Excuses excuses excuses – what’s yours ?

Excuses, excuses, excuses

(opening NOTE: apologies for some of this being blunt – here at Sweat Pledge we don’t like to beat around the bush. #sorrynotsorry)

What’s your excuse?!

We all have them, though some of us listen to them more than others. So how do we STOP making excuses? With difficulty, but hopefully here’s some useful tips:

1 Acknowledge that it’s an excuse. How do I know it’s an excuse and not a reason? Generally someone has just one reason to not do something, e.g. “I can’t go running at 8am because I’m on a flight to Barbados at that time” or “I can’t go to the gym today because I have a completely full schedule being a taxi service to my kids”. These are completely valid reasons to not exercise, but only ONCE. If you find yourself having the same reason over and over, or a different reason every time (and you still don’t manage to do whatever it is that you’re trying to do) then it’s most likely an excuse. Also, if you’re on a 8am flight to Barbados every day then you obviously have too much money and an addiction to flying.

2 Find a reason for the excuse! Why are you putting it off, what’s stopping you? Analyse this and work out what will stop you making excuses.

3 Find out what motivates you and use that to your advantage. What makes you tick? Kajsa finds that announcing her intentions to the world means she can’t back out, and she knows that if she agrees to work out with a friend then she won’t back out either, so she sets herself up accordingly.

The EXCUSE FINDER

Do any of these excuses resonate? If so, maybe memorise the answer…

It’s raining.

Is it also cold? Wear more clothes. Is it not cold? Come on, you’re not made of sugar, a bit of rain isn’t gonna kill you.

I haven’t got time.

Make time. We all make time for what is important to us. If exercise is not important to you, then you won’t make time. Either raise the priority of exercise or figure out why it’s low on your priority list and take it from there.

I can’t afford it.

Fitness doesn’t need to cost money. If you have a pair of trainers, you can at least go walking, if not running. Or you can do star jumps in the park.

I’m too tired.

Exercising energises. You’re probably tired because you’re unfit.

I don’t like working out alone.

Time to join a club then! Or join the Sweat Pledge community facebook page and it won’t feel like you’re alone.

Nobody will want to run/ride with me, I’m too slow.

I’m too fat, nobody wants to see fat people exercise.

Actually, WE do, because we know what an achievement it is to get stuff done with a bit of extra weight, so double kudos to you! And lots of people who are overweight, even obese, reach amazing levels of fitness, so go out there and find someone inspirational and take a leaf out of their book.

I’m intimidated by fit people – they’re probably judging me.

If so then, quite frankly, they’re idiots. We all started our lives not being able to even walk, so we’ve all been beginners at some point. Some people forget that, but they need to put their egos to one side. HOWEVER, most people are just happy to see others out there doing their thing.

I work out enough chasing my kids around, thank you very much.

You’re welcome. And, unless you’re literally running after your children, then you’re probably not exercising. Looking after kids is definitely exhausting, but it’s generally not because of physical exercise. Time to get creative! Depending on the age of your child, here’s a couple of articles on running worth reading:

• Running with child aged 5 and over http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/11424675/Want-to-get-more-out-of-running-Take-your-kids-with-you.html

• Running with younger children: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2013/oct/01/running-buggies-children-joggers-strollers

• There are also countless other resources on the internet so get googling!

I’m hungover.

Hope you had fun! Now get out there, it’s self-inflicted and nobody feels sorry for you. If you don’t like exercising with a hangover, then either plan your night out so it doesn’t fall the day before a training session, or don’t drink. Those are pretty much your only options.

I tried it and didn’t like it.

What did you try? Whatever it was, try something different. And don’t dive in, start gently and build up.

I can’t run – I get out of breath running for the bus!

Well, yes, most of us do, because we’re sprinting so we don’t miss the bus. And more often than not, with a bag or a briefcase. Firstly, you don’t need to run with a bag, and secondly, you don’t need to be sprinting. Thousands of people have become runners thanks to the Couch to 5K running plan – it builds muscle, stamina and, most importantly, confidence. Check it out amongst our training plans.

It all just seems too daunting!

It sounds like you’ve taken on too much, too soon. Break it up into smaller goals and get those goals done first, then look at the bigger picture. Need help with this? Get in touch.

I’m too busy making ends meet and simply surviving to even think about exercise.

We’d argue that you’re thinking about exercising by reading this, so use the Sweat Pledge community to get motivated. If not, then we hope that your situation is temporary and that you will return to thinking about your health and fitness at a future time. We’ll be here, waiting (and sweating).

I don’t like sweating.

Why are you even on this website?!