Excuses...

I hear excuses all the time as to why people don't exercise; however, there should be no excuse except for extreme situations. Here are a couple of reasons I heard earlier this week and reasons why they are poor excuses.

Excuse: I've tried to exercise in the past and failed
Don't throw in the towel! You can't see it when you lower your cholesterol or reduce your risk of diabetes, but that doesn't mean you aren't doing yourself a great favor. Re-evaluate what went wrong, and learn from your mistakes.
Pace yourself. Start small and build up to more intense workouts later, when your body is ready.
Set realistic goals. Don't promise yourself you're going to work out for an hour every day, and then get down on yourself when you fall short. Stick with goals you can more easily achieve, such as exercising 20 minutes a day, three days a week for the first month.
Remember why you're exercising. Use your personal fitness goals as motivation — and reward yourself as you meet your goals.

Excuse: I can't afford to buy fancy exercise equipment or join a health club
You don't need a membership at an elite gym to get a great workout. Consider common-sense alternatives.
Do strengthening exercises at home. Use inexpensive resistance bands — lengths of elastic tubing available in varying strengths — in place of weights. Lift plastic milk jugs partially filled with water or sand. Do push-ups or squats using your body weight.
Queue up an exercise video. Try videos on dance aerobics, cardio-kickboxing, yoga or tai chi. For variety, trade exercise videos with a friend or check out the options at your local library or video rental store.
Start a walking group. Round up friends, neighbors or co-workers for regular group walks. Plan routes through your neighborhood or near your workplace, along local parks and trails, or in a nearby shopping mall.
Take the stairs. Skip the elevator when you can. Better yet, make climbing stairs a workout in itself.
Try your community center. Exercise classes offered at your community center or recreation department or through your local community education group might fit your budget better than an annual gym membership.