Excuse Detective

We all have them.

We all use them.

In fact, if making excuses to skip a workout made us fitter…we’d all be seasoned iron man triathletes.

So here is a bit of decode work done to see between those excuses we make.

Excuse 1: "I'm already too busy—I can't deal with one more thing I'm 'supposed' to do."

Take a look at your schedule. Even that part of the schedule that isn’t written down…the part where you spend some extra time on facebook or in front of the TV. Not that taking time to relax is bad, but taking time for yourself is even better. So put it on the calendar (in writing) and you’ll find you will start to MAKE time.

Excuse 2: "I’m too tired.”

It may sound counterintuitive, but working out actually gives you more energy. You get endorphins and circulation going, which helps to wake up the body and the mind. It’s also a good idea to distinguish between mental fatigue and physical fatigue. Often at the end of the day, the mental fatigue is what is getting to us. And exercise can really help release that.

Excuse 3: “I always end up failing/quitting.”

Set small, attainable goals. It also helps to keep a log and post it somewhere public -- even on Facebook. Having an exercise buddy keeps you accountable as well. When you back out of a scheduled workout, you're letting down your buddy as well as yourself. Also, look toward the future. It's harder to start exercising than to stick with it once you've got your momentum going. It’s all about perspective.

Excuse 4: “I’m too sore from yesterday’s workout.”

Light exercise the day after an intense workout may help you recover faster. You don’t want to go out and do another killer workout, but doing something will help. When you lift weights, you cause microtears in your muscles that then mend, making the muscle even stronger. Exercise increases blood flow, nourishing the muscles with oxygen and removing waste products. A recent study at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, shows that people who engaged in light activity the day after a strenuous workout experienced less soreness than those who didn't.

~What’s your favorite excuse? And how do you get past it?