My favorite excuses

Here are my favorite excuses for not working out/going to the gym/walking:

1. It's too hot.
2. It's too cold.
3. It might rain.
4. It might snow.
5. I'm tired.
6. I'm sleepy.
7. I'm a slug today.
8. I'll be sore.
9. I'll have no energy after all that work.
10. I'd rather knit.
11. I'd rather sew.
12. I'd rather read.
13. I'd rather bake bread.
14. I'd rather do anything else.
15. My knees hurt.
16. My back hurts.
17. I have to get into the car and drive 2.5 miles. (that one might be my favorite)
18. I don't feel like it.
19. I have no gym buddy.
20. The 17 year cicadas are dive-bombing everything, including me.  (Yep, that was my best excuse this summer.)
21. I don't have the time.
22. I have the time but I don't want to do it.
23. I have the time, I don't want to do it, and I have to get into the car and drive that 2.5 miles to the gym.  (I use this one all the time.)

Shall I continue?  I've used every one of these excuses, and probably more.  The two excuses I never ever use are: 1.   It's boring and 2.  It might be hard.

Boredom:  I get bored so easily that it's almost pathological.  Walking on an elliptical (which I can't do because I'm so clumsy) or a treadmill will not inspire you to greatness.  Even going out for a 10,000 step walk is not always interesting.  Let's face it:  this kind of movement is boring.  But lots of things are boring.  Washing dishes is really boring.  Mowing the lawn can put you to sleep.  Schlepping the kids to all their activities is boring.  Doing the laundry is boring.  So?  We do those things anyhow.

So how do you deal with the boredom?  Headphones and music.  Watch the dumb TV programs that are playing.  Count your steps.  That's the one I use mostly because it's how I manage that never-ending 10,000 step, 5 mile walk.  Daydream.  Watch all the other folks.  You would be surprised at how amazing some people are.  Just think how lucky you are that you can do this; lots of folks can't.  Look at the scenery.  Walk on a scary busy road (but make sure that there are bike lanes); that'll wake you up bigtime.

Put on your big girl panties and conquer 35 minutes of boredom.  You can do it. ( I have to admit that an hour and a half of walking on a 95 deg day is a bit much.  But so what?  Who cares.  I do it and the shower afterward is glorious.)

It might be hard:  Yep, it might be.  Or it might not be.  That's totally up to you.  Any time you do anything new, it's going to be a bit hard.  The first time you attempted to knit, it wasn't easy, but you did it.  That first row of crochet after the initial chain is a colossal pain in the butt, but you do it because you know it's going to get interesting afterward.  Learning how to quilt is hard for me.  Really hard.  I cannot cut a straight line or even sew a perfect 1/4" seam.  So?  I like it, I do it anyhow, and I'm getting better at it.

Anytime you go out of your comfort zone, it is a bit hard.  But then you conquer it.  And then you go onto something a little more complex and that is hard, but you conquer it, too.

Knitters:  Remember how hard it was to cast on for the first time?  Remember how hard it was to do the knit stitch?  How to purl?  But you stuck with it, and did it.  Then you tried to make a pair of socks or a hat or a sweater.  Hard initially?  Yep, but you figured it out.  Crocheters and quilters, you also know what I mean.

So what if it's hard?  Who cares?  You are only competing with yourself.  You are only doing this for you.  And you are in control here.  Maybe lifting weights is beyond you.  Maybe you cannot catch a ball (that's me).  There are other neat fun things to try out.

And nobody, but nobody at a gym is going to laugh at you when you lift one 2 lb dumbell.  They don't care.  They're struggling with their own weights.  They are dealing with their own challenges.

I'll tell you a story.  A couple of weeks ago, I was happily treadling on my treadmill and zoning out as I usually do.  Then I noticed this guy over in the mat workout section.  He grabbed a bosu, and turned it upside down so that the flat side was on the top and the wobbly dome side was up.  He then grabbed a long pole and somehow used it to climb on top of the bosu and and then balance himself with it.  I have no idea how he did this, but it was amazing to watch.  He did squats using the pole as a balance point.  It was awesome.  I bet it was really really really difficult the first time he did this.

The Reward! 

Whenever you try something new, or conquer an excuse, you grow.  You grow in your self esteem, you grow physically, emotionally.  You feel so good about yourself.  And it's all your work.   Nobody did this for you.  You did it, all by yourself.  And you are amazing!

And then, you can reward yourself with a lovely bit of knitting, crocheting, or cursing as you try to match your  points in your quilting.