad at myself when I have to go to the gym later in the day. 😉 Ha, better luck tomorrow.
Great tips! I also use the ‘it’s too cold’ excuse way too much for someone who lives in AZ! I was just about to bust it out this morning until I read your post! 🙂
My #1 excuse is also time. With a new baby + being a law student I barely get by with my head on right. But, now that I have spent money to purchase classes I have more motivation than ever to go — even if it my reason is simply not wasting money.
Love this list! I hate nighttime workouts for the exact same reason so I will have to remember that tip next time. I have no energy and it’s too cold are some of my favorite excuses too!
I live 30 minutes from my gym so time is a big excuse even when I could do some things at home!!
#1 excuse: I feel sick.
Whenever I have a bit of a cold or injury I’ll totally coddle myself. Which starts out okay, but next thing you know, 4 weeks have gone by and I’m still milking the excuse when I have the slightest bit of sniffles. Next time, I may take it down a notch, but make sure I still get my butt up and going otherwise I take a huge hit in my routine and it’s totally not worth it.
I love that so delicious creamer!
I literally have to tell myself, “do not make an excuse”. I have been working out in the early morning and make a promise to myself to get up and work out when that alarm goes off.
I don’t have a gym membership right now, so if I’m scheduled to do cardio and it’s raining, I’ll use that as an excuse. But it’s a pretty poor one, as 1) I have plenty of cold weather/rainy day gear, and 2) who doesn’t feel like a little bit of a badass pounding out miles in the rain when cars drive by? 😉
I would say my excuse is similar to yours: exhaustion. BUT I also have an extreme time crunch in the evenings where I have to get a million things done and working out needs to happen after taking care of Max, doing the dishes, getting work done,etc. I am all alone with Max 6 out of 7 nights (and have no family to watch him around here) at this time of year, and when hubby is home, I don’t really feel like running to the gym. I try and go to the gym in between work and picking up Max from daycare.
HA – if I was in Arizona right now, we would be out on walks/runs all the time! Even though I know you AZ people do get cool temps – at least you don’t have mountains of snow covering the side walks and side streets. No way I am going to run on the road with Max in tow, so running happens after the sidewalks are clear 🙂
I’m a week behind, but rocked out the workout #2 this morning. Plie squat combo had my legs shaking! Loved it! 🙂
My #1 excuse is tired/lazy/would rather chill with a magazine or blogs. I’m with you that I always feel better and more energized after. I just have to remember that long enough to get started and then it’s on. First thing in the morning works best because as the day goes on I lose willpower.
Number one excuse is i’m hungry and I can’t workout so close to having a snack. I know once I get there that I won’t be hungry anymore and I was most likely bored.
My excuse is being too tired at the end of the day after everything. I try to remind myself how relaxed I will feel and will sleep better after working out.
The gym is on the way home from work so that makes it a lil easier to not make excuses…. but then again, that’s tough in the winter months when early darkness makes me want to head home and be cozy inside.
I’m currently training for my first half– on a schedule, with target date in May, so I’m not making any more excuses! May is going to be a big month– my birthday month, a friend’s wedding to attend, and the half mary itself– all great excuses for me to kick it into gear– I can’t wait to see the results! Even though I’m on a strict training schedule for the run, your workouts are a good mix in for my cross training days. The running tank would be a nice add in to all this good stuff!
My number 1 excuse is being hungover. I know working out is supposed to make you feel better but after one horrific hungover workout I’m too scared to try again. That actually was my excuse this morning, I felt like I still needed another recovery day from Saturday, yikes!
I make up every excuse in the book! I need to do dishes, I need to do laundry, I think it would be best for me to relax tonight, it is cold out, ect :). Lately to combat the excuses I’ve used Gympact. Nothing makes me get my butt up like knowing it is going to cost me $5 if I dont! It makes it very real and tangible. I even took the dog for a long walk a few days ago when it was cold and rainy because I knew if I didn’t do something my Gympact was going to be broken and I’d have to pay!
Right now my #1 excuse is the weather. If the roads are icy and snow-covered, it’s really stressful to drive to the gym and hard to motivate myself to do it. Heck, I don’t even like going to work in snowstorms and that’s something I HAVE to do!! 🙂
Did my active recovery (some easy jogging on the treadmill) yesterday! I have to shift my schedule a day, so my Sundays are rest days.
