Ok, this isn’t meant to offend anyone. Actually, it is; I’m being cruel to be kind! It’s now midway through February, and you’ve given up. Point blank given up, on your diet, or exercise, or even worse, both!

Why?

Well that’s easy. Anyone with any semblance of a “normal” life will no doubt have a list of excuses as long as their arm for why they’ve given up on their health and fitness goals. The old favourite and the go-to for most people is “I just don’t have the time”…yet said persons ALWAYS seem to find a good 5 or more hours a week to watch television or scroll through Facebook, or even to read blogs like this one (don’t dare use that as an excuse!). A 30 minute workout is 2% of your day. Three 30 minute workouts a week will constitute LESS THAN 1% of your entire week. Not enough time? Don’t make me laugh.

Not having enough time, being too tired, or claiming that eating healthily is too expensive is an abbreviated list of the most popular bullshit excuses people make to themselves or others in an attempt to feel better about the situation. Excuses are just reasons to fail. It’s worse than a lie;an excuse is a lie guarded.

Rather than so readily listing reasons as to why you shouldn’t chase your health and fitness goals (or any goals for that matter), start thinking of ways to make those goals happen. Remind yourself that everyone has 24 hours in a day,  and that people a whole lot busier, less able bodied, older, and BUSIER (yes I said busier twice) are still able to make time to exercise and eat right. In a nutshell, if you want it, you’ll find a way, if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse!

At the same time, I can readily admit that leading a healthy active lifestyle is not for everyone. Maintaining a healthy weight or good strength and fitness levels is not everyone’s priority. But at least if you do decide to give up (or not even start) just be honest with yourself and admit that it simply isn’t a priority. Don’t start making excuses to justify it. As someone who has always prioritized health and fitness in my life I can say with confidence that it has required quite a lot sacrifice over the years, time being number one. As a broke student I attended college 5 days per week and worked two weekend jobs. I still trained; I got up earlier or went to bed later. I made meals in advance if I new I’d be away from home.

I have clients who are parents, who work full-time jobs, night-shifts, clients who are high powered business people with constant travel demands and time constraints. But they make it work, because they make their health and fitness goals a priority. So when people say “I don’t have time” not only is it a bullshit excuse, but it also somewhat downgrades the efforts of those who DO make fitness a priority! It suggests that those who MAKE time to exercise are somehow “privileged” or “have it easier”. This is simply not the case, and you know it deep down.

Hopefully this post came across really fucking harsh to some of you (I’m not joking), because some people really do need a reality check!

I’ll leave you a favourite adage of mine, and that is…

You can have results, or excuses, but not both!!

This is Shane McDonald for Muscle Eire.

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