Day 15: Stop Making Lame Excuses | 30-Day Weight Loss-athon
Wow – it’s Day 15 of the of the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon. Can you believe we’re halfway through?
All tasks in the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon are adapted from the 52 Weight Loss Missions program.
Read the steps first, then take 10 minutes to think about them and take action. Ready?
What You Need:
- A problem-solving mindset.
Step 1
By now you’ve been working away on your 30×3 exercise program from Day 5. And over the past two days you’ve removed any practical obstacles and got yourself properly equipped.
I’m hoping that you’ve stuck with it pretty consistently.
But sooner or later, you’re going to start coming up with excuses – totally lame reasons why you can’t do it today. You’ll feel tired, it will be raining, your left toe will hurt.
But don’t get too creative with your excuses, because today I’m going to head you off at the pass.
First, let’s learn the shocking truth about exercise. Once you know it, you can’t un-know it – and it will help you win the workout war.
The shocking truth about exercise, as any regular exerciser will tell you (seriously, just ask them!) is that the absolute hardest part of exercise is the conversations you have in your head.
That’s right – not running out of breath, not soreness, not even Lycra. (But Lycra is probably a close second.)
The true challenge is in shutting up your resistant mind long enough to put on your workout clothes and get out the door. This is where the battle is lost or won.
To win the battle then, our first step is to realize that the challenge is more mental than physical, and to switch from being an exercise excuse maker to becoming an exercise problem solver.
Step 2
Next, let’s make a list of your usual exercise excuses – the things you tell yourself that let you get away with skipping out on your exercise commitment.
Once you’ve made your list, it’s helpful to repeat each excuse aloud in a nasal, whiny voice.
Step 3
Now we need to apply that problem-solving mindset to these excuses.
Look at each excuse on your list and consider how you can perform some Jedi mind tricks so that this excuse no longer works.
For example:
Excuse: I’m too tired when I get home from work.
- Don’t sit down – it will be too hard to get up again.
- Have your workout clothes waiting at the door. Put them on straight away and off you go before the voice in your head starts up.
Excuse: I’m not motivated – I’m waiting for motivation to hit me.
- The only thing that’s going to hit you is the sudden realization that your life is passing you by. Motivation is a bonus, for now you’ll have to start without it.
- Tap into the particular motivation you identified on Day 1.
Excuse: The weather sucks.
- Too hot? Go for a swim. Too rainy? Pop on an exercise video or use your stationary bike or grab your wet weather gear and head out anyway.
- There are also indoor sports like racquetball if you enjoy some competition.
Excuse: Exercise feels uncomfortable.
- So does being overweight and unhappy. Two evils. Working out is the lesser, by far.
Bonus Step For 52 Weight Loss Missions Members
Revisit Mission 17: Overcome Exercise Excuses for suggested ways to overcome 15 common exercise excuses.
Check in!
And you’re done!
Be sure to leave your comment below to check in and stay accountable. If you’re reading this by email or in a reader then please click here to leave your comment.
See you tomorrow!
I know my biggest challenge are the conversations within myself and those I have been working on! Thanks Michele, I have enjoyed the challenges so far and realize we are half way!
Was walking early in the morning before the kids got up, but changing it up so I don’t get bored and we are going to the park to walk together or riding bikes while the weather is so nice!
so ive been wanting to join a gym near my house but has come up with so many lame excuses not to, so I will email the guy today and do it. I was partially holding off because I haven’t been feeling great but I don’t have that excuse anymore – not really.
okay so my biggest excuses are “I just spent 1-2 hours cleaning, I don’t need to exercise today” or “I spent all day on my feet at work, I don’t need to exercise” I a still trying to figure out if these are valid excuses or just excuses, or maybe on these days I can shorten my exercise time?
Sometimes anxiety & depression make it difficult to silence those whiny voices in your head….I’ve managed twice a week so far & start the walking course on Tuesday. This is something I need to acknowledge and work on.
I’m always arguing with myself before getting out of bed to workout in the mornings. Yes, I do need more sleep; but I also know that I feel better and sleep better when I get my exercise. Some days I have a hard time remembering that, though!