Oh! And I busted out Workout 3 today. It’s a quick one, and I love that it is more arms focused. My legs are always tired enough from the cardio days and HIIT training.
i usually have to be up by 5 or early in the morning to get going for the day, so when it’s chilly in the mornings, it’s soooo hard to get up! but i usually try to remind myself that it’s all mind over matter, and that at the end of it all, i can get a nice hot shower and drink chocolate milk!
My biggest gym de-motivator is trying to go after a day of work (I am a supply teacher and sometimes get called in the morning, too late for me to gym it). I tell myself that my workout is going to be blah anyway, so I might as well just not go. To overcome this, I just think of the after-amazing feeling. I also try to not hangout and have a snack at home… just throw gym clothes on, grab my shoes and run out the door! Also, if I am making excuses I will go to a class – less thinking, lots of motivation and lots of sweat!
I did a modified version of week 3 after my 3.5 mile “maintenance” run. I started training for my second half on May 11th.
As far as excuses go, I cant really say I have any. I don’t have kids, husband, ect. I work 2-10pm so I have all morning off to sweat but can still sleep in since its usually 11pm before Im in bed. My gym is a half mile from my house. I have awasome running trails a little over 1.25 miles from my house and I schedule classes a few days a week to encourage me to plan my work outs effectively. For me, it’s about taking all the excuses and making them nall and void.
Checking in for the Winter Shape up! I’m a bit behind, yesterday I finsihed up WSUW#2. Can’t wait to try the 3rd workout! Today will be a cardio day 🙂
#1 excuse is that I am tired..I am always tired after work so I do my workouts in the morning. Even though I feel tired alot of mornings and want to use that as an excuse I know I will feel energized and in a great mood after working out.
WSU check in..I am following week 3 calendar and today is active rest so I did yoga at home this morning and am excited to try workout#3 tomorrow.
I haven’t got a good excuse to be honest and for me it is more that I should give my body more rest than a workout. But IF there is an excise it’s always that I am tired. I can not do workouts in the evening, cause I work too long so I make sure I have it done in the morning or at lunch. My motivation? I remember myself how I feel after the after-workout shower. It’s too good to miss!! 🙂
I ALWAYS use the “I don’t have my ipod/sports bra/socks” excuse! I need to learn to suck it up and deal! I’m also a culprit of the “I just had lunch/dinner and am too full excuse” – come to think of it I am an excuse queen!! haha NO excuses today – I have a plan to go do 40 minutes of cardio right after wrok today that I did not get to yesterday. Tomorrow will be workout #3!Cant wait to try it!!
I’ve been excusing myself for over a week now due to 1st trimester fatigue and sickness. I think it’s a legit excuse and I’d rather not push myself right now. Good post!
Checking in: I swaped days and did my restday yesterday! I went for a walk in the snow active recovery and did runday today 45 minutes by -3 degrees C!!
My excuse is always a lack of time- or I can’t find a good yoga class that I want to take, for the time that I want to do a class.
I’m getting better at motivating myself, but some days, if I’m truly not feeling it then I let myself not go, and I make sure it’s guilt free!
I just get lazy… like I could change, drive to the gym, push myself… or I could just sit on the couch watching tv with my laptop. I definitely schedule my workouts ahead of time and try to keep the momentum going before I get cozy!
My usual excuse is “I didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m too tired” —- I go through bouts of insomnia where I feel like I’m a walking zombie, however if I do just drag my butt to the gym, I often sleep much better!
My number one excuse is “I have headache.” Up until recently, I had a job working customer service for retirement plans and was constantly yelled and cursed at throughout the day (you can imagine those “it’s my money and I want it now!!!” commercials, but 10x worse). Everyday, I woke up with a headache stressing over how my days would end up and at the end of my workday, I’d drive home with a headache from all that I’d listened to throughout the day. I’m happy to say that I’ve recently moved on to a new job with the same company which I love and my headache excuse has gone away… for the most part anyways =)
love that sloth comment! hysterical!
My usual excuse is… UGH Then I have to shower! I have super curly hair (and despise it) so showering is my worst nightmare. When I straighten my hair (which is most of the time) I don’t need to wash it everyday, but when I want to workout every day it gets yucky and its completely inconvenient. :/ still looking for a curly miracle.
I’ve been working out a lot at night lately so that my husband is home with the kids (don’t want to expose my 2-month-old to germs at the gym childcare) and I’m really not a fan of 8pm workouts, so making excuses is easy. However, other than the occasional time my kids are napping at the same time, it’s either that or nothing, so I’ll take what I can get!
