Part 3: What's Your Excuse?

Through the years, I've gained plenty of head knowledge on healthy eating, weight loss, exercise, fitness, etc. The hard part is applying that knowledge so it's actually useful. I've also used every excuse in the book to avoid doing what's healthy and good for myself. Some might call it self-sabotage.

The most common excuse? "I don't have the time." Next excuse? "I can't afford the gym." Even when I did have a gym membership, I didn't go. I had excuses for that too. "I hate getting up early enough to go before work.", "It's inconvenient or out of my way.", "I have to go home and fix dinner.", "I'm tired because I worked all day." "I'm not into group fitness i.e. classes." "I'm shy and don't want other people to see my body." And on and on and on.

For those who don't even contemplate the gym and want their own equipment, there's this one: "I can't afford
the equipment." Maybe you're into dance-style exercise. Next excuse? "Work-out videos are too expensive.", "I don't have enough space.", and my favorite was, "I don't like the music they use." And let's not forget: "I can't afford work-out clothes."

The list of excuses goes on and on. Let me share my solution to all these excuses. If nothing else, you'll get a good laugh.

Around October 1, 2016, I started each morning with my ACV/lemon juice/Himalayan sea salt-in-water drink. (See blog post My History with Excess Weight.) It supposedly boosts your metabolism and I guess it worked because I started to lose weight. I wasn't consistently exercising yet.

"I don't have the time.": On October 25, 2016, I had to confront this excuse head-on. I started to exercise because I had flab. Yup, I had lost enough weight that I had flabby, grandma arms. (No insult to grandmas intended.) You know those wings that grandkids love to play with. I needed to tone some muscles. Also, I finally decided that I needed to gain some strength after my latest injury, it only took about 15 minutes of my day to do a series of 5 exercises. I have spent up to an hour, three times a week at the chiropractor's office. How much time do you spend at the doctor's office due to weight-related health issues? How about the time spent waiting in line at the pharmacy shopping for medicine?

"I can't afford the gym.": How much money do you spend in a year on doctor visits and medicine? Every winter I had the flu or a bad cold, usually more than once. Then there's diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. The pharmaceutical companies love it; you're making them rich!

We're on a low, fixed income so I really can't afford the gym. Here's a picture of my gym. It's not inconvenient or out of my way at all. It's a corner of my bedroom. That fan is my cooling system, 'cause I hate to sweat. (Yup, another excuse.)


















"I can't afford the equipment.": Fitness equipment is expensive and if you just use it as a clothes rack, it's not worth it; however, if you use it consistently, it's a good investment.

For me, I really can't afford it, but that's no longer an excuse. Here's a picture of my extensive equipment.

My exercise equipment consists of a 6-pound band that I bought from Amazon. This set of 3 bands (6 pound, 8 pound, & 10 pound) cost about $10.  That's cheaper than a meal at your favorite restaurant.

I do 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions of 5 exercises per day. I have a set for Day 1 and a separate set for Day 2; I alternate so my muscles don't get too used to a certain movement.

 For  all you dance/music lovers, "Work-out videos are too expensive.", "I don't have enough space.", and my favorite, "I don't like the music they use.": One of the latest crazes, CIZE costs up to $180 and I'm really not into hip-hop. The country music videos are even worse - they use such corny music. My solution?

Yeah, that's a speaker that I hook-up to my phone. I play music I like. I play what I'm in the mood to listen to. Then I move to the music. No special dance steps, no fancy moves, I just move. Movement = burnt calories = weight loss.

 "I can't afford work-out clothes.": A fallacy spread by fitness wear companies is that you need special clothes for every activity. NO, you don't. As long as you can move comfortably, you're good to go. Remember when your P.E. clothes consisted of a T-shirt and a pair of shorts? You wore plain white socks with a pair of tennis shoes. That's all you need.  Below are pictures of my workout clothes. (BTW These clothes were tight on me before I started losing weight.)

Here's a picture of my workout shoes. If you're at home and don't have foot problems, you could even go barefoot.

Still not convinced? How about results: I've lost over 20 pounds since October 1st - yeah, that's just over 3 months. That's even with eating the delicious food offered at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I just didn't over-indulge because I didn't want to undo all the hard work I'd already put in. The resistance bands are getting easier. I thought they were possibly getting stretched out until my husband suggested I was just getting stronger. Best of all? I feel better and I have more energy. Sounds like a win-win to me!

So really, what's your excuse?

*Disclaimer* This is only my opinion. I'm just sharing what works for me. Check with your doctor before starting any exercise regimen.