No more excuses

Okay. I know we all have plenty of excuses lined up for why we don't work out or get healthy like we should. My personal favorite is "I don't have enough time." So here's a list of common excuses and some good ways to beat them:

Not Enough Time

• Exercise first thing in the morning. You'll not only feel energized for the rest of the day and have that metabolism boost I posted about previously, but your work out won't get in the way of other activities.
• Go for a walk during any sort of break you have.
• Don't drive anywhere unless you absolutely have to.
• Take the stairs! I cannot emphasize this enough. It's such an easy way to burn some extra calories, not to mention tone your butt.
• Combine exercise with other activities. The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) Had the wonderful idea to have walking meetings with friends, colleagues, etc.
• Get your priorities straight! Don't let other things get you sidetracked. Do your workout first. You'll feel more pumped to get other shit done.

Icky Weather

• Invest in good exercise clothing. You'll feel better. And the heat, cold, rain is no excuse. People have been through much worse hardships.
• Get some hand weights and a mat (if you want one) and do some abdominal workouts, arm workouts, and even squats or lunges while you're watching TV.
• Indoor Options! Get a gym membership (sooo worth it), or Exercise videos. Netflix has a wide variety available to watch instantly. I personally recommend any of the Self workout videos. They are easy to follow, and not that difficult.

Tired

• Get an exercise buddy! This is my favorite. You can keep each other going. Another person gives you motivation, not to mention a little mental competition to keep pushing yourself. Better yet, a distraction. There is nothing like doing some cardio with a friend then looking at the clock and realizing "Holy shit! I passed 30 minutes!"
• Work out in the morning (are you convinced yet?) Mental fatigue will have you talking yourself out of it if you wait too long. If you really don't like the idea of doing it first thing, give it a sincere effort for a month of working out, and then you can move to a more suitable time for you.
• Get your sleep. Don't stay up late. Establish a routine that gives you at LEAST 8 hours of sleep and never go less than 7 hours. Trust me this works. And you will look better. Your complexion will look rejuvenated and healthy. Not to mention you'll have a much better attitude.
  
• Find something you enjoy doing, that helps you relieve stress, or gives you the social time you need. Or what I love, the alone time. If you fulfill one of these needs you will find yourself looking forward to being active.