How to Stop Making These 9 Common Excuses
Hey there beautiful human! I’m about to give you some tough love on overcoming your excuses…
Try to tell me you don’t complain about your weight or size at least once a day.
Try to tell me you never have these thoughts…
“I’m so frustrated my clothes fit so tight.”
“Ugh, I feel so fat in these jeans.”
“How come she looks so great in those pants and I don’t?”
“I would give anything to look like ‘that girl’.”
Now let me ask you this: Would you really give anything to look like ‘that girl’?
You want to build the body of your dreams, but when it’s time to go the gym, you make every excuse under the sun about why you shouldn’t go. So you skip your workout and then continue to complain about the way your body is now.
Excuses and complaining never got anyone anywhere.
So you want your dream body?
You need to learn how to stop making excuses!
Here are the seven most common excuses I hear from all you ladies and my best advice on how to stop making them.
1. I don’t have enough time.
The number one excuse I hear is that you don’t have time.
I hate to break it to you, but you have time.
You make time for what is a priority in your life. So when you make the excuse that you don’t have time to work out, you’re basically saying working out isn’t a priority.
We all have different priorities, and that’s okay. But if you’re unhappy with your body and regularly complain about it, you need to evaluate how you’re spending your time and if those things are actually more important.
I know you probably think you need an entire hour to workout, and you can only get an effective workout if you go to the gym, but that isn’t true.
I never workout for more than 45 minutes and I never go to a gym. I work out in my basement at home and some days I only work out for 20 minutes.
Seriously, if you consistently work out for 20 minutes a day, you will see results. I know you can find a spare 20 minutes in your day!
If you think you can’t, I would love to challenge you!
You can…
Work out while watching your favorite shows at night.
Go to bed 20 minutes later, or wake up 20 minutes earlier.
Turn your coffee date with a friend into a workout date.
Meal prep on Sundays and use that extra time during the week to work out.
Take 20 minutes on your lunch break to get in some movement.
Skip mindless scrolling on your Instagram feed and work out instead.
Delegate the things on your to-do list that someone else can easily do.
Take your dog for a jog instead of a walk.
There are countless ways to make time in your life. You just need to make it a non-negotiable. You need to switch your thought process from “I don’t have time” to “where can I make time?”
My Movement With Julie workout app helps me get in a quick workout every day. I can work out anytime it fits my schedule best because I don’t need a gym. The entire app was designed for you to work out in the comfort of your own home. The workouts are never longer than 45 minutes and, if all I have is 20 minutes to spare, I just cut the workout in half. It’s that simple!
It’s been extremely helpful for me for eliminating my excuse of “I don’t have enough time” and I know it will help you, too!
There are countless ways to make time in your life. You just need to make it a non-negotiable. You need to switch your thought process from “I don’t have time” to “where can I make time?”
2. I can’t afford a gym membership.
Gym memberships can be crazy expensive, especially with all the trending fitness boutiques. The cheapest you will find their memberships is somewhere around $150 a month!
No wonder your excuse for not working out is that you can’t afford a gym membership. I don’t blame you!
But I get it, when you sign up for those fitness boutiques, you’re paying for a boot camp or group class where the trainer is telling you exactly wha to do. All you have to do is show up without having to figure out what to do on your own. And yes, paying for the boutique fitness membership is a lot cheaper than hiring a personal trainer, which can cost over $50 a session. But, you don’t need to pay either of those prices to get an effective workout!
I don’t even have a gym membership. Yep, that’s right! I do all my workouts in my basement. And I’m still able to maintain my dream body.
So saying you can’t afford a gym membership isn’t an excuse for not working out! You can get an effective workout without all the fancy gym equipment.
Many of you know I’m completely burned out from going to a conventional gym. And, to be honest, that’s exactly why I created my Movement With Julie workout app. I know so many of you women out there don’t want a gym membership, or can’t afford it, but need to do something for a workout!
Inside the app, I give you everything you would get with a gym membership. I write your weekly plan, I give you demo videos so you know exactly how to do each workout, you can ask me questions anytime, and you have access to an empowering and supportive community who are on the same journey as you!
I do all my workouts in my basement. And I’m still able to maintain my dream body. So saying you can’t afford a gym membership isn’t an excuse for not working out!
3. I don’t have enough energy.
This is a great excuse!
Not!
I hear this excuse way too often, and when I do, I always ask “How are you living a life that’s causing you to lack energy and what changes are you making to fix this?”
In order to stop making the excuse of “not having enough energy” you need to figure out the reasons you don’t have energy.
Here are some questions you need to ask yourself:
Are you sleep-deprived? Is it possible for you to go to bed half an hour earlier?
