Have you been making excuses lately?
Oh boy it is easily done! It’s been a hard day, a long day, I don’t have time, I’ll start next week, It’s OK because I only had a salad for lunch…
If you want to find an excuse you will find one because let’s face it there are plenty of them!
Before I go any further this is not an attempt at me trying to guilt trip anyone who hasn’t been to class recently, I’m not sat here shaking my head with disappointment!
I’m talking about knowing yourself and finding the line. There is always a line where exercise can go from being beneficial to detrimental.
I have to go to my classes no matter what because it’s my job! Therefore I know better than anyone else that 9 times out of 10 I will always feel better after exercise no matter how tired, demotivated or stressed I am before and no matter what mood I am in before.
But I also know there have been those odd occasions where I really was ill and would have been better off resting.
You have to get to know your body. A few of my ladies right now aren’t at class because of injuries or ill health. They are definitely better off at home resting than at a class with me!
Ask yourself these tough love questions:
- Are you run down and exhausted or are you tired and can’t be bothered?
- Do you need a kick up the bum or do you really need a kick into bed to get some rest?
- Do you really have no time or do you just not want to spend that time you do have exercising?
- Are you really poorly or is it a sniffle?
It’s not for me or anyone else to judge you for your answers and your decisions. We can’t ever truly step into someone else’s shoes and know what’s going on for them or how they are feeling.
If you do realise that you are just suffering from a lack of motivation and nothing else, remind yourself why you exercise. Think of all the things you enjoy about it. I bet you can guess what’s coming next…if you aren’t enjoying it you need to change the exercise you are doing to something you DO enjoy!
One of my favourite quotes is – “I really regret that workout. Said No-one. Ever.”
Exercise should improve your life not make it more stressful. It shouldn’t be viewed as a chore you have to fit in, it should be something you look forward to.
If you know you’ve been making excuses then there’s no need to beat yourself up about it. You can recognise it, be a little cross with yourself about it, but then vow to stop with the little white lies to yourself!
Sometimes you might just need to say to yourself “Blah, blah, blah, go workout!”
