My goal is to go to the gym 5 times a week: Monday – Friday during my lunch break. I began this routine in Prague when my gym was a 10-minute walk from my office. Now I live in China and I work from home which makes me lazy and full of excuses.
Here are my favorite ones:
1. I have WAY too much work
This is one of my most popular excuses because it’s the easiest to justify. I can’t just walk away from my unread emails and intimidatingly long To-Do list to go to the gym, right? WRONG!
Taking a break, especially one involving physical activity helps clear your head and work more productively. Plus you can always stay later to finish the work!
2. My head hurts.
That sucks but how bad is a headache? Will taking a walk in the fresh air help it go away? You can probably still take it easy and try the elliptical or stationary bike. Or you can just do some stretching, yoga or even meditate.
If it’s a bad headache, exercise can make it worse – but it can also decrease pain due to the release of endorphins. Just walk on over to the gym and see what happens.
3. But it’s raining outside…
Rainy weather can be pretty depressing. And wet. But…
You have an umbrella, don’t you?
You’re not a witch so you won’t melt if a droplet falls on your head, right?
Just make sure to keep your sneakers clean or you might not be let into the gym!
4. Ouch! I’m sore from going to the gym yesterday :'(
Good! You’re doing something right!
Do your legs hurt? Skip the treadmill and lift some weights or do some sit-ups.
Do your arms hurt? Hit the treadmill.
Does your ENTIRE body hurt? Really? Well, then you’re probably doing something wrong… and you should stretch more before and after exercising.
5. There are too many men at my gym O.O
Most women don’t enjoy being ogled by sweaty men. And I happen to be one of those girls. Luckily I live in China where men (and women) are generally more interested in starting at their phones… or poking each other’s six-packs. So at most, they will glance at you and then leave you alone.
6. Ugh, there’s no air-conditioning!
It’s ALWAYS either too hot or too cold…
When it was 40°C (and felt like 50°C) the gym was almost unbearable with no air-conditioning. But it was still possible to do a little of everything: run a kilometer, lift some weights, do some stretching.
Unfortunately, it’s a myth that sweating more helps you lose more weight – but there are health benefits.
7. My knees, hips and/or back hurt. I can’t do it…
I’m only 24 but I have deformed kneecaps, gout arthritis and lots of other fun problems. Sometimes I start running and my knees hurt immediately.
On good days I’ll continue running until the pain stops. On bad days I’ll get off the treadmill and do something else. There is ALWAYS something else you can do at the gym.
8. My hair looks great! I don’t want to mess it up.
I just washed my hair and I don’t want to have to wash it again. Yes, this is really one of the excuses I use. Go to the gym – if you’re really too lazy to wash your hair again, don’t do cardio and just lift weights or do something that won’t make you sweat as much.
But seriously, how long does it take to wash your hair?
9. My hair is gross… I’m too embarrassed to be seen!
Yup, another ridiculous excuse I like to use. First of all, gyms are NOT runways. You’re expected to look gross at the gym. Just put a hat on or something. Or go wash it…
10. But my sports bra is in the wash… *wobble*
It’s either my sports bra, my favorite running pants or my sneakers. Wearing the wrong clothes CAN make it harder to do certain exercises. You can fix this from the start – buy two or three sets of everything.
If you need to wear something uncomfortable, just focus on exercises where it doesn’t matter. Just don’t ever run in the wrong shoes or without socks – you will 100% regret it and it can even injure you.
