The other day I ran into a woman I knew in college. She’d been heavy all her life, but she began running on campus, lost weight and looked like a freaking super model.
When she graduated, she stopped running, the weight returned and she’s been quite heavy ever since. When I asked her if she still ran, she told me that she needed to run at least 5 miles every day to be as thin as she was in school, and for her it was ‘just too hard’ to do that. I responded with something to the effect of there are plenty of other ways of losing and maintaining weight, but she was defensive and I suspect wanted to argue about it, so I didn’t engage her. I didn’t want to be preachy and to each his/her own if she’s truly at peace, but this made me sad. Sure fitness is not easy to squeeze in sometimes, but I think everyone wins when we make our health a priority.
Have you come across people who defend why they can’t do something?
Here’s how last week went:
Total Mileage: 21
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6 miles with pace intervals
Wednesday: 40 minute easy run
Thursday: Running Drills, Strength
Friday: Hill repeats x 10 on mill
Saturday: Running Drills, Heavy weights
Sunday: Endurance run on treadmill 70 minutes
Pushups, corework every day.
Overall another decent week. Tuesday’s pace intervals were tough. I still struggle mentally with what I think I am capable of. Confidence is slowly growing. I have a 5k in a couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see if I’ve improved.
What I’m loving about my Race-Ready coaching plan so far:
- Weekly speedwork
- Hill workouts every other week. A love/hate thing.
- I’m running 4x/week and surviving!
- I haven’t been feeling ‘dead’ on those back-o-back running days.
Things that make me nervous:
- The long endurance runs aren’t that long…yet. I would’ve been running significantly longer on the Run Less Run Faster plan, but I will trust my coach on this.
- Fearful of injury on hill workouts, I hesitate to go too steep…but then I wonder if I’m doing enough…
for me these days it really is WHAT I CAN WHEN I CAN–but I CAN at least a little each day.
xo
Exactly Carla! Heaven help me if I had to run 5 miles every day.
I think a lot of people think that if they can’t commit to a super long work out, it’s not worth it and doesn’t do any benefit. I am doing a challenge where the workout is 12 minutes. 12 minutes! That’s easy to fit in and it gets me sweating.
As a personal trainer and Physical Educator, I’ve heard every excuse in the book. The main one is that people “don’t have time”. I know what you mean about not wanting to be preachy, but on the other hand, you’re just trying to be helpful.
Regarding your confidence level: You will conquer something this minute, this day, this week that will make you stronger in spirit. Don’t you worry. 😉
Hills: Just run up them. Look up, find a rhythm in your gait and stride, and smile when you get to the top of the stupid thing.
Have a great week!
I’m interested in your pushups…I’ve been doing them for years (the guy kind), but over the last year my wrist has been killing me when I do, almost like what I imagine carpal tunnel to be. Have you ever had wrist pain when doing a pushup?
Great work on getting the core and pushups in every day!
I think anyone who works out can answer yes to that question! I was going to say something from the personal trainer perspective, as Tiffany did. A TON of what you study is how motivated people are, and “I don’t have time” is the #1 excuse. I talk to other exercisers about this a lot.
Is your coach telling you which incline to use for hills?
For everyone (including myself) it comes down to choices and priorities. We choose how we spend our time, what we put into our bodies, how we treat other people, how we spend our money, etc. I don’t think it’s easy for any of us, it’s just more of a priority for some.
Oh yes, there are all sorts of excuses. If you really want it, you’ll find a way to make it happen!
Great week!!
Sadly I know too many people who always have an excuse (including some in my own family) and like you I don’t want to get preachy about it but it does make me a little sad.
The only place it’s hard is in the gray matter.
Great week of running, considering this freaky weather!
We all have time for the things that matter.
Great job on the week, L. You’re rocking it!
YUP! I hear it all… why they can’t follow a food plan and why they are just too busy to even walk the dog!
BUSY is a term for NOT A PRIORITY isn’t it?
That would be like me saying if I cannot be like I was in High School (5 ft 9 and 125 pounds – and bordering on bullemic) that at 45 I should chuck in the town, say F#$% IT and not try at all. I lost 40 some pounds 3 yrs ago and feel a world better. Yeh, I wish i was thinner, faster, fitter, but I am Stronger, healthier and WAY LESS BITCHY thanks to working at working at it. I cannot afford a trainer, or a gym membership. I have to suffer getting out in the cold….but I suffer with some crazy friends. AND i never want to go back to being sedentary. I do not have time to work out every day and have a supermodel bod. But i can be healthy and look after myself. I am not at the top of my age group, prob will never be fast enough to qualify for boston. ANd, am kind of my own worst critic. But I am funny, smart and feel great (if i may say so). And looking forward to loads of fun times for years to come.