Are there tasks on your to-do list you can delegate to someone else?
Can you start saying no to things you don’t absolutely need to do?
Are you eating foods that fuel your body properly?
Are you even eating enough food?
Are you eating too many carbs and sugar?
Do you drink enough water each day?
Are you doing things in your life that make you happy and that you love doing?
All these things contribute to your energy levels. Evaluate which bullets on this list may be contributing to your lack of energy and do something about them!
And at the end of the day, working out regularly has been proven to give you more energy. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but trust me! Sometimes when you don’t have energy, working out is exactly what you need in order to gain more.
So stop making the excuse that you don’t have enough energy to work out without making changes and start doing things that will provide you more energy.
Working out regularly has been proven to give you more energy.
4. I never feel motivated.
So your excuse is that you’re feeling unmotivated?
I really hate to break it to you, but it’s impossible to always have 100% motivation to get movement into your day. Believe me when I say, I never feel 100% motivated every time I work out and I’m not sure I know anyone who ever does either!
But you know what? I still work out anyway.
What I ‘ve found most effective for finding the motivation to go crush a workout regardless of how unmotivated I feel is reminding myself that my workout is only 45 minutes out of my day.
No matter how painful those 45 minutes are, I know I’ll feel so much happier with myself afterwards.
I like to think of it like this: You have 1,440 minutes in each day and 45 minutes is only 3% of that! That’s nothing. So no matter how tired, stressed, overwhelmed, and busy you may feel, you can stand the pain of working out for only 45 minutes.
And if you don’t have 45 minutes, workout for 20 minutes. Remind yourself that any movement is better than no movement. And 20 minutes a day can still lead you towards an amazing transformation.
Check out this blog post for my nine best tips for getting motivated to work out!
You have 1,440 minutes in each day and 45 minutes is only 3% of that!
5. I’m too sore.
When you start a workout routine, you’re going to feel sore. It’s a given. You’re challenging your body in new and exciting ways. But, many people love to use this as an excuse for skipping their next workout.
Now it is important to take rest days, but if you haven’t done at least three or four workouts in the past week, saying “I’m too sore” is not a valid excuse.
If you feel sore, getting movement in can actually reduce your feeling of soreness, as it loosens up all the built-up lactic acid in your muscles (which is what’s making you feel sore).
How do you stop making the excuse you’re too sore and get yourself to work out anyway?
Avoid working out the same muscles two days in a row. Ideally after working out a specific muscle group, you want to give it at least 2-3 days to recover before working it out again.
With my Movement With Julie workout app, I program each week extremely carefully to ensure you’re never overtraining any muscle groups. That means you would never work the same body part two days in a row, and typically you won’t even work a muscle group more than once a week.
So if leg day was on Monday and you’re too sore to walk by Tuesday, you can trust that Tuesday’s workout definitely won’t touch your legs again. Which means saying you’re “too sore” to workout on Tuesday isn’t a valid excuse because you won’t be working the muscles that feel sore.
If you feel sore, getting movement in can actually reduce your feeling of soreness, as it loosens up all the built-up lactic acid in your muscles (which is what’s making you feel sore).
6. I hate working out.
How do you stop making the excuse “I hate working out?”
Well, if you’re wanting to lose weight or have your body look a certain way, I’m guessing you’re unhappy with the way it looks now (and you probably complain about it often as well).
Which means you need to ask yourself this…
What do you hate more, working out or feeling uncomfortable in your skin?
There are no amount of excuses that will help you build your dream body, nor can you complain your way there. You have to put in the work. There is no way around it.
It’s fine if you hate working out. It’s not for everyone. Personally it’s not the most exciting part of my day. But I do it because I love how it makes me feel comfortable and confident in my body. I know without working out, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am with myself and my life. For me, it’s worth it. What about you?
Something else to consider if you hate working out is that perhaps you just haven’t found the type of workout that’s right for you.
If you feel like working out is a punishment or a chore, you aren’t doing the right type of movement. I truly believe the number-one reason people hate working out is because they’re forcing themselves to do a type of workout they don’t enjoy.
There are countless ways you can work out. You don’t need to spend hours on the treadmill if you hate running. And you don’t need to beat yourself up at a high-intensity boot camp every day if that isn’t your thing.
Personally, I hate cardio, I hate long workouts and I hate feeling like I’m killing my body. The workouts I share with you in my Movement With Julie workout app never require a minute of running, are never longer than 45 minutes and in my opinion, are the perfect level of intensity.
Test out my Movement With Julie workouts for free and see if your feelings about working out change. Download my free e-book here to get one week of sample workouts!
I truly believe the number-one reason people hate working out is because they’re forcing themselves to do a type of workout they don’t enjoy.
7. I’m too intimidated at the gym.
I get this excuse. I’ve had this excuse too many times to count.
When I was feeling intimidated at the gym, my mind would go completely blank. I would walk around in circles trying to figure out what I should do but my brain was way too scattered to actually figure it out. Which would then cause me to become super self-conscious because I felt like everyone was staring at me and judging me for not knowing what I was doing. It was the absolute worst feeling! You feel me?
But you know what I finally realized? Being intimidated and self-conscious at the gym is pointless. Everyone is so consumed by what they’re doing, they aren’t thinking twice about what you’re doing.
And to be honest, a large majority of the people are feeling the exact same way you are. You think they’re looking at you with judgement, but they’re looking at you thinking you’re judging them!
With that being said, how I stopped making the excuse of “I’m too intimidated” was walking in with a plan. Seriously, that was all I needed to reduce my intimidation.
Before hitting a workout, I would look it over to make sure I understood what I had to do and then watched videos on any exercises I wasn’t sure about. So when I walked through those doors, I felt 100% confident (for the first time ever) because I knew exactly what I needed to do. I cannot tell you how amazing it felt and how much stress it alleviated!
The plans in my Movement With Julie workout app will without a doubt crush your gym intimidation. The app includes simple exercises using minimal equipment and videos of every single movement so you can perform them with confidence (at the gym or at home)!
Being intimidated and self-conscious at the gym is pointless. Everyone is so consumed by what they’re doing, they aren’t thinking twice about what you’re doing.
8. I don’t know where to start.
I know trying to figure out where to start can be extremely overwhelming and the perfect excuse to not work out at all.
So many different health and fitness advocates are pushing this workout and that workout, claiming their way is the best way for building the body of your dreams. But each one says something different so who do you believe? It’s confusing!
After trying to figure out which workout is best, it just seems so much easier not to start at all than trying to figure out where to start.
How to stop making this excuse is simple: Stop overthinking it and just start.
It doesn’t matter what type of workouts you’re doing, as long as you’re moving!
Your workouts don’t need to be hours long and they don’t need to be filled with complicated movements you have no idea how to do.
Working out can be simple and quick, and still be extremely effective!
The workouts I program in my Movement With Julie app are always extremely straight forward. And, I give you a demo video to go along with each movement so you are able to perform it with confidence. I’m dedicated to ensuring the workouts are never intimidating, super understandable and extremely easy for you to squeeze into your busy life.
Trust me when I say getting started has never been more simple!
How to stop making this excuse is simple: Stop overthinking it and just start. It doesn’t matter what type of workouts you’re doing, as long as you’re moving!
9. I don’t like stepping outside my comfort zone.
Gym intimidation is often caused by being forced outside your comfort zone.
If someone asks you why you don’t work out, you most likely won’t use the excuse that you don’t like stepping outside your comfort zone. But, I know this is definitely an internal excuse so many of you use.
Maybe it’s entering the weight area at the gym that pushes you outside your comfort zone. Or maybe it’s pushing your body to use heavier weights. Whatever it is, I know it’s not a fun feeling.
I know your comfort zone is a beautiful place, but unfortunately nothing will ever change there. If you want to see change in yourself, you’re going to have to be willing to feel uncomfortable.
You need to accept that change isn’t comfortable. Entering the weight area at the gym will be intimidating at first. Squatting heavier and doing two extra reps isn’t going to feel good. But the results your discomfort will bring you once you start building the body you want is incomparable to the way you feel within your comfort zone.
The great news is, once you stick with working out for a while, I promise that feeling of discomfort will become your new normal.
Think of your first day at work. You most likely felt nervous, intimidated, shy and…outside your comfort zone. Right? The first few days or weeks walking into the office gave you a little anxiety.
But once you got to know everyone and got to know the ropes, those feelings went away. Now you walk into work without thinking twice out about it–it’s just another day. It took time for you to adjust to the new work environment, but now it’s your new normal.
The same applies to going to the gym and working out. You just need to continue to show up and embrace the discomfort. It will become your new normal sooner than you realize.
Once you stick with working out for a while, that feeling of discomfort will become your new normal.
Here is my final advice on how to stop making excuses…
Be stronger than your excuses!
At the end of the day, the results you see are up to you. So take responsibility. Stop making excuses and own up to the work you need to put in. I believe in you. Now it’s time for you to believe in you!
Ready to stop making excuses and start taking responsibility for building the body you want?
My Movement With Julie workout app is exactly what you need!
Download a free week of workouts here. And to learn more about everything the app offers, check out this post.
What’s your favorite tip you’ve learned that you’ll use to kick these excuses out of your way? Comment below!