NO EXCUSES!

I remember going to this step class a couple of years ago at the Talisman centre. A saturday morning class filled with some pretty dedicated people. The instructor was awesome! Very energetic and motivating. In fact, as we were doing our thing, she would weave motivational messages into her instructions .... praising us for making the choice to be there that day. One thing she used to say that really stuck with me though was "No excuses!" Meaning, there are no excuses for not taking care of your health and fitness. I went home and wrote that on a sticky note and put it on my bathroom mirror so I would see it everyday.

What I'm about to tell you about myself now is NOT an excuse. I just want you to know so that you understand that we all have challenges and what may seem easy for me ... is not always. Anyway, my energy levels have been super low for the last little while ... low, as in, almost falling asleep driving home on the Deerfoot. My naturopathic doctor says it has to do with my organs not working efficiently ... blah, blah, blah. I'm getting "treatment" but it's not something that changes overnight. Plus my working hours are not exactly helping the situation. (I get up at 3am, Monday to Friday) The reason I'm sharing this is so you know how difficult it can be to get to the gym and train hard ... especially near the end of the week. But I do it ... except this Thursday and Friday. I got home from work so wiped-out tired ... I had to sleep ... right away ... promising myself that I'd make up for it the next day. But Friday came and I was fighting to keep my eyes open while driving home. Not good. So I came home and crashed for a couple hours ... still felt groggy when I got up. Like I said ... this is not an excuse to not work out or eat clean food. My body was telling me something and I was listening. So I rested, kept up the good eating (although I'm sure my trainer would say I should be eating more) and I'm heading to the gym in the morning.  Some things are not always going to go as planned, and sometimes your body is going to tell you to rest but as far as I'm concerned there's no excuse for not exercising regularly. Not enough time? Whatever! Doing something for 20 minutes even 10 minutes is better than doing nothing at all. Can't afford a gym membership? Who says you have to join a gym? You must have a pair of shoes that you can wear to walk around the block a few times. How about adding a few situps or pushups in your living room.

Another inspiring co-worker who had been struggling with those last 10 pounds has figured it out. She couldn't get to her regular gym one day because of an appointment she had across town. So she did some research, found a gym close to where her appointment was, and dropped in there for a workout before her appointment. She totally gets it!

So quit whining about how you want to live a healthier lifestyle but you just can find the time or money or whatever excuse you have. Find something that's going to motivate you or inspire you and go for it. And by the way, no one said it was going to be easy. Even though I love working out and love how it makes me feel, I have my own challenges getting my butt in gear some days too. And other days (especially when I'm PMS'ing) all I want to eat is chocolate cake and pizza! But I also know I'll feel like poop if I eat that. 

You just have to figure out what works for YOU ... and get your ASS off the couch! Ha!