1. It’s too hot!
Running in 100 degree weather is THE WORST! That’s just asking to pass out. Anyone else live in California, land of the deathly summer heat?
2. It’s too cold
Once you get moving perhaps the cold isn’t so bad. But the idea of leaving the house when it’s cold out… does not compute with brain. Must stay indoors and seek shelter. Jamies. Blankies. Socks. Bed.
3. It’s too early
When I wake up, I want to roll over and go back to bed. Then, after doing that a few times, I finally drag myself out of bed and THEN I MUST EAT! I turn into a ravenous monster if I don’t consume food within 1 hour of becoming vertical. That’s not enough time to get ready and go for a run. Then by the time I am up and fed and digested, it’s probably like 2pm and I just have so many other things I must do!! (..right)
4. Well, now it’s too late!
This is particularly true in the winter, when the sun sets at like 4pm. I can’t go running when it’s dark out! I might get mugged!
5. I don’t want to run on the sidewalk.. with stop lights… and people watching
I HATE the idea of going for a run on the side of the road, especially in a city like London. You have to stop for stop lights every 30 seconds anyway, you have to run past people who might look at you funny, you have to dodge shoppers… JUST NO!
6. I don’t want to take the tube to run somewhere that’s NOT a sidewalk (i.e. the park)
Ugh, but then it feels like so much effort to have to get on the tube just to exercise somewhere else. Then after I’ve done my run, I have to be all self conscious about stinking up the underground with my post-run sweating body. Mmm, delicious.
7. I don’t want to go to the gym… people will watch me!
Heaven forbid someone see how slow I run. Going to the gym is like putting your exercise routine on display for all the other gym-goers to judge and compare. What if my treadmill is set to like half the speed of the person next to me? I’ll look like such a noob!
8. I can take at least one day off, can’t I?
Come on.. everyone gets a ‘sick’ day! …or two…or five… or 365.
9. I have sooo many other things to do
I haven’t finished the design for that client, or inputting content for another client, or coding my new WordPress theme, or doing those UBB bug fixes.. I don’t even have a post scheduled for Nose Graze yet tomorrow! PRIORITIES!
10. It’s discouraging when I feel like I don’t make any progress
Sometimes the worst part about exercising is feeling like you’re not improving. Sure I can run a mile.. but I always run a mile. I NEVER seem to be able to push past a mile. I want to get better and be able to run 2, 3, or 4 miles.. not be stuck at one mile forever.
I know these are all stupid excuses, and while I do make them a lot, I am making a serious effort to exercise more often. So go me!
OMG THESE ARE HILARIOUS. I’m with you on the gym. Gyms are scary. And heat! Ack. Heat. -_- That’s pretty normal where I live too, plus we get 90% humidity. Stay safe. Don’t risk it.
Eeks 90% humidity is awful! At least in California is just hot—not humid.
Know the feeling lolz. I have a cross-trainer here in my bedroom but if I want to use it I have to drag it out of the corner and all that and… I’m too lazy for that. XD
Haha, that sounds like way too much effort! 😀 #ratherbereading
Haha all very valid points. I used many of them until my husband bought me a running machine …. now I put my earphones in and listen to an audio book while I run quite happily for an hour, unless it is too hot, or cold or ………… lol
Nice! Audiobooks are good idea. My problem is that I think I have weird ears; headphones just DO NOT fit in them. I’ve tried listening to music while running (love that), but the stupid headphones keep falling out and it annoys the heck out of me. I need one of those really old headsets that wraps around the top of my head lol.
My number one excuse: there’s too many cupcakes in the kitchen and SOMEONE needs to eat them before the icing goes funny
Absolutely! You know those cupcakes want to be eaten. Don’t be cruel by denying them that honour.
teehee
I make the same excuses! My problem is consistency, but like you – I’m still trying *sigh*
Yeah that’s my problem too. I can push myself to go to the gym once, but it’s hard to push myself every day (or at least every other day).
I am the worst. There are moments where I feel I really should do something, but when it comes to it… I chicken out. I’m still trying though, haha.
Ha, I’ve said many of these before as well! The heat one is at least valid, though! I’m from Texas, and there are days they will actually tell us NOT to go outside any more than you have to because of the heat index and, and I assume California may be the same way.
My problem is I get bored easily. I can do a certain thing for two or three months, then I get tired of it. And I do jog or walk most days, but I do have to drive to a public place to do so, and I hate that! I wish I could just walk around my neighborhood, but it’s right by a really busy street and the sidewalks are REALLY narrow(and sometimes there aren’t sidewalks) so it’s not a really ideal place.
I’m nodding along to every single one of these. Especially number 8 haha! Personally I’m just incredibly lazy. Like a sloth! Best of luck though, I’ll cheer you on from the couch 😛
“7. I don’t want to go to the gym… people will watch me!”
I once made for myself a portable desk that could be attached to a treadmill and let my type on my computer while walking. But I didn’t have a treadmill, so I took it down to the gym to test it out. Now, the desk wasn’t not a success (too low, too unstable) but my biggest fear — that people would come over and bother me and talk to me and possibly kick me out — never happened. People pretty much ignored me. I only got one weird look, and that was a passing thing.
If no one’s going to pay attention when I attach a makeshift, ugly-as-hell “desk” to a treadmill and start writing while walking, I’m pretty sure no one’s going to look at you using it normally.
If that helps at all.
Haha, thank you! 😀
I totally wish I could read while I run, but there’s not really a spot for me to lay a Kindle down on the treadmill I use, and I don’t want to hold it. And I’m not sure audiobooks really work for me.
Bummer. Some of the ones at my gym have spots for books and kindles, but those ones always get taken first. :\
I can relate to so many of these! It is so difficult to push me to exercise but now that school’s out for the semester, I’m going to push myself again to do it again but I’m bound to give myself a few of these excuses 😛
All good excuses. I bought a used elliptical machine because I didn’t want to be outside in the weather and gyms are intimidating. That’s actually helped me a lot since I actually use it. I mean, it is in the house, no travel required.
A lot of these are the excuses I use. I agree with your last one. I can run 3 miles, but I have been stuck for quite a while. I want to be able to move up in run 4 or 5 miles. I haven’t been running recently because I have shin splints. I probably could run more miles if I didn’t get irritation in my shin. They continue to be a set back for me because every time I get them I have to take time off and work my way up to three miles again.
You speak to me. I mean, I’m suppooooosed to exercise, but there are so many great reasons *not* to. I mostly use the busy one, but I think I’m guilty of using. . .like. . .all of these. Okay, maybe not the gym or tube one, but if I had a gym membership or lived somewhere where I would need the tube to take me somewhere, then we’d have a problem. Here’s to not exercising. ….right? Right?
We’ll I guess you just need to come back to California more often so your mom can motivate you! Perfect run right out the front door!
Hahaha! These are sooo true!! Whenever I have days like this, I tell myself that I’m only giving up 30 minutes. 30 minutes and then I can couch surf with a book. Usually that gets me moving. 😉
Yes omg I totally agree! I really need to get in shape because I’m going to be playing lacrosse this spring and I REALLY need to get in shape so the running isn’t too hard for me (although we technically run two miles a day in practice so maybe I’ll wing it till then lol). Seriously, I just find all these excuses, like “Oh my stomach’s not feeling too good!” or “Well I can’t exercise because THAT is happening right now.” I also totally agree about the progress thing. I’m so unmotivated because I can run one mile fine, and I used to be able to run two complete miles in twenty minutes during field hockey season, but now I can barely get to two without stopping to take a break halfway in between to drink water or catch my breath. Fantastic post, Ashley! <33
I’m with you on all of these! I’m so sick and tired of the perpetual snow, freezing weather that I’m having, which definitely doesn’t make me want to run outside. I’m exhausted from all the day’s work, too. Excuses, excuses, haha.
During the colder days though, I try to do pilates, which is indoor (no cold, people looking at me, etc).
Oh, that California weather! Burning hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter.
I’ve gotten pretty used to playing tennis in the summer, but I hate playing when it’s really cold because running in long pants and a sweatshirt is so awkward. If it’s above 64 degrees, I’ll usually just wear sweats over my tennis skirt and tank top while I warm up and take them off once I start playing.
I always get nervous when people watch me play, especially when it’s the boys tennis team watching me.
I haven’t been practicing as much I should because I’ve been so busy, but over the summer I’ll get back to getting on the court for a few hours every other day. It’s important that I improve as much as possible because I want to start playing intermediate tournaments instead of just high school varsity.
These are pretty much all the reasons why I don’t run/jog in public either. The only public exercise I do is yoga classes, which are way more fun than I ever thought they’d be. I imagined all that deep breathing as incredibly boring. But having an activity I enjoy makes exercising easier. I end up doing yoga way more often than I would go running, if it were up to me.
#8 is the story of my life!!! Also all the rest of these. Love this post!
I can’t believe you forgot — no clean clothes! That’s definitely a reason not to exercise because wearing dirty shorts/dirty shirt is a big no-no. Yuck.
Sometimes I’ll sit in the gym parking lot and eat my delicious healthy McDonalds lunch and then head on in. FOR SHAME!
It’s so easy to make excuses, I think a lot of people can relate to your list.
My main reason right now is that it’s so cold out here! It’s hard to want to go out in the winter, but then again when the summer hits it’s too hot.
I also have problems going to the gym because I worry people will watch me too lol. And right now I can’t afford a gym anyway.
Hahahaha, I totally laughed even though I exercise five-six days a week. I used to make a lot of these excuses.
As a gym goer, I can tell you everyone is too focused on themselves to care about the girl next to them. And like with me, I see it as we are all on our own fitness journey so kudos to the girl next to me walking on the treadmill and the dude running 100 miles per hour. It’s just cool that people are out working out.
Oh ALSO! What a lot of bloggers have found works is doing Blogilates, it’s free videos on youtube where all you need are a mat and an internet connection and if you don’t have a mat just use a towel. There’s a whole beginner calendar and everything. I swear I’ve seen about 10 book bloggers go through that calendar, including myself.
But yeah, high five to you for getting into exercising. Don’t give up, even if you skip a day or two or three or five! It’s okay, an off week or an off days doesn’t mean you can’t try again the next day, the next week, or the next month!
HA! I’m the same way. Dear God, what if someone SEES me! I can’t stand the thought. Way too self-conscious. However, I’ve been going to our local YMCA and been walking on the treadmill. Until I’m more in shape it’s all I can really do. I read while I walk and then I feel like I’m not wasting any time. Then I’m multi-tasking!
2, 3, and 4 are big issues for me. I don’t run, but it still sucks to get up and go out in the cold to get to the gym! I like to go early in the morning, but sometimes I can’t get out of bed. Then if it’s past like 9, there’s too many people and by the time I get back it’d be almost lunch, so I feel like I’m wasting my morning. Thankfully I don’t have problems with 5 or 6, and not really 7 either because I go to an all ladies gym! I can’t stand the idea of working out with men.
Then 8, 9, and 10 are serious issues for me too, because I tend to procrastinate, and when I skip one day it’s easy to keep skipping. And I usually spend an hour to an hour and a half (sometimes even 2), and that’s that much time I could have been doing something else. And the last one especially – I’ve been eating healthier and going to the gym 2 or 3 days a week for 2 months now, and I feel like nothing has changed 🙁
Haha, I think I’ve used nearly every single one of those at some point. And yeah the heat is the worst. The humidity is horrible here in Texas, running in the summer is a good way to have a heat stroke or something. Plus the cold, who wants to get out when it’s cold? You should get yourself a good treadmill, don’t even worry about the headphones, just crank the stereo up and not have to worry about so many of the above problems.