Excuses Excuses

Excuses Excuses

           

           6 total weeks I was too sick to run.  I had just found a plan that worked.  I had started going through the mixed bag of pain and elation when a nasty virus took me out.  6 weeks is a long time to be laying around.  Luckily I wasn’t feeling good enough to have much of an appetite so I didn’t gain (or lose) any weight.  What I did lose was momentum.

            I despise excuses.  I can’t stand to hear people rationalize and minimize and whine about why they failed to do something.  It enrages me.  It actually makes me a bit ill.  Recently I was an indirect part of a conversation about weight loss and exercise between two people.  One person was encouraging the other to get going on some sort of plan and no matter what this person said, the other person had an excuse of why they couldn’t do it.  It was pathetic.

            Just say “I’m just not into it right now.”  Or say, “I don’t want to take the time to do it right now but I will keep your advice in mind.”  Or for crying out loud just say “I like being fat and out of shape, leave me alone Captain Fitness.”  Don’t lame out be continuing to excuse your pathetic behavior with rationalizations and excuses that no one believes, including yourself.

            My excuse was, I was ill.  I am no longer ill, therefore today I started back on my couch to 5k plan.  Back to week 1.  Its nasty outside, coldish, rainy, a great day to stay indoors…but I went out and did it anyway.  No excuse.  Yes it was difficult. Yes it was tiring.  Yes I questioned why I was out in the elements doing this to myself.  Yes I feel better for having done it.

           

Please enjoy this list of excuses that I heard in the above mentioned conversation, and then don’t use them.  “John” is the fitness guy.  “Mary” is the excuse girl.

Mary:  I’ve reached a plateau in my weight loss

John:  Try making some changes in your routine.

Mary:  I’m so busy I don’t have time to change anything.  All I do is work then go to bed.

John:  Try eating better instead of just dieting.

Mary:  I do that.  All I eat is Subway for lunch and then something right before bed.

John.  Try making a healthy lunch and taking it to work, that’s what I do.

Mary:  I don’t have anywhere to keep it.

John:  I take a cooler.

Mary:  I already have to carry so much stuff and I don’t have anywhere to put it.

John.  Why do you eat so late.

Mary.  My boyfriend gets off work late and we usually eat whatever he wants.

John:  You don’t have to do that do you?

Mary:  Well he makes sweet tea, that is my real problem.

John.  Sweet tea was my weakness too.  I make green tea and use an exact amount of sugar and have tapered off slowly.

Mary.  Well he makes it so.  Its there and I forget and cant help it.

John:  Maybe try exercising—walking or running just a little each day.

Mary:  I am so busy I just don’t have the time.

John.  I run during my lunch hour.  Do you have a lunch hour?

Mary:  It takes me a long time to get to Subway, by the time I’m done my lunch hour is up.

....and this conversation went on and on and on and on and on