So bummed that I’m sick and still sick and need to wait to kick off week 3. Hopefully tomorrow! What is that soup you like to make when you’re sick?
i hope you feel better soon! i always make tomato tea: http://fitnessista.com/2012/07/tomato-tea-and-massahhhhhhhge/
My biggest excuse is (like many others) – time. Because of that, I always try to get my work-out done in the morning if that means my day starts at 4:30 (like it did for 5 years). Plus, that way it doesn’t take away from family time in the evenings which would be another excuse for me.
Not sure where to check in so I will comment here and on the other post!
Finished three rounds of both circuits this AM! It was killer and my arms are so tired! My favorite move were the assisted pull-ups, such a challenge! I rarely use that machine at the gym, so it was fun to revisit it. I had to shuffle the schedule around a little bit, so today was weights and yesterday was my off day.
Thanks for an excellent workout 🙂
I think my #1 excuse has got to be, “I’ll workout later.” When “later” comes I’m like, “No, I’ll workout later.” This continues until there is eventually no more “later” in my day and it’s time for bed and I haven’t worked out. Love your distinction between exhaustion and laziness! I completely agree that there are times our bodies truly need rest and it’s actually the healthier thing to do to skip the gym. 🙂
My biggest excuse is often that Im tired and that I should just “take a rest day.” I compromise and tell myself that I will go to the gym and do at least 10 minutes. If I feel like crap after ten minutes I can stop and go home. That happens about once a year though. Normally I feel awesome once I get there1
These are all great excuse busters! Sometimes I struggle with not wanting to have to shower and get all ready again after a sweaty workout, but it pretty much always makes me feel better afterward so I know that’s a lame excuse. 😉
I always use the “it’s too cold outside” excuse. I’m more likely to ditch early mornings at the gym in the winter because I fear getting out of my warm bed and going into the cold!
My excuse is either “I’m too tired and sleep is more important” or I have a meeting that day and want to look nice. My gym has showers so it would be okay – there’s just something about getting ready in my own bathroom.
I split my workouts 4 days a week (morning weights, night time runs – and as a distance runner I just don’t have the time to do it ALL at once). so by the end of the workday at 6 or so after I have been at it since 5am it can be really draining to think oh great I have 8 miles, intervals etc etc to run. But I find just putting on my gear and a booty shaking song can quickly turn that around. Plus I tell myself if I am genuinely tired after a couple miles and it isn’t going to be a quality workout, I can bail. But that pretty much never happens!
My number 1 excuse is “the gym is too far away and it’s disgusting out!” This has become more of a problem since moving to New England for winter 🙂
I just did Workout 3 and OMG. It was crazy and my arms have completed their transformation into overcooked noodles.
In other words, thank you, thank you, thank you!
Mine is always, ‘I’ve already showered! I dont want to get all sweaty!!’ I did workout #3! Cute tank top!!
Well, today my excuse is the blizzard. “I don’t want to drive around with all the piles of snow” even though the roads are pretty clear. I guess the “it’s too cold” excuse fits here too.
“the couch is too comfortable”. yeah, lame. I try not to use it too much haha.
I just did the Workout #3 and 15 min HIIT!! I think my triceps and shoulders almost feel off between the planks and dips! Great workout!! Looking forward to trying it again this week 🙂 Thanks!
My number one excuse is my job and being tired…early morning wake ups and getting home late evenings. Since I can’t muster the strength to get up even earlier in the A.M., I usually do a P.M workout and my excuse is usually being tired/lazy/want to hang on the couch in my jammies.
Being too busy making elaborate dinners or other chores or social plans. Ive figured out though dinner can be made quickly and socialize in moderation as well!
Just finished workout 3. My arms will be sore tomorrow. Paired with a 3 mile hilly walk with my sis in the am.
I much prefer working out in the morning, so my usual excuse is that it’s past morning, and I don’t want to workout in the afternoon/evening after my day is “over”. As is so happens, it’s 2:00 and I pushed through to get wo 3 in. Timely post.
Did the plank ab burner today. holy side plank! thought I was strong enough to get through it all but had to rest there. thanks for the challenge! 🙂
if i don’t workout in the morning before work, then my usual excuse is that i’m “too tired” to go, its only really because I sat in my office all day and just am feeling lazy. I never regret going to the gym!