Excuses, we all have them. They are often disguised as reasons. The secret is knowing when our reasons are nothing more than an excuse. A reason lets us off the hook. We don’t feel guilty if we have a “reason”. Let’s be brutally honest and call a spade a spade. Here are the top 10 excuses for not exercising. We can rationalize all day. In the end, they are still just excuses.
If you’re new to my blog, Welcome! I’m so glad you are here. My goal is to provide you with tips that help you stay strong and active as you age.
Here are some of my other blogs to check out after you read this one.
- 4 easy changes to get you eating healthier
- Sarah’s journey from pain to her dream job
- Boost immunity naturally with top superfoods
- Top secrets to staying healthy through the holidays
- Easy steps for starting your fitness routine
- Secrets to removing mental blocks to losing weight
- Secrets to a strong, healthy female body
No guilt or shame here. If you’ve used one or more of these, you’re in good company. We’ve all used them at some point for something we really didn’t want to do.
No worries. Let’s dive in as I share the top 10 most common excuses and how you can remove them, start exercising and get in your best shape and health.
Excuse #1 - I don't have time.
This is by far one of the most used excuses for not exercising. I get it. We are all busy. The reality is that if you are waiting to find the time to exercise, you will probably be waiting a long time.
How likely is it that you will wake up tomorrow with “free” time you don’t know what to do with? Yeah, me neither.
Instead, you will need to make the time. There are people busier than you and me that make the time to exercise. It is all about prioritizing. If they can do it so can you and I.
Split your exercise into small chunks of time.
I think we often feel like if we don’t have an hour to dedicate to exercise, we don’t have time to exercise.
Try breaking your exercise up into smaller 10 – 15 minute sessions. When I’ve been short on time, I will get to the office 15 -20 minutes early and walk around the building at a pretty good clip. Not a leisurely stroll, but a fast walk.
It gets my blood moving, my heart rate elevated and I am more energized to start my workday too. You can also do this same thing at lunch or even mid-day.
Do you ever watch TV?
Where else could you make some time? Do you ever watch TV? Could you exercise while watching TV?
If you want to exercise, you will make the time and if you don’t you will use the excuse “I don’t have time”. Which will you choose?
Excuse #2 - I'm too tired.
I’m too tired has been one of my excuses for not exercising on many occasions. This may sound crazy, trust me and try it – exercise actually gives you energy.
Yes! you will be less tired after you exercise than when you started.
I have had to remind myself this many times and it is ALWAYS true. The hardest part is convincing yourself to start moving when you’d rather sit and veg on the couch. I’ll let you in on a secret that works like a charm for me.
Here's my secret...
You have to try this one. On those days I feel tired and don’t have the energy to exercise, I give myself permission to stop after 10 minutes if I’m still feeling tired.
99% of the time, the endorphins have kicked in, I’m ready to rock and roll and I have no desire to stop.
Excuse #3 - I don't like to exercise.
I didn’t start out liking exercise. I started because I knew I should. Because I loved the results, I began loving exercise. I love the energy it gives me and the look of muscle. I love the feel of the endorphin rush. It’s such a great feeling!
Not everyone likes to exercise. However, I have yet to meet someone who didn’t like the results when they stuck to it. Whether you’re going for physical results (stronger, leaner body), you want to be healthier (reduce your risk of health issues), or sleep better, the results can change your life.
"You can have Results or Excuses - Not both."
– Arnold Schwarzenegger
Results don’t happen overnight. You need to stick with it long enough to start seeing results, then you may be hooked like I am.
First, you have to find an exercise you like or can at least tolerate. You can only force yourself for so long and then you’ll end up quitting.
Excuse #4 - I'm too old/too out of shape to exercise.
You’re never too old or too out of shape to start exercising. However, consult with your doctor to determine if there are any activities you should avoid due to your physical abilities or other chronic illnesses.
Once you’ve been cleared by your doctor, take it slow. Start where you are and gradually increase. If your starting place is zero, meaning you have not done any exercise consistently for quite a while then going from zero to an hour workout is too much. Start with just 5 minutes. A great place to start is walking. Or if you have joint issues, swimming might be a good option for you.
Pick something you enjoy, set a timer and take that first step. You’ll be amazed at how fast that 5 minutes will go. Stick with the 5 minutes for a few days or until you start feeling like you could do more. Then as you are ready, start increasing by 1 minute.
Soon this will no longer be one of your excuses for not exercising.
As you’re busting all of your excuses, you can get started by following my 7-day strength training workout plan. It is totally FREE and gives your a 3 day-a week option and a 4 day-a-week option.
Excuse #5 - I'm not motivated to exercise.
Start by thinking about why you want to exercise in the first place. If you’re doing it for someone else or someone told you “you should”, you are probably going to find it difficult to “find the motivation.”
