Workout Excuses Debunked!

With Halloween under our belts (and probably more than one or two treats and/or cocktails), the holidays loom dangerously close. It’s all about temptations for the next two months...which lead to eater’s remorse and unrealistic resolutions come January 1st. While the holidays are times that should be thoroughly enjoyed with loved ones and the occasional guilty treat, I hear a whole lotta excuses starting right about now for why you skipped a workout or had a bad week instead of just one day. Usually you’re looking for justification for why you slacked off...but I’m not gonna give it to you, my friend...

The only reasons to miss a workout include: You’re injured, you’re sick, you’re physically exhausted or just too sore (not a light soreness, but an “I can’t move my limbs soreness”). Everything else is just an excuse. If you’re injured, let your body heal itself. If you’re sick, you need to rest to let your body battle what is ailing it. If you’re exhausted, do yourself a favor and get some sleep. You need to be reasonably well rested so you can perform your movements without hurting yourself. If you’re sore it means your muscles need a rest. Most people don’t realize that recovery is actually more important than the actual workout itself. Overtraining, whether it’s too many times a week or too long during one session, is a reason many people have trouble reaching their goals. Know when too much is too much.

Now that we have those out of the way, here are the top excuses I’ve heard for missing a workout, and my strategies for busting them!

“I have no time. / I’m too busy.”
Ugh. This is one of the worst excuses ever and it honestly gets on my nerves. For one thing, we’re ALL busy, so get over yourself (this is tough love!). Secondly, if your goal is fat loss or even building lean muscle, make sure your workouts are full body workouts which incorporate short, quick burst exercise movements with minimal rest. You can even get a great home workout in about 15 minutes, making the argument of “no time” absolutely ri-dang-diculous! Do this three times a week to shed fat and build lean muscle.

“I need my rest.”
Yes, rest is important and should not be neglected. If you workout regularly, or even if you don’t, you should be aiming for at least seven hours of sleep a night (Ha! I can’t even TYPE that one with a straight face). But the key to making sure you get your workouts in is by scheduling them. Mark off the time of day that you’ll workout and stick to it, no matter what. By scheduling your workouts at the same time of day it will be easier to treat your workout as just another part of your daily routine instead of a chore.

“The weather sucks.”
Another reason I strongly advocate home gyms over commercial gyms is you never have the weather as an excuse not to work out. Buy yourself a pair of adjustable dumbbells and you’re good to go (no you don’t need a bench or a barbell). A stability ball, some resistance bands, and maybe even a Bosu (see Bosu.com) are also good pieces of equipment to have at home. On a budget? No problem. In reality, unless you’re looking to get absolutely massive, your bodyweight alone will do just fine. If you know what exercises to focus on you can build lean muscle and lose fat very effectively with bodyweight workouts.

“The gym is too expensive.”
Yes it is, but see above. There is absolutely no need to join a gym to get into great shape. In fact I don’t even have a gym membership! With a small one-time investment in a couple pieces of equipment that will last you forever, you can literally save thousands of dollars over the years by avoiding sign up fees and monthly membership fees all while avoiding...

“I don’t feel comfortable at the gym.”
This is a common excuse, actually. Some people are intimidated by the “treadmill bunnies” or the bodybuilding contingent groaning through their workouts. For others it’s not knowing what to do or how to use the equipment or the fact that way too many people use the gym as a place to find a date instead of working out (What, no reality TV show about that?). Not being comfortable at the gym is pretty common. However this shouldn’t be used as an excuse not to workout. Find a workout in a fitness magazine or online, print it out and GO!

“I’m in a rut and bored with my workout.”
This one is an easy fix. Change your routine every four weeks. Completely change the exercises you do and change the order of the body parts you’re working on. If you usually do a squat movement first in your routine, do it last. Use lighter weights, user heavier weights, change the amount of rest between exercises. Workout somewhere else, go outside or change rooms. There are literally thousands of ways you can mix it up so your routine is never the same, even one workout to the next.

“My results suck.”
This one gets a lot of people. It’s easy to get disappointed and use this as an excuse if you’ve been working out for weeks and are seeing minimal changes. Assuming that you’re eating right (ARE you?), your workout routine and frequency are not to blame and you’re getting enough sleep, it’s possible that you’re not looking in the right places. The scale isn’t always the best way to measure your progress. Are your clothes even a wee bit looser? Try measuring your waist and your heart rate. Write them down. Then measure again after a week or two. Celebrate even the smallest sign of progress. We’re all different and our bodies react differently to different stimuli. Just keep at it. Also remember that whether you see results or not, you’re still benefiting from your workouts. By working out you’re strengthening your joints and connective tissues, which means you’re laying down a foundation for future muscle growth.

“I have no energy.”
It’s a vicious cycle. If you have no energy it’s probably because you’re not eating right, you’re not getting enough rest and not exercising. The hardest thing to do is start. But once you do start, after a few days you’ll notice that your energy levels are up and you’ll be rearing to go. So get over the initial hump and remind yourself that once you get a couple of days under your belt that the “no energy” excuse will disappear. The other factor you need to consider here is your total caloric intake. Too many people lack energy simply because they’re not eating enough (Please don’t read that as “you’re not eating enough JUNK”). Your body needs fuel. An active man may require up to 1,000 calories more than an inactive one.

Did I cover everything? Throw the excuses out the window. Hold yourself accountable for the workouts you miss. Most excuses can be addressed by developing a solid at-home workout plan that requires little to no equipment, watching what you eat and getting enough rest. Now get to it!