Excuse Busters
You can’t deposit excuses and money at the same time
- Coach Michael Burt
You set your goals.
You paid for the gym membership.
You put the class on your calendar.
You told your best friend you’d meet them there at 6pm.
You finish work in plenty of time.
But you don’t go.
Why?
You’re hungry because you haven’t eaten since your 11 am lunch.
You forgot to pack your gym bag.
You're sore from your last workout.
Kickoff is at 6:30.
You need to call your mom.
Your hair tie broke.
You can’t find your shoes.
It’s too cold / hot.
You’re almost out of gas………
These aren’t reasons, they’re excuses.
An excuse is what we use to justify our behavior, and in this case, a serendipitous inconvenience that offers us a way out.
Starting new habits can be hard. Sticking with new habits can be harder. There will always be times when we want to say, ‘not today’. And if we’re looking for it, we will always find an excuse to avoid doing the hard things.
Don’t give yourself an easy way out. Get ahead of this trap by planning for your excuses.
If you find that excuses are sabotaging your efforts, take a few minutes to brainstorm what excuses you use, and plan strategies for avoiding these.
For instance….
Keep a gym back packed in your car, including:
An old pair of shoes in case you can’t find your good ones
Extra hair ties
An extra set of earbuds (even if they’re the old wired ones)
An empty reusable water bottle
A protein bar or other healthy packaged snack
A thermal undershirt
Anything else you would want to have with you for a workout
Time your meals and snacks according to your exercise schedule
Don’t plan a workout during game time
Call your mom during your commute (using bluetooth, of course)
You get the picture. Failure to plan is planning to fail, right?
If you are struggling with starting a new healthy habit, check out The 5/10/15, where we give you the tools to create small, consistent habits for lasting health.
The 5/10/15
Fuel, Energize, Unwind - on Your Time