I can assure you though – You will realize amazing benefits from exercising. Some of the benefits of exercise are:
- Better Health
- More eneregy
- Improved mobility
- Sleeping better
- Loving your new physical transformation
- Increased productivity
- Feeling sexy and more youthful
"Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. Focus on all the reasons you must make it happen."
Do you have a goal to train for?
If these benefits aren’t enough to get you motivated, dive deeper into why you want to exercise. Do you have an activity you’d like to do? Maybe it is going on a specific hike you haven’t had the endurance to do in the past.
Maybe you want to walk/run a 5k. Find a goal that will be fun and motivating. Even better, find a friend to do it with you.
Create a reward system
Then, you can also take it a step further and create a reward system. For example, if you walk 2 miles every day this week, you will treat yourself to a pedicure/ massage/ an hour by yourself to read a book.
Pick a reward that you will look forward to.
Create a visual of your success
Personally, I love the visual of marking days off my calendar. Sound silly? Maybe, but it works for me. Maybe it will work for you too. Grab a calendar and start marking off the days every time you workout. How many days can you mark off in a month? You may get like me and hate seeing a day not marked off!
And with all that, you may still have days that you are not motivated to exercise. That’s completely normal. This is when discipline comes into play.
This is about progress, not perfection. Our goal is to limit our excuses for not exercising even if we don’t eliminate them completely.
Excuse #6 - I've tried before and I couldn't stick with it.
Even more reason to try something different.
- Find a different exercise. Don't force yourself to do an exercise you hate.
- Start small. Increase gradually.
- Know why you are wanting to exercise and your reason is important to YOU.
- Do it with a friend.
- Have an accountability partner or coach.
- Create a reward system
- Try one of the other recommendations in this blog
Excuse #7 - Exercise is boring
Exercise does not have to be boring. Find something you enjoy. Periodically, change it up.
I can easily get bored so I change my workouts every 6 – 8 weeks.
Exercising with a friend is another sure-fire way to take away the boredom!
You can also put on a podcast, listen to a book on audible or turn your exercise into a competition – with yourself.
Create a competition with yourself
I’m not big on competing with others, but I LOVE competing with myself. Can I beat my personal best? Lift one more rep, use a heavier weight, knock a few seconds off my walk. This gets me fired up every time.
I was a runner for years and LOVE it; however, my back just can’t tolerate the impact anymore. I switched to speed walking, set my timer and I’m off. Beating the previous time always gets me going. Sometimes I can beat it and sometimes I come up a bit short. That’s ok, it was still great exercise and I had fun in the process.
Speed walking might not be for you, but find what is and make a game/competition with it.
Excuse #8 - I don't like to sweat and then have to take another shower
Another shower. RE-do my makeup and hair! Yep, I’ve used this one. Instead of 30 minutes to work out, now you need 60 – 90 minutes, right?
I’ve been there, but it doesn’t have to be one of our excuses for not exercising. So, what do you do? Here are a couple of options that have worked for me:
- Not every workout has to be a sweat-dripping workout. If you’re in a hurry and have to head out soon, try a workout that won’t leave you sweaty. Perhaps some yoga or strength training. Save your cardio for another day.
- Workout in the morning before you’ve had your shower. This is my choice 99% of the time. I also love starting my day energized from a workout so it’s a win-win.
"If I waited until I got all my ducks in a row I'd never get across the street. Sometimes you just have to gather up what you've got and make a run for it."
Excuse #9 - I have too much going on right now.
Ok, you’re busy. There’s a lot going on. You’ll just wait until you can commit 100% to a fitness routine. Sound familiar? If so, join the club!
Think about it this way. Your health is far too important to put aside until you have TIME.
- Most likely next week, next month, next year won’t be any less busy.
- If you can’t fully commit to a fitness routine, could you commit 50%? Think about where you will be next year if you commit 50% NOW compared to if you WAIT until you can commit 100%?
- Doing something is far better than waiting and doing NOTHING.
Excuse #10 - I will do it later. It's just not that important to me. I'll get to it someday.
This is very similar to excuse #9 and at the same time isn’t even really an excuse. You just don’t want to. And, that of course, is your choice.
If it isn’t important to you then you aren’t going to do it so no sense pretending.
However, I do caution you that time will fly by. Keep a close watch on your health. Are you maintaining a healthy weight?
Consequences are not immediate
The consequences of not exercising are not immediate. You won’t wake up after you missed a workout and have no muscle strength, be wheel-chair bound or be out of breath when you walk up the stairs. These things happen over time.
The problem can come when you forget about your fitness for years and then suddenly realize that you’ve lost mobility, have no energy, have put on 30 pounds, and have high blood pressure.
You can start exercising at that point. However, the sooner you start the easier it will be.
There are far too many benefits of exercise to completely ignore. If you skipped over it, go back to excuse #5 for some of the benefits of exercise.
Be sure to download Your Key to Unlocking Weight Loss Secrets which details the “key players” that need to be aligned to create YOUR weight loss success story.
Pin it now. Read it later.
