Excuse Epidemic!

Tis’ the season to be jolly, right?

For some, yes, but for the majority, this is the season to come up with excuse after excuse as to why your health should take a back seat during this time of year, and it makes NO SENSE!

Part of the definition of an epidemic is an outbreak of disease. Sadly, in gyms all over the world, the months of November to January are an outbreak of excuses.

“It’s hard to wake up and get motivated when it’s so dark out!”

“I’ll take a break and start fresh in the New Year.”

“I need to save money, so I’ll stop training at a gym.”

These are just a few of the most common excuses people can have to justify what, in reality, is a lack of discipline and drive.

This article will provide advice, tips and mindset shifts so YOU can break through the “excuse epidemic” and thrive mentally and physically during these low-motivation months.

Excuse 1: It’s hard to wake up in the dark.

We agree! So maybe there is a better way to wake up rather than in a dark room with an annoying alarm. One really neat item to help with that is a sunrise alarm clock. These clocks will gradually become brighter closer to your wake-up time. Now you’ll wake up motivated with some light! Here are a few of the best ones according to Best Products Canada. We promise that we don’t have shares in Sunrise Alarm Clocks, but maybe we should ;)

Excuse 2: You’ll take a break until the New Year, then come back fresh!

Coming back fresh…Let’s look at what coming back fresh would probably mean if taking a break until the New Year. Unless you have a crazy strong will and a particular goal for your health and fitness, chances are that you will find the bottom of your discipline bucket pretty quickly. Christmas, work parties, family reunions, New Year festivities and more! Do you have enough discipline in your bucket to make only healthy choices when it comes to food, drinks and sleep schedule during this time of year?

The answer for 99% of people is NO. Routine is your best friend. If you lose it, you’ll be in a deep dark hole that’s incredibly challenging to get out of. Therefore coming back fresh is actually harder than continuing with some degree of let-go.

Our recommendation is simple. Don’t stop! But here is the important part - You don’t have to be as strict, consistent and intense as you usually are. For example, coming to the gym with a simple mindset of moving vs performing or competing can go a long way towards making the process of just showing-up much easier mentally. We all know that once we show-up, we’ll be okay and happy we did. So don’t pressure yourself into it. Come to move and have fun, the benefits will be tenfold.

Excuse 3: I need to save some money.

If you lost your job, got a pay cut, were forced to take time off work, etc. If your revenue has changed, it makes total sense.

Shelter, food and health are top necessities. If you need to save money for shelter, food and health, absolutely! The problem is that the “saving money” excuse usually happens during this time of year, when we mix up our priorities by taking some money we put into our long-term health (gym membership) and putting it into shiny little or big things that are not necessities.

We are not financial advisors, and we by no means want to tell you how to spend your money. But it’s been scientifically proven that exercise plays a major role in your long-term health.

We have a great analogy, and mindset shift that we think can help you. It's called "VOTE FOR YOURSELF."

Let’s just say that every time you perform an action that is in line with a habit that makes you healthier (for instance - going to the gym), you are adding one vote towards being this person that you aspire to be - one that loves to exercise, feels good, has energy, is healthy and overall very happy. On the flip side, every time you perform a bad habit, you are adding one vote towards this person you don’t want to be (for instance - staying in bed instead of going to the gym, watching Netflix instead of prepping so you can workout tomorrow, cancelling your gym membership so you can buy this shiny new car, etc.).

Just like elections, there will be votes for both sides. You don’t have to be perfect! You just have to ensure that the person you want to be wins the majority of votes!

That's all for now, folks. If you have any questions, please message me at info@ocfit.ca.

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