For what may seem easy for some, has turned hard for others. I struggle daily with what to prioritize. Sometimes it’s easier for others to justify what should be a priority for someone. Weight loss or being healthy is a mental game. It really is. Some people have only had to deal with weight issues one time and it’s been an issue they can solve. Others it’s going to be a lifetime issue they have to keep dealing with.
Michel this is exactly why I did not suggest other ways this woman could lose or maintain her weight. Perhaps it is not her priority at all and she is at peace with where she is.
One thing that terrifies me about myself and others, is when you get stuck. If I am hanging on to something for dear life, it is a my red flag to let it go. When someone tells me, “I can’t” and defends it like it’s their child, that’s when I say adios amigos.
I funniest excuse I heard about why someone couldn’t exercise was a customer of my sister, Fiona. She once asked Fiona how she stayed slim and Fiona replied that she did some running. The lady told her she couldn’t run because it made her get out of breath. Umm yeah it does that.
When I hear someone say that they just don’t have time or care enough to exercise, I always think (and sometimes say), do you have time to be ill, the desire to have a crippled body, nobody in your life who will miss you when you die too young? People don’t get that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, that you don’t have to maintain a model’s body. Just move your body, eat less, and your lifestyle will improve and you’ll live a longer, healthier life.
Preaching to the choir here, I know, but it gets me going 🙂
Most often, “I don’t have time”=”I don’t want to.” The thing about healthy eating and exercise habits is the person has to want to do it for themselves to make it work. And if they’re not ready yet, that’s okay.
That woman sounds like my husband. Too achy, on his feet every day, no one to play volleyball/racquetball with, no time…there’s always a reason. For him, the upshot is that it’s easier to be unhappy and overweight than to take steps to do something about it. I can remember being in that place. For a long time I was pretty depressed, to the point where I was considering talking to someone about medication, but a part of me knew that what *I* (not speaking for anyone else here) needed was to get more sleep, clean my house, and (most importantly) get some exercise. I’m only about 1.5/3 on those items on most days, but it’s made a world of difference. I always invite him to join me…maybe one of these days he will.
The further a client has to go, the harder it is for me to really get them going. They want to see huge, “Biggest Loser”-like results within weeks and that just isn’t realistic, so sometimes, they bail. The first thing I tell them (and it usually gets them to relax a bit) is, “Don’t worry, you don’t have to become a runner!” Haha.
What really boggles my mind is when someone WAS fit, or at least really starting to feel the benefits of exercise, but quits anyway. I have an older relative who did this and when I bug her she just blows me off and says “Well I don’t have the time/energy to do that anymore.” It doesn’t help to tell her women OLDER than her have passed me in races…
I run into people like that all the time. Especially when I tell people they should try my bootcamp;) I don’t bother arguing my point since they will always come up with more and more excuses. Very sad:( If something is hard, many people just won’t try. I just don’t feel like you can truly live life that way.
It’s not easy for anyone. You have to make it a priority. People think I LOVE to go to the gym after work. There are so many days I would like to just go home.
I remember once someone said to a colleague,”You are lucky you can eat whatever you want.” I jumped to her defense and said, “She looks like that because she doesn’t eat whatever she wants and works out on a regular basis.”
So easy to make excuses.
I think that maybe part of her problem is the fact that she thinks running is the only solution. When I hit about 35 I had to start adding in other stuff – especially weight training in order to maintain the weight that I prefer.
Sounds like your friend is at least honest. Perhaps she will prioritize it at another time, who knows what else she is dealing with. I’m glad your own training plan is energizing you and you are doing so well with it!
It IS HARD to be healthy with it isn’t a priority or yet a healthy habit. I’m sure you will not get injured during this bout of training. You are strong and will rock it! 🙂
I read something somewhere a few years back that the people like the Biggest Loser contestants have to work out something like 2 hours a day to maintain that weight loss. It didn’t make sense to me because your body’s metabolism should adjust to your new normal weight and if you eat properly it shouldn’t be an issue. But that always stuck with me and I think people who are losing weight might fall into that philosophy and think that’s the way it is. Doesn’t help when it says crazy stuff like that on the internet.
Sounds like a good week to me! It’s hard to follow a running plan that doesn’t suit your style I’m finding. I would be thrilled with a run less run faster plan.
I had been up and down my whole life. I was a fat kid – seriously overweight and didn’t lose it until my late 20’s. Then I had kids and put it all back on, plus some. Then 2 years ago I said screw this & lost it and have kept it off. It’s definitely a choice. There is always time to squeeze in a workout if you really want to lose weight that badly.
I need my running for so much more than weight loss.
I’ve always been a manic chubby kid, but running has restored balance into my life in a way diet and anything else couldn’t.
I hope she’s happy regardless of her workouts.
i get too frustrated with people like that. Like you said, it doesn’t have to be just running. Main excuses i hear are time and “I hate exercising”
I would say being healthy is super hard. Every day is a battle and it is never easy. For those who maybe don’t