Your excuse is invalid

I HATE excuses!

In the health and fitness industry we hear lots of excuses on a daily basis, if we want to progress in this obesity epidemic that is one thing that has to stop.
 
Wikipedia describes excuses as “a defense mechanism in which controversial behaviors or feelings are justified and explained in a seemingly rational or logical manner to avoid the true explanation.”  And it is every trainer’s pet peeve.  Excuses drive me wild and is one of the reasons I’m offloading professional stress in this blog.

I signed up a new client to Basic Orange.  She was due to start on a Tuesday evening but never turned up.  So I contacted her to see if she got lost somewhere between her home and the studio.  Oh, she said, she is so sorry but broke her arm.  Therefore she could not contact me and she can’t exercise. So sorry, will contact you when I’m better she said.

One week later I bumped into this woman at the grocery store.  Here she was, 10 bags of groceries on each arm, looking perfectly whole and healthy.  Wow, I thought.  That arm fixed itself really quickly, aliens DO exist after all.

I’m sick with the flu, the text said.  Hope you get better soon I replied.  That evening I bumped into this sick person in a bar in town, enjoying beers with a few friends.  He put a lot of effort into drowning his flu that night, I admire his noble effort.  What was I doing in a bar in down town Lower Hutt I hear you ask?  Never mind, that is not the point I’m trying to make here.

Folks, why do you feel the need to make up excuses?  If you don’t want to exercise then that is fine.  It is your life, your health, your body.  Personal trainers can guide you but we can’t make you do something you don’t want to do.  

So if you suddenly find you can’t afford your training sessions anymore, or you got bored, or you got lazy than let your trainer know.  Often a trainer can help you make a better decision:  can’t afford your training sessions anymore?  Consider changing to a half hour session, or fewer sessions.  Or see your trainer every fortnight for a catchup while you do your own workouts in between.  That way you still get the knowledge and motivation of a qualified trainer without the financial strain.  

Got bored?  Let your trainer know so they can change your training or team you up with another trainer.  There are lots of ways to get the exercise spark back into your life.  

Got lazy?  If you want to look and feel good than unlazy yourself.  Don’t complain you are overweight or uncomfortable or unfit if you are not prepared to make a few small changes.

So the next time you think of an excuse, why not use all that energy to motivate yourself instead?  Excuse me while I go for a run…