How to Overcome Your Workout Excuses

By Don Otis –

I frantically dug through my workout bag in the locker room. Where was my workout shirt? (Have you ever kept looking for something in the same place even after you knew it wasn’t there?) Now, I had a decision to make that took some internal debate. Should I risk the humiliation of wearing a button-down shirt in the gym or use my shirt as an excuse to give up on my workout?

After some deliberation, I decided to forge ahead. I walked up the stairs with my head hung in shame, but did my workout nonetheless.

A second experience in the same week was no less embarrassing than the first. A few nights later, having run on the treadmill, I stopped to walk the last two minutes. Just then, my warm-up shirt fell onto the rubber belt and lodged itself in the roller. It let out a squeal heard around the gym. Sure that everyone in the gym was staring at me, I sheepishly went to the front desk to retrieve an “out of order” sign. But I determined not to let my embarrassment keep me from coming to the gym the next night.

As a personal trainer, I know that one of the biggest excuses that keeps people from coming to the gym is self-consciousness. This is particularly true for many women who may already feel out of place. Maybe you have a story like mine. Eventually each of us faces embarrassment of some kind. The question is; what will we do with it? Negative experiences or negative attitudes often become excuses that keep us from doing exactly what we need to do.

I refuse to make excuses, no matter how I might look to others. Melissa doesn’t make excuses either. Let me tell you about her.

I was at the end of a swimming workout when I spotted a woman in the lane next to me. I later found out that her name was Melissa. I wasn’t sure if she was drowning or trying to swim so I watched her for a few moments to be sure that she was okay. I realized that she was trying to swim but her mechanics were off. I handed her my swim buoy and suggested she turn her head to the side rather than bring it straight up in front. (Newer swimmers struggle with breathing. By bringing your head up, it drops the legs down further in the water. This creates drag, slows progress, and forces a swimmer to work harder.)

I soon learned that Melissa was hoping to do a short-distance triathlon, and swimming was not her strongest skill. She persevered, learned what she could and didn’t care how she looked in the pool. She had a goal and was determined to make it. That is the right attitude! *

What excuses do you use to avoid workouts? You may be too busy, too tired, and too sore. Maybe you blame your kids, spouse or work schedule. I want to encourage you to identify the excuses you use to avoid workouts. By recognizing your excuses, you can come up with a response to it the next time you feel like bailing out on your workout.

EXCUSE: “I am too tired to work out today”
ANSWER: “The last time I worked out when I was tired, it renewed my energy.”

EXCUSE: “I don’t know what to do with my kids.”
ANSWER: “I can always go to the high school running track and run while they play.”

You get the idea. Tell yourself, “No more excuses!”

*Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program.

Don S. Otis is the author of Staying Fit After Forty and a personal trainer living in Canon City, Colorado. He can be reached at Don@veritasincorporated.com © 2010