Excuses

Excuses.

It’s easy to come up with them for just about anything. I mean, if you really don’t want to do something, there is always some excuse that you can come up with right?

Most people make up excuses for themselves, as a way to justify their actions. Such as “I don’t have time to work out after work.” Yet they have time to watch TV for a couple hours. The list is endless.

I like going to the gym, and I could probably say I love going there. I feel alive when I am driving there, when I am there and when I am finished, it makes me feel complete.

Sunday I almost skipped it, I had an excuse running through my head, thank goodness I won and not the excuse.

Saturday night, I was tossing and turning, my stomach hurt, I was hungry. This is odd as I don’t typically wake in the middle of the night hungry unless I am prepping for a competition, when I have cut calories way back. It became more than hunger, it became pain. I figured I would tough it out and try to sleep, then I heard a text message come in, the phone was in the living room.

I got up, figuring it was Cooper saying he arrived in Spain safe and sound, he is travelling with Adam for a couple weeks. I didn’t quite make it to the living room, I had to stop in the bathroom, seems I had food poisoning.

Hunched over the toilet, I  then laid on the floor a while my head spinning, if you have even been through this you know the feeling; do I dare leave the bathroom? Can I leave the bathroom?

I got up and checked the phone, yes my son made it safely to Spain and said “now go to sleep!” I headed back to the bathroom, I think I spent a couple hours on the floor wishing I would die (seems to be the general thought when this happens right?)

Back in bed finally and I woke again at 6:30 am, way past my usual waking time. I rolled over thinking there is no way I could get up let alone go to the gym and lift weights. I slept and I think I woke up about 9:00.

I sat a while wondering of I could make it. I didn’t want to miss my workout, it was Back day and I am only training Back once a week now, to miss Sunday would not be a good thing.

 I decided that I would be OK, worse case scenario I could just turn around and go home. I got there at 10:00, the day was half over!

On Friday Roy had almost admonished me when he found out I was doing my pull ups at bodyweight. “How long have you been doing that?” he asked. “A long time, too log I guess.” I vowed I would add some weight on Sunday and I wasn’t going to put it off. I found the dip belt and added a 10 pound weight, I know it’s not a lot, but if you have ever been overweight by 10 pounds, you know how it feels to have that extra weight on your body.  I did three sets of 5, a good start considering I had been sick and had the added weight.

I moved around the gym, recording my weights in my log, I didn’t go light on anything and felt surprisingly good. I finished with kettlebell snatches and was huffing ad puffing as I walked upstairs for my bag.

I went home and ate, and felt tired and even laid down a while later, and missed some meals. In fact, I ate lunch and a very late dinner, my stomach still felt churny and uneasy.

I was glad I went, glad I didn’t talk myself into coming up with an excuse.

Think about your excuses before you use them, what are you avoiding and why? Who loses when you come up with an excuse?

You do.