NO EXCUSES!

So you’ve made the commitment to change. You have been inspired by someone or something. You know what you want to look and feel like. You are excited! You have told your spouse, your best friends, or maybe even a few strangers that you are ready to start the Body for Life 12 week program. You refuse to let those who doubt you stand in your way. As you begin your 12 week program you realize that the only person who stands in the way of your success is you.

At some point during the 12 weeks you may begin to feel a little overwhelmed. Some of you may begin to feel some self doubt. What do you do now? How can you be successful? The answer is quite simple: Eliminate the excuses.

I’m sick. I’m tired. I don’t have the time. I strained my muscle. I can’t afford to eat right. I don’t have any equipment. The excuses can be endless. The bottom line is everyone has an excuse, it is a matter of whether they use it or not. Choose not to use an excuse.

Chances are there will be a time in your Body for Life Challenge that you get sick. Does that mean quit the challenge? Does that mean you can’t stay the course? There will be a time you are too tired, so why not be tired after the 20 minute cardio session is over. If it has been awhile since you have been active there is a great possibility you will strain a muscle at some point. Don’t let this be the reason you stop your challenge. Eat right and take care of your injuries while continuing to work the muscles in your body that are not strained. My favorite excuse is I can’t afford to eat right. Quite honestly I don’t know how people can afford not to eat right. Besides the money you are going to save in health bills have you been to McDonalds recently? If you haven’t, good for you. If you have, you know just to feed a family of four, you are going to drop $25.00. You can save yourself hundreds of dollars a month just by not eating out. You don’t have any equipment. I would dare say there are hundreds of exercises that do not require equipment. There are also several different ways you can do cardio without a treadmill. Just ask my Father in Law, and he will tell you that the broken bottom stair in his house that was used as a step-up feels like it has been stepped onto thousands of times.

If you quit your challenge because you are waiting for the perfect 12 weeks there is a chance you will be waiting for a long time. There are certain things that will be outside of your control. Move on and do your best. Those things that you can control, CONTROL! Be a planner. Plan when you are going to exercise, plan what you are going to eat. Have something you can eat if your schedule changes. My EAS bottle was like an extra appendage. I always had a Myoplex Lite shake on hand if I was late coming home from work or if I got stuck somewhere. I am sure you have heard it a million times but if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Good Luck with your challenge and remember NO EXCUSES!