Excuses | Stop being a baby
By Douglas Pieterse, Co-Founder & Head Personal Trainer
"It may be simple but not always easy"
How to deal with your excuses and inspire yourself
It’s Friday morning, as you’re getting dressed you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. You see a tired, low energy alien that must’ve taken over your body sometime in the last couple of years. You tell yourself, “today is the day to make a change…but maybe I should start on Monday. It doesn’t make sense to start on a Friday, I can enjoy my weekend first before getting back on track!” When it’s Monday, after a great weekend of eating and late-night movie binging, you decide that maybe you should wait for Tuesday, or maybe Wednesday is a better day to start.
But wait, it’s the weekend again, let’s start next week…Which then turns into a month and then a year and before you know it, your excuses turn into the fact you’re too old, you have bad genetics, work is too busy, my dog ate my progress…well you get the idea. Breaking out of the habit of finding excuses can be tough. There will always be barriers blocking your ideal circumstances. The great thing is that you are not the only person struggling, that needs to give themselves a kick in the ass to get on track. Sitting at home, feeling sorry for yourself while eating a Snickers bar is not going to help you change your situation. Think of the future and the impact of your excuses on your health, you might develop Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis or even the inability to just look after yourself daily.
But wait, it’s the weekend again, let’s start next week…Which then turns into a month and then a year and before you know it, your excuses turn into the fact you’re too old, you have bad genetics, work is too busy, my dog ate my progress…well you get the idea. Breaking out of the habit of finding excuses can be tough. There will always be barriers blocking your ideal circumstances. The great thing is that you are not the only person struggling, that needs to give themselves a kick in the ass to get on track. Sitting at home, feeling sorry for yourself while eating a Snickers bar is not going to help you change your situation. Think of the future and the impact of your excuses on your health, you might develop Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis or even the inability to just look after yourself daily.
So how do people do it?
Looking around, I see people in their late 50’s early 60’s that have the training ethic of a possessed Zulu warrior. How have they managed to muster up the will to get to the gym every day? To maintain their diet, and sleep well enough to walk around with the energy of a 5-year-old?
Accept your new life
The first part is to recognize that Superman will not come to your rescue and you are the only person that can help yourself. Things will not magically get better, but there Is a good chance it’ll get worse. Treat it as if there is no other option. If you had to pee, exactly how many excuses can you make before you wet your pants? Going in with the thought that it is your only option, and a part of your life will help you accept where you are, and the change needed to get you where you want to be. This brings me back to Daniel’s words in our blog post "Accept that this is your new life".
Baby Steps
The biggest mistake I have seen people make is trying to go from 0 – 100. In health, it is necessary to take baby steps. There is no shame in starting slow. Day 1 might begin with small changes like a 15-minute light workout, swapping coke for coke zero and sleeping for an additional 20 minutes. It’s not so intimidating when you think of changes like that.
Gradually you can build on this, adding to your collection of health and fitness habits until you have a collection that looks something along the lines of 1-hour training, limited processed sugar and 8 hours of great sleep. These are just random examples, but the principle remains the same, small steps with small changes every day. At the end of the day you will become a better version of yourself.
Now that you’ve mastered the basics, let’s look at a few ways to ensure you stay motivated and excuse-free in the long run.
Gradually you can build on this, adding to your collection of health and fitness habits until you have a collection that looks something along the lines of 1-hour training, limited processed sugar and 8 hours of great sleep. These are just random examples, but the principle remains the same, small steps with small changes every day. At the end of the day you will become a better version of yourself.
Now that you’ve mastered the basics, let’s look at a few ways to ensure you stay motivated and excuse-free in the long run.
Individual Visualization
There’s no point in trying to be Usain Bolt. Mimicking what he eats, wearing the same shoes and sprinting to the fridge and back hoping to get scouted and break world records someday. Realistically, this dream may never come true.
The idea is not to reinvent yourself, but to upgrade yourself. I’m not trying to crush your dreams, but let’s keep the Greek god visualizations realistic and aim for a TV series hottie ranking. Now you have a realistic goal to strive towards instead of one that might never happen. Having a realistic goal that you can achieve will help motivate you to keep going instead of feeling discouraged you can’t measure up.
Improving yourself will take some work in the beginning, but before you know it, your dream will become a reality!
The idea is not to reinvent yourself, but to upgrade yourself. I’m not trying to crush your dreams, but let’s keep the Greek god visualizations realistic and aim for a TV series hottie ranking. Now you have a realistic goal to strive towards instead of one that might never happen. Having a realistic goal that you can achieve will help motivate you to keep going instead of feeling discouraged you can’t measure up.
Improving yourself will take some work in the beginning, but before you know it, your dream will become a reality!
Birds of a feather
“If you’re the best loser in the group you’re still a loser” A line I stole off Patrick, which I must agree with. Choose to surround yourself with people that have similar interests when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. Just like kids do in primary school, you pick and stay with friends who share the same interests as you do.
We can learn so much from kids. The chance of you staying on track with your fitness will go up exponentially if you are in a community of like-minded friends. But, if you’re spending all day with the cool doughnut eating kids then, you might end up resembling the shape of that delicious treat.
So, get on Facebook and unfriend everyone who opposes your goals and look up fitness groups in your area. Well, you don’t have to go that far, but do be conscious of how you’re choosing to spend your leisure time. You may only need a couple of friends in your fitness circle, but it’s always easier having a few friends going through the same issues as you are. As Michael Jackson used to say, “You are not alone”.
We can learn so much from kids. The chance of you staying on track with your fitness will go up exponentially if you are in a community of like-minded friends. But, if you’re spending all day with the cool doughnut eating kids then, you might end up resembling the shape of that delicious treat.
So, get on Facebook and unfriend everyone who opposes your goals and look up fitness groups in your area. Well, you don’t have to go that far, but do be conscious of how you’re choosing to spend your leisure time. You may only need a couple of friends in your fitness circle, but it’s always easier having a few friends going through the same issues as you are. As Michael Jackson used to say, “You are not alone”.
The Path to a healthy life is paved with options
Deciding on how you’re going to get fit, eat right and reach your goals is the plan, but it’s a path that typically isn’t paved, and the experience is closer to that of a treacherous stumble through thorn bushes.
This is the part where you choose what kind of training you prefer, throw in a nutrition plan, and sprinkle on some time frames for good measure. Choose what works best for you, but don’t take this step lightly. If you don’t have some set plan, you will find yourself getting lost. Keep track of your efforts and buy some bread to leave crumbs along the way, so you can always see where you came from. At the end of the day, most diets work, and training will make you sweat, but if it doesn’t make sense for your lifestyle you’ll end up being unable to sustain it.
This is the part where you choose what kind of training you prefer, throw in a nutrition plan, and sprinkle on some time frames for good measure. Choose what works best for you, but don’t take this step lightly. If you don’t have some set plan, you will find yourself getting lost. Keep track of your efforts and buy some bread to leave crumbs along the way, so you can always see where you came from. At the end of the day, most diets work, and training will make you sweat, but if it doesn’t make sense for your lifestyle you’ll end up being unable to sustain it.
If you’re working with a trainer, make sure he has a set plan, direction or program to keep you motivated and accountable. Having a program has always helped me stay committed to training as well provide accountability for my choices. When my unfinished program looks at me with cute puppy eyes, I know I haven’t fed it the results it needs, and it breaks my heart. This has always been a huge contributor to motivating me to keep up with my training.
Recognize that excuses are things we say to get ourselves out of doing what needs to be done. Once you learn to handle them, expect more will power, energy, self-esteem and better fitting clothes. Once you set your mind on something, know that you can do it. This mentality will help you through more than fitness, but in the workplace and social life. Don’t end up alone sitting in a chair and listening to yourself complain about your problems. Make that mental commitment and take a step towards making change. Do it today, not on Monday!
Recognize that excuses are things we say to get ourselves out of doing what needs to be done. Once you learn to handle them, expect more will power, energy, self-esteem and better fitting clothes. Once you set your mind on something, know that you can do it. This mentality will help you through more than fitness, but in the workplace and social life. Don’t end up alone sitting in a chair and listening to yourself complain about your problems. Make that mental commitment and take a step towards making change. Do it today, not on Monday!
If you’re working with a trainer, make sure he has a set plan, direction or program to keep you motivated and accountable. Having a program has always helped me stay committed to training as well provide accountability for my choices. When my unfinished program looks at me with cute puppy eyes, I know I haven’t fed it the results it needs, and it breaks my heart. This has always been a huge contributor to motivating me to keep up with my training.
Recognize that excuses are things we say to get ourselves out of doing what needs to be done. Once you learn to handle them, expect more will power, energy, self-esteem and better fitting clothes. Once you set your mind on something, know that you can do it. This mentality will help you through more than fitness, but in the workplace and social life. Don’t end up alone sitting in a chair and listening to yourself complain about your problems. Make that mental commitment and take a step towards making change. Do it today, not on Monday!
Recognize that excuses are things we say to get ourselves out of doing what needs to be done. Once you learn to handle them, expect more will power, energy, self-esteem and better fitting clothes. Once you set your mind on something, know that you can do it. This mentality will help you through more than fitness, but in the workplace and social life. Don’t end up alone sitting in a chair and listening to yourself complain about your problems. Make that mental commitment and take a step towards making change. Do it today, not on Monday!
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