Mine is usually I’m too tired from work or school. So I scheduled my class less than half an hour after I get done with school. That way I have to go straight there and cannot get distracted by anything and I keep my clothes in the car so that I can’t go home and get comfy.
The weather is a big excuse for me but I have plenty of ways to get around it if I just do it. Motivation is also another excuse I use I will work on pushing through without motivation. But I’m loving the encouragement and the commitment I made here it is making me more motivated.
“repear each excuse in a nasal, whiny voice” made me laugh! That’s really what are excuse are, aren’t they? Just me being whiny. And no matter what my excuse is, they all mean, “I don’t want to”. But I always feel better once I get outside. That’s the part I need to remember!
Mondays are my biggest excuse day. I always feel too tired to do anything on Mondays. But my best friend and I signed up for a class and one of the days we workout will be Monday. So hopefully the thought of disappointing my friend and wasting the money I spent for the class will be enough to help me ignore the excuses.
My excuses don’t normally prevent me from exercising. That part I enjoy. It’s the food I have an issue with. I’m putting my effort into planning ahead, so when I know I’ll be faced with a food challenge I have a backup plan. Some times it’s hard but I know when I make an excuse…it’s a lame one, and I need to find a work around.
I’m the queen of excuses. 🙁 But I’m getting better at ignoring the whiny voice because I have learned that I really DO feel better once I get started and I’m proud of myself when I finish!
I have been working out constintely for a year and a half now and I love it. 3 days a week I meet my husband at the gym and he gets in the car with the kids and takes them home and I workout for an hour. Then I run on Saturdays. It’s a scheduled date that I rarely let anything get in the way. It is my time for me and I love it!
Because of my physical challenges I do 15to20 X 5 not 30 X 3. The key for me in taking two days off a week is that those two days aren’t in a row. I know myself well enough that if I take two days off in a row, I’m taking the week off. That’s just my truth.
I take Fridays and Mondays because those are the days I’m usually exhausted. I also try to make sure that I get as close to 20 mins on Saturdays and Tuesdays.
Clearing away those excuses— and as for the whiny voice– NO WAY. That was a strict no no when my kids were young SO Momma better NOT even try that! Having fun wearing my pedometer just to see how many steps I take even before the exercise. Hubby’s got his too.
Love this post. Thanks! My brain does say all that and more. Today it said, ‘You have a fever and no voice. Take a break.’ But then I read an article about a woman with breast cancer who still did her horrendously hard workout class during chemo. Made me feel like a real wimp. You’re right though, being unhealthy and realizing life is zipping past feels worse than exercise. I’ll try to get dd to walk with me today.
So far, I have really enjoyed my walks. I try to do them during the week so I can keep the weekends free for my husband. I FEEL so much better after them and I’m beginning to see some weigh loss. I have more energy now, which is great because I work with 2 yr. olds. (They really keep me on my toes all day!)Thank you for the encouragement. Your missions have been easy enough for me to do without a lot of stress about if I can accomplish them or not. Thanks again.
This is a challenging one for me. My excuses start with injury or illness, and they seem to appear frequently. I worked through some big blisters, and yesterday the tendon at the side of my knee was aching all night from a walk. Trying to find alternatives but it’s getting challenging. My diet portion is working well. Is a simple yoga during injury or illness good enough? There’s no pool in our town so swimming isn’t an option. This is definitely one I will need to work on.
My most used excuse is I’m too tired or my joints are aching from my rheumatoid arthritis but at the end of the day they are just excuses, I know but sometimes it is just so hard to get past them. I have had a bad week last week which I have already confessed to on here, but tomorrow is a new day and a new week and I am going to give it my best shot. I have got rid of the easter chocolate (by eating it) so no more temptations there, I have re-read my motivators and I shall get stuck back into my cross trainer. There, I have recommitted, onward and upward from here.
Hello to everyone: It’s very easy to have a list of excuses to not exercise. Some excuses are: I’ve had a long day and all I want to do is relax; I didn’t feel like doing the laundry–no clean exercise clothes–I’ll skip today; Gee, my walking buddy isn’t available today due to an appointment–I’ll take off too. Do any of these excuses sound familiar? “Tell your excuses to take a permanent hike.” Keep up the good work you made it through two weeks — hooray for you. Continue to post to stay accountable. Good Luck.