It feels almost easy when you’re in the flow of eating well and exercising regularly. You fall into a natural rhythm. You’re consistently going to the same classes at the gym and regularly prepping food on the weekends. It’s all clicking! But unfortunately, that’s the exception, not the norm, and many of us find ourselves in seasons of excuses, and boy do we love to lean on our excuses.
- I’m tired, and ordering pizza feels easier than cooking.
- It’s been a long week, and I don’t have the energy to work out.
- I deserve dessert as a reward after a hard week.
- I don’t like the way healthy food tastes.
Do any of those sound familiar?
These kinds of excuses may feel valid at the time, but they’re often lies that keep you from realizing your potential when it comes to your fitness and nutrition goals. Today we’ll cover the top 8 excuses that are holding you back from healthy eating and exercise and how you can get past them.
1. I don’t like the way healthy food tastes.
This is a HUGE one for people trying to change their palate toward a healthier diet. We’ll hear people say, “It’s hard for me to eat and drink these things because I just don’t like the taste.”
Much of the reason why “healthy” food doesn’t taste good is that we’re used to a diet full of processed ingredients, too much salt, and too much sugar. So step one to overcoming the issue to taste is to slowly change your taste buds (yes, this happens, and it only takes a few weeks to taste a noticeable difference!)
Get over it: Go back to the nutritional basics. Focus on getting as many real, whole foods as possible. Check out the nutrition labels on foods you eat that are in packaging. What added ingredients are you seeing in your diet that you can cut out? Are there ingredients you can add yourself while you cook food? Use butter, salt, and sauces at home to get food to taste more palatable while you’re in the process of changing your taste buds. Once you’ve been able to convert your taste buds, you should be able to taste the flavor of raw vegetables and not need to drown them in sauces to choke them down. Yes, that’s right, healthy food can taste good!
2. I deserve this.
“I’ve worked out 5 days this week, I deserve a cheat meal. I had a really stressful week at work, I deserve this piece of cake.”
Do you? What you deserve is giving your body the best. You deserve a body and mind that function at the highest capacity.
Get over it: Change your mindset from desserts being something you deserve to other healthier options instead. Why not deserve a long walk with your spouse and kids? You certainly deserve a few moments of stillness, calm, and meditation. A big salad with your favorite protein and veggies is certainly a reward you deserve!
Life is a gift. Your body is a gift. We need to appreciate, take care of it, and fuel it right. You don’t deserve bad things; you deserve the best.
3. I don’t have support.
Picture this: you’re ready to embark on your exercise or food journey, but your family is not on board. Your spouse says no way to family walks after dinner, and the kids refuse to eat veggies. That’s a reality, and it’s hard. You can’t just say, out with all the things your family loves, no more pizza or chicken fingers, kids!
Get over it: Start with education for yourself and your family. Figure out what good food does and what unhealthy food does. Can you make a swap to something a little healthier without sacrificing the taste your family is used to? Focus on small steps over time. If your family isn’t budging, look for support elsewhere. Maybe it’s a friendship circle, a gym community, or a nutritionist that’s on the same page. What matters is that you find someone that can support you until your family gets on board.
4. I want to start, but I have too much coming up.
Whether it’s holidays, birthdays, or weddings, there’s always something right around the corner. Of course, it’s fun to look forward to these celebrations, but you may also use them as an excuse because why start today if you’re just going to blow your diet on Saturday.
Get over it: It’s never a good time to start an exercise or healthy eating plan. And if you’re living life properly, you’re celebrating a lot. You’re celebrating milestones and accomplishments in your family; you’re celebrating life! So what you need to figure out is how you can celebrate alongside a good diet. It takes planning, prioritizing, and commitment. Absolutely you should savor a piece of the wedding cake, but that doesn’t mean you need to go wild with your eating all weekend.
5. It’s expensive to eat healthily.
Veggies, fruits, quality animal products, nuts, and seeds, these foods are all expensive. And sadly, they probably have a higher price tag than most highly processed food.
Get over it: Yes, healthy eating is expensive, but it’s really expensive to be sick. Healthcare bills add up fast, and lifestyle diseases, like obesity and type 2 diabetes, can lead to expenses that last a lifetime. Instead of buying cheaper, often processed food, assess your financial picture and look at where you’re prioritizing your money. To make your meals less expensive, go back to basics. You don’t need elaborate meals. You don’t need 20 ingredients in everything you make. Instead, focus on buying meat and vegetables and simple whole-food snacks. Our body likes to eat that way, and it’s more cost-effective to do so.
6. I don’t like exercise.
If you were raised playing sports, you probably enjoy exercise more than someone who wasn’t. However, sweating, lifting heavy things, and doing hard things can all be major turn-offs for people who don’t have a history of exercise.
Get over it: Find something you do like. If you thrive in a group setting, find a group fitness class instead of joining a gym to go alone. Talk to people, explore your options, and try new things! Between yoga, barre, walking, HIIT, CrossFit, and the list goes on, you’re bound to find something you’ll enjoy.
7. I don’t have time to exercise.
We have so many commitments, and time is a real issue for many people, especially parents raising children. But before you add exercise to an already overflowing plate, you need to remove something first.
Get over it: It’s time to prioritize what’s important. Figure out what you can delegate, where you’re wasting time, or things you can put off until later. And you don’t need to clear a full hour each day; instead, start small with 20 or 30 minutes and build from there.
8. I’m so tired, I can’t exercise.
The fatigue is real y’all. Whether it’s kids waking you up in the night, losing sleep over problems at work or home, or just not having enough hours to be in bed, there’s always too little rest in our lives. But the truth is, exercise actually gives you energy!
Get over it: Give yourself 10 minutes to get your heart rate up and flush out fluids that make you feel sluggish. Commit to 10 minutes a day for 4 days a week, and we guarantee those energy levels will change. Then, you won’t use this particular excuse unless you’re exhausted.
The Last Word About Excuses Keeping You From Healthy Eating and Exercise
These excuses are not doing you any favors. Write them down, call them out, name them, and throw them away. That’s our challenge to you. When you hear yourself dropping an excuse, ask yourself if it’s true. We think you’ll find that the excuses are easily overcome more often than not.
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