Top excuses for avoiding exercise?

My typical excuse tends to be with time. For a while, trying to catch up on sleep combined with my commute and work, left me with very little time. Now that I am caught up, I naturally wake up perfectly in time for the gym! Yay me.

Another excuse I use has been simply being too sore. I prefer full body work outs, so if I overdo it (like I did yesterday) I do not think it reasonable to go to the gym (tomorrow for example) if by then I am still waddling around like a little old man. Definitely should have eased my way back into the gym! If not Friday, then I am going Monday (starting Strong Lifts 5X5... read the whole thing this time! lol).

Apart from me the most often excuses I see are...

1. Not enough time - This one has varying levels of validity and deals more with time management than simple time. It is also a case of priorities, where many will go ahead and place driving little Timmy to Soccer practice above getting their own exercise.

2. Money - Valid. Gyms cause money. Home weights cost money. There are exercises you can do at home for strength, but they can only go so far. Cardio though, is free and BETTER outside of the gym.

3. I HATE cardio - do strength training.

4. I HATE lifting weights - do cardio.

5. I HATE lifting weights and cardio - Do you hate them more than being fat? :P

There are tons of excuses, but I tend to prefer to look at the reasoning behind it. I will NEVER EVER place exercise over personal health and safety.

I don't have time. Ok, I can't say much to those who have younger kids with daily after shool activities on top of a FT job and all that. Seriously, if you're that busy, do it if you can but eating right and getting sleep is more crutial IMHO. But for the rest of us, it's tough to swallow. Anyone can fit in 30 minutes 3 times per week (minimum recommendation). Whether you do it all at once or split it up into three 10 minute jaunts, it's still way better than doing nothing. If you have time to watch your favorite shows at night, you have time to do exercise. Instead of sititng there the whole time, at least use the commercials to get up and do some jumping jacks or punches or push-ups or sit-ups or a combo of a bunch of things. Get moving! Stop worrying about what your partner or kids or the neighbors will think. It's not about them, it's about you!

There are 2 big ones I hear:

Not having time - Yes you do: Park farther away at work, take the stairs, do squats or lunges during the commercials, take a walk at lunch, (you should be able to fit something in somewhere)

I can't exercise - EVERYONE can exercise. Even if you have medical problems, there is something that you can do. It may not be much (walking to the mailbox and back to start, 10 arms curls a day with half filled water bottles), but everyone can do a little something.


For me I don't even bother to make excuses. I hate to exercise plain and simple. If I didn't do it, its because I didn't want to. Let's just be honest about it!

I didn't go run because my arm was sore from a flu shot. I love me.

Pretty much no excuses for me. It has to be valid, like I have a fever or I'm bedridden with a serious flu, or I really am physically fatigued because I've been pushing hard and really need the rest/recovery. Although I will admit I didn't feel like going running when my mouth was numb from the dentist, luckily I had just done a weight workout at the gym and decided I could run the next day instead.

My biggest excuse is that my studies are more important at the moment and need to be my number 1 priority.

I have very few excuses.
My sister on the other hand-
"I don't have time to get on my elliptical" -- but I have time to sit on my couch 2 feet from my elliptical and watch TV.
"I need an event to prepare for like a bikini contest or Hero Rush" -- and Hero Rush next year doesn't count.

Ha ha.... I need a nap MORE than I need a workout......

Oh yeah.. I used to use that one ALL the time... but since eating healthier I have WAY more energy so yep, can't use THAT excuse anymore!

Pregnancy.

I had to change the type of workouts I was doing when I got pregnant, but that didn't stop me from getting in at least 30 minutes per day of activity. A lot of women use getting pregnant as an excuse to eat like crazy and sit on their arses.

being too tired! But I push myself because I ALWAYS feel great after I work out. I have used the NO MORE EXCUSES motto for the last 15 months... have lost 37 lbs..... never want to go back to where I came from. That is enough motivation for me!

I have a girlfriend who weighed upwards of 250 lbs, and at 5'1", is pretty darn heavy. I've tried to get her to watch her diet, exercise, even go for walks. She said she couldn't exercise because it hurt her knees. I said, no, you knees hurt because you are huge. I hated being mean, but I think it woke her up a bit. She started weight watchers and walked regularly. Lost some weight, but has a long way to go.

For about 10 months, mine was an injury. Now, for some of that time, that was a valid excuse - but for a lot of that time, I could have certainly been doing SOMETHING! Paying now...

These days, I'll take a day or two off if I'm really feeling run down. Otherwise, I usually get to the gym for 4 -5 hours a week. Now, with the shorter days and crummy weather, I have sort of let myself get away with not doing my doubles (Monday & Thursday). Once it's dark all the damned time, I'll adjust again and be right back on it with 6 - 7 (or more) hours.

No matter what, though, the dog gets his half hour walk every morning - even with hurricanes threatening... lol

the kids....(the biggest excuse for everything in the world)

My biggest excuse is that my studies are more important at the moment and need to be my number 1 priority.

I used to use my workouts as another form of procrastination during Grad School "Hey, I really should go to the Library to write the next 5 pages of my thesis...but I want to log 5 miles first " :-)

My biggest excuse is having no energy (wanting nothing more than to pass out after work). I can't say time because it seems like on my busiest days is when I want to run the most and will squeeze something in between appointments or before leaving for the day.

I used to say that I dont have the time bc I dont get home until late then eat dinner late and just dont have the time. Its all BS. Im just lazy right now. No need to jump me about it. I know and Im working on it.