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8 workout excuses and how to overcome them

1. I'm too tired

One of the best things about exercise,apart from the endorphin rush afterwards, is that it can give you more energy and help you get out of that tired slump. I know sometimes after a long day at work or after a busy week, going to the gym after work or getting up early in the morning is hard when a sleep in seems so much more appealing.

If you wake up and are feeling tired and lethargic, consider if you've had enough sleep, how busy you've been at work and if you're more stressed than usual. All of these can be a contributing factor to feeling less than your energetic self.

There are some times when you do need to listen to your body and you are generally just too tired and doing a HIIT workout would just drain you even further. My advice, when you really are too tired, go for a walk out in the sunshine if possible. I can almost guarantee that you'll be feeling more energized afterwards.

2. Always comparing yourself to others

This is the one thing that I think we can all be guilty of. Comparing ourselves to others, be it our homes, jobs, cars, fitness level you name it. Everyone is unique, someone else's start of their fitness journey may be your middle, and where you start maybe someone else's end point. Especially when it comes to fitness or weight loss goals, you can only compare yourself to where you were yesterday, last week, last month and no one else.

Remember that everyone started somewhere and you might just not have seen that person at their beginner stages.

3. Thinking it's too hard

Being new to exercise or to anything can seem very daunting and scary. That's why having goals can help motivate and push you to keep going.

If you were afraid of hard work, you wouldn't be walking. Think about it. As a small child walking could seem all "too hard" but with a bit of encouragement and perseverance and a few stumbles and falls along the way, you eventually get there. Imagine if every single toddler gave up walking, we'd all be shuffling and crawling around for the rest of our lives. As a child we don't though, we persevere. There are so many things that as an adult if you had to try the same amount of times as a child we would think it was too hard and give up, but children don't. They love a challenge - e.g. a toddler trying to climb up onto a couch when they fall back 100 times. I challenge you next time you think something is "too hard" to have that same attitude.

Just get back up and try, try again.

4. Not having enough time

Every single person has the same 24 hours in a day, it's how efficient they are and how everyone allocates those 24 hours that makes the most difference.

Yes the only time you have to workout is 4am in the morning before starting a 12 hour shift, but having a goal that is actually meaningful to you and reminding yourself of this is what is going to keep getting you up out of bed day after day and achieve your goals in the end.

If you are short on time, do quick efficient workouts. You don't have to spend 2 hours in the gym every day to keep fit or get results, even just a 30 minute run, HIIT session or yoga is plenty.

5. No equipment at home

You don't need to have lots of equipment to do an effective workout. You can substitute products from around your house (e.g. water bottles as weights), a coffee table as a bench to do tricep dips, or do bodyweight workouts. Better yet, why not take your workout outdoors. Grab your kids or dog if you have one, take them to the park and run around with them, do some sprints, do a workout while they play. The possibilities are endless.

6. No motivation to workout

Motivation is going to come and go. Some times such as in summer when it's hot and sunny out, it is going to be a lot easier to be motivated then in Winter when it is colder and darker in the morning. It's times like these when having set SMART goals in place that mean something to you is also going to help keep you motivated and disciplined to workout on those days when you'd rather lay in bed.

Just remember no one is going to have motivation forever.

Motivation is what is going to get you started and get you in a good routine, however it is discipline and routine that is going to keep you showing up to the gym day after day.

7. Being scared of the gym

If you've never been to the gym before and have decided to start going, easing yourself into it, such as going at a non busy time (usually in the middle of the day) or with a friend is going to help boost your confidence.

I can definitely attest to thinking that the gym is a scary place. Especially as a woman, before I started working out, I used to think that the gym was only for males and that lifting weights would make me bulky.

Having an exercise plan in place and knowing exactly what exercises you are going to do before you go can help. When you walk into the gym with a plan in place is not only going to help you reach your health and fitness goals quicker than just winging it, but also make you more confident to use the machines.

8. I don't like exercise

Find a type of exercise that is right for you. There are a million ways to workout and it's guaranteed that there are going to be some you love and some you hate. Imagine if an Olympic swimmer had started out running and decided that they were no good at it and hated it. They could have easily then decided to give up exercise altogether if they thought running way the only way, instead they they might have tried numerous other types of exercise before falling in love with swimming.

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