As Dr Phil would say.....Time to get real

Excuses, Excuses. I think I have probably heard every excuse under the sun why someone cannot workout.....it's too hot, its too cold, it cost too much, I have kids, I am too busy, I have a bad knee, my shoulder hurts, I am too out of shape, I hate exercising outdoors, I need to lose weight before I can start, I hate exercising inside of a gym, I going to wait until the weather is better, I cannot workout in the evening, I cannot workout in the morning, I am not motivated, I need someone to motivate me, etc etc. I am pretty sure I could make a list of 100 excuses. This topic may hit a nerve with some, but if it does then maybe there is a little guilt there for some of the excuses that you are making. Every single one of those excuses above can be debunked. Not one of them is a ligitimate reason not to exercise. Your body need exercise!! You were created with around 640 muscles, so to say that your body was not designed for movement and exercise is an understatement. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, you make the decision on how to spend them. I often get frustrated with people who tell me that they do not have time to exercise yet they can sit down in front of the TV and watch 3 hours of their television shows. We all lead busy lives. I am a mother of 4 children ages 11, 9, 7 and a newborn and also own and operate my own business. 3 of my children play sports. To say that we are busy is not an accurate description but no matter how busy I am I will find time to exercise. It is that important. Right now having to take time for my body to heal from childbirth is killing me. I do not feel like myself. My bodies craves those natural endorphins that it receives from exercise. It is amazing how much better I feel both physically and mentally when I am exercising. There is no better feeling in the world. Exercise is so vital to your health, it should not be an option, it should be a priority and a must, like brushing your teeth.

Another excuse that gets under my skin is the its too hot, its too cold. If I stuck with that I would have only 3 months out of the year that I could go outside and run. Yes it is hot outside right now, but you can make adjustments to make it easier. Choose to exercise outdoors early in the morning or later in the evening. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, have a ziploc bad full of ice with wet washclothes ready to go and for crying out loud give yourself some time to adjust to the temperature before you give up. There will be days when you struggle and there will be days when you don't. It will always be hot but your body will get used to the temperature change a bit. Dress appropriately. Black Capris with a cotton T shirt in the heat of the summer is not a great idea. Wear light weight, sweat wicking fabrics, hat or visor and sunscreen. It amazes how many people will not workout outside in the heat but have no problem with their children participating in sports in the heat. Football players are out there in full pads, doing 2 a days for 2 hours a piece in the heat, runners never take a season off. If you enjoy working out outdoors do not let the summer heat get to you, just avoid the hours of 10-5 and give yourself some time to adjust. Take it slow, do not overwork in the beginning and take breaks when you need to. Now let's talk about cold. I have to say I HATE cold weather, despise it with a passion, BUT I still will run in it. Once I get going it takes about 5 min and I am beginning to warm up. They key is layering your clothing. There are so many great cold weather gear out there that works so well. A hat and gloves will make a huge difference and I never ever leave for a run in the cold without with scarf. Do not let the weather get in the way of your workout....you can survive both cold and hot.

Another one, I am too out of shape to start exercising? WHAT? You have to start somewhere. Start out slow and build. Every single exercise can be modified to a beginner level. AT boot camp we can break down any exercise to its simpliest form and start you there. We will encourage you to push yourself and take the words I can't out of your vocabulary. Yes you can!! If you are comfortable in your workouts then you will not see change, change comes when you push yourself out of your comfort zone. You have to start somewhere..... stop making excuses, start exercising today.

I promise if you give yourself several weeks of dedicated exercise you will feel better!! Exercise does wonders for both body and soul. Make the time to do it. There will be days that you won't feel like it BUT once you do it, you will be glad!! I have never finished a workout and said, "Man, I wish I had never done that...." Even when I am really not feeling it, even if I do something small, I always feel better and I am always glad that I did.

Make time for yourself. You deserve it! Your body NEEDS it. You only have 1 body and will never get another one so treat it well!! Give exercise a chance to change your life. Stop making excuses!!!