I have 47 different half-finished projects laying around my house.
I have 32 unfinished projects sitting on my desk at work.
I have 2,184 projects I haven’t even started yet.
And somehow I’m supposed to walk the dog, pick the kids up from school, eat, schedule doctor’s appointments, pay the bills, get groceries and find Amy’s hamster that hid somewhere in the kitchen this morning.
If I didn’t smell like a vomit flavored wasabi covered onion farting on a wet dog after a day in the Texas heat, showering wouldn’t even be realistic.
So how am I supposed to get to the gym even once this week?
…Does this sound familiar?
The truth is, if I step back and look at my day without bias, I could fit in 30 minutes of exercise. I could stop reorganizing my files “for the last time… I swear” and go for a walk. I could get to the office 30 minutes early and trek up and down the stairs before my day starts. I could skip that episode of Deadliest Catch I DVR’d and get to bed by 10pm (that way I can wake up at 6am and work out).
So why don’t I?
Maybe because it’s easier to say I’m too tired to work out than to admit the truth. It’s much more difficult to stare at myself in the mirror and own up to my own insecurities.
Maybe telling myself that I just don’t have an extra 30 minutes each day lets me hide from the fact that I don’t feel as attractive or strong or skilled as the other men and women at the gym.
Maybe I act as though all exercise hurts and doesn’t help because I’m afraid to admit how ashamed I am of what I have done to my own body.
Maybe… I should stop saying maybe and figure out what’s really going on…
What I want: To know what is at the heart of my inability to exercise on a consistent basis.
What’s getting in the way: All the things on the surface that I keep lying to myself about.
How I’m going to resolve this: I need to sift through my excuses and see what I can do to work with/through/around/against them. I need to identify what’s at the heart of my excuses.
How exactly will I “sift through my excuses”? Here’s the gist:
- I will record everything I do for two weeks, including the time spent doing it and any notes or observations I have about the task itself. This includes emotional states and people involved.
- At the end of each day, I will assess my reason for not going to the gym or working out (if that happens to be the case).
- At the end of the two weeks, I will look for:
- Patterns in my excuses
- Unnecessary or time-draining tasks
- Ways to incorporate exercise into certain tasks
- How to address my excuses
- I made this worksheet to assist me in my efforts.
- Once I finish this activity, my plan is to identify patterns beneath my patterns. I will pay special attention to what kind of excuses I make and how realistic they are. I will reflect on how each day felt and whether any emotion or thought sticks out.
Because deep down, I know I’m just making excuses to keep me from seeing the truth. By eliminating excuses, I can expose my reality.
I’ll post what I find out about myself at the end of the two weeks. Feel free to look forward to this if you’d like to.
QUESTION FOR TEAM KINETICORE:
Who wants to join me? You can download the worksheet I made here and post what you discover in the comments section.
Let’s look at these things together:
What excuses do I make that are inexcusable?
What do my excuses help me avoid?
What’s the reality behind my excuses?
How can I make steps in the direction of living life sustainably well?
This post was written by former KinetiCore client, Rebecca Reid. Read about her experience with KinetiCore here. If you would like to share or discuss the fears, struggles and triumphs you have faced along your journey to wellness, you are warmly welcomed to contact her directly at rebecca.reid39@gmail.com