Physical exercise Archives

I can’t possibly work out today — there are far too many excuses why.

Like many women, I have struggled off and on with my weight for many years. For me personally, I didn’t really have any issues in high school or college, other than the typical gaining of 20 or so pounds done by most college-aged kids.

In my mid-twenties, however, while living in my very first NYC apartment in Brooklyn, I suffered and survived through a terrible sexual trauma. This event led me to gain an enormous amount of weight, over a lot of time. I began using food for comfort, for avoidance, and for a way to shield myself against getting hurt again by men. (“If I’m fat, nobody will touch me. If nobody touches me, nobody can ever hurt me again.” That was the logic.)

Eventually, after many years, I got my weight under control. I wasn’t skinny by any means, but I was no longer dangerously large either. I was on my way. And then, out of nowhere in 2011, my 46 year old healthy and active husband, collapsed one morning, went into cardiac arrest, and died. Once again, in my grief, my weight went up and I started eating out of loneliness, pain, and boredom.

The past couple of years, I have finally started to do better. I walk most mornings, love to swim, and try to live a mostly healthy lifestyle. But it’s a daily battle. One thing that helps , for me, is having a sense of humor about life. About the things we all struggle with.

Often times, I will be all set to go and work out, and then I will somehow talk myself out of it. Motivation is so hard, and I’m sure it is something that most of us have a tough time with. I thought it might be fun to share a humorous list of ridiculous reasons I have actually used or at least thought to myself, of why I can’t possibly go work out today.

Maybe you have used some of these yourself. If you havent, you are welcome to borrow a few.

Here are my Top 15 Excuses Why I can’t possibly Go to the Gym and Exercise Today:

I can’t go because I can’t find my gym pants.
I can’t go because I found my gym pants, but they have hair on them.
Where are my sneakers? Oh, I’ll never locate them in this mansion of an Apartment! Forget it. I’m not going.
(To my mom, who I share a car with right now) Well, you need the car in 4 hours, right? Yeah. I’ll never make it back in time. Better not chance it.
I think the pool at the gym is closed today. They are working on repairs or something for it. (I have actually said this one out loud more than once, and it’s usually a lie. Once in awhile it’s true, but usually, it’s a total fabrication. )
Where the hell are those gym pants?
(This one has to be said in a panicky voice) It’s already 5pm. By the time I eat dinner, change into gym clothes, get the gym bag all packed up and ready, yadda yadda yadda, it’ll be August! They close at 10pm. I HAVE NO TIME!!!
I JUST went to the gym five days ago! Who am I, Jillian Michaels???
I can’t remember my locker combination.
It’s the weekend. It’s going to be SO PACKED!!! Screw it.
We don’t have any clean towels! Looks like Im staying home!
My bathing suit is still wet from the last time I went.
There’s not enough gas in the car. I’ll never make it there.
It’s too hot / cold / rainy / snowy outside. Who wants to be out in this weather?
It’s beautiful outside. Who wants to be stuck inside a gym in this great weather?

As you can see, ANYTHING can be used as an excuse not to get healthier, even reasons as ridiculous as the ones in this list.

If we try and create a mindset for ourselves that exercise is just another part of staying healthy and well, like brushing your teeth, good hygiene, or a balanced diet, it might become ingrained in us, and therefore easier to actually get out there and do it. I always feel better when I’m healthier. It’s just making myself get up and actually do it – that is where the challenge has always been.

So here’s a new challenge, for myself, and for everyone reading this. Each day, try and do at least one thing with the specific intention of living a healthy lifestyle. Just one thing. Start writing down your one thing, and then expand to two, and so on.

In the comments below, I’d love to hear about your “one thing!” What one thing will you do differently tomorrow? Let’s start this new list together. #OneThing

Read more stories like this such as: How Burlesque Let Me Claim My Body Image, WHY Do You Weigh Yourself?, or Truly Sexy People Do These 4 Things.

If working out to be thinner or stronger isn’t your jam, try thinking of it as better mental health with a side benefit of increased fitness.

My vision of women in ballet barre classes are tall, lithe, ballerina-like women in expensive ath-leisure. This is not me. I am not tall. I am not skinny. I have never, ever been to a ballet class.

But here I am, in my 50th barre class. I’m addicted.

I hated barre classes

A few years ago a girlfriend asked me to buy a Groupon for 5 barre classes. I did not care for them. In fact, I may have genuinely hated one of those instructors. But last fall I found myself in a fitness rut. And perhaps in a life rut.

I wanted to avoid sliding from a rut into something resembling depression (it took me years to recognize the need for this, let alone how to put knowledge into action). I knew I needed to shake up my workouts. I also wanted to find something that lifted me up. Something or somewhere that could be my happy place.

Through Class Pass I tried yoga, pilates, aerial acrobatics, and other classes and gyms.

Don’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a gym by it’s classes

Wanting to give it an honest try again, I went to three different barre studios. They were vastly different. One made me remember why I had hated the class years ago, another was just too damn hot, and the third wasn’t an immediate love affair but I liked it and kept coming back.

Four months later I encouraged a girlfriend to come with me. It was then that I realized that studio had become a happy place for me. During class, I can’t check my phone and I’m working too hard to stress about life or work. This is me time that I don’t feel guilty about because I’m building a stronger body AND mind. At some point I started to value the classes because I always left feeling better than when I arrived.

I am happier and I am stronger

I have more muscle in my arms (though there’s still an annoying jiggle). My legs are stronger than they used to be. But more importantly, I have added another happy place I can feel grateful for. I take pleasure in making the time to go to the studio twice a week. I am grateful for instructors who uplift, inspire, and encourage me. They push me harder than I will push myself. So I have learned I am stronger than I thought. It’s a wonderful feeling to make this surprise discovery.

Tips to find your workout bliss

Start close to home

If you can find somewhere that fits into your drive to or from work, it’s easier to make the time. If you work in a business complex, chances are you have a studio nearby that caters to busy professionals like you. Start Googling.

Shop around for the perfect class

Sites like Class Pass, FitReserve, and offer packages to help you explore different classes, gyms, and activities. If you don’t have Class Pass in your area check out the websites of gyms and fitness studios near you. Many offer a free or discounted first class. And don’t forget about the YMCA– it’s affordable and has a surprisingly robust selection of classes.

Be fearless

Everyone in these classes was new once. They are probably concentrating too hard to judge you anyway. You got this! Really!

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Tag: Physical exercise

My Top 15 Excuses for Not Going to the Gym Today