Top 10 Reasons to Wriggle Out of a Workout

Sometimes you’ll do anything to get out of a workout. In fact, you’d rather spend 30 minutes making up a really good excuse; time that, if you think about it, you could have totally spent (begrudgingly of course) on a quick and simple workout.

So here at Mark’s Daily Apple we thought it was time to examine some of your best excuses:


1. I’m Tired

Who’s going to argue with that? Feeling tired is your body’s way of telling you to go to sleep, and since sleep is basically the opposite of exercise. You should probably do the right thing and go to sleep. Besides, there’s always tomorrow, you’ll be far less sleepy by tomorrow.

2. I Have Kids to Take Care of

Ahhh… you parents. You’re so responsible, so dedicated, so willing to do what’s best for your child that you routinely put their needs before your own. So it makes sense to skip the workout routine. I mean, there are very few children who enjoy running around and being active. If you’ve ever tried to engage a child in a game of tag, you know that when it comes to fun physical activities, they really want no part of it, so there would certainly be no way on earth you could ever incorporate them into your exercise routine. Never. You’re far too responsible for that.

3. I Have More Important Things to Do

Being healthy is important, but let’s be honest: Bills have to be paid (having electricity and running water is pretty important), cooking needs to be done (I like to eat) and this house is a pigsty! Oh, and that new television show is premiering tonight, and it’s pretty crucial that I catch that too.

4. I Can Never Find a Parking Spot at the Gym

Every time I go to the gym, all the best parking spots are taken. In fact, I have to circle the parking lot a couple of times just to find a decent spot. And yes, I know there are always open spots along the side of the building, but then I’d have to walk just that much further. Quite frankly, the physical exertion associated with just getting into the gym is just not worth it.

5. It’s Snowing/Raining/Windy/Sunny and mid-60s

The weather man is calling for icy rain this afternoon and since he is always 100% accurate, I had better call off my workout. After all, there are no exercises that I can do in my home, no way that I could sub one workout in for another. I’ve got a routine to follow, and we all know how detrimental to our health it can be to change things up, right?

6. Exercise is Soooo Boring

Get on the treadmill and run, run, run. Hop on the bike and just pedal, pedal, pedal. Hit the weight room and just lift, lift, lift. Sometimes exercise can be boring. And what makes it more boring is the fact that there is only one or two ways to do things because the exercise industry is just one of those fields that never evolves, never develops new products or methods to do things. In fact, it’s a wonder you ever got into exercising in the first place.

7. I’ll Hurt Myself

You’d love to ramp up your exercise routine, but it’s when you push yourself that accidents happen. The solution? Keep up with your current routine. You haven’t hurt yourself so far, so you must be doing something right, right? Or, on the other hand, perhaps you should just quit exercise all together – it’s far too dangerous! After all, no one ever got sick or sustained an injury lying on the couch watching repeats of Law and Order.

8. I Can’t Afford a Gym Membership

Prices for a gym membership are through the roof and we all know you can’t exercise unless you have all the tools you need, (I mean, you did take an oath as a Boy Scout to always be prepared!) Exercising outdoors isn’t an option. Neither is stocking up on fitness DVD’s and doing those in the comfort of your own home. Isn’t it terrible not having any options?

9. I Hate Carting my Workout Bag Around

That bag is big and bulky and always smells a little bit funny. It’s a pain in the butt to remember to pack it every night (and remember to include everything) and an even bigger pain to cart it on public transportation or on your walk to work. Perhaps it makes sense to just ditch the bag (and the workout routine too). I mean, there’s absolutely no way you could pare down your bag and those lockers that you can rent out at the gym? Well, who does that? Seriously.

10. It’s Impossible to Fit Exercise into my Schedule

Remember in high school when they scheduled your workout time into gym class and you had to meet after school every day to do your sports activities? That was better… when your routine was structured. But these days, your schedule is erratic and it would be impossible to factor in a workout routine. I mean, honestly, there is no way (with your life) that you could make a commitment to make exercise a priority in your day and then schedule all the happy hours, hair appointments and other get-togethers around it.

With all the various reasons to NOT exercise it is a wonder anyone ever lifts a finger. Do you have any regular excuses you use to avoid staying active? If so, share them in the comment boards, so all of your fellow readers can use them next time they aren’t feeling up to working out! 😉

Jun Acullador, herby fr, Asurroca, RW PhotoBug, phoenixdailyphoto, Kingray, Jaseman, ebby, superminx, ‘SeraphimC Flickr Photos (CC)

Further Reading:

10 Workouts that Don’t Feel Like Workouts

More Tuesday 10 Posts

lifehack: Seven Ways to Procrastinate for Better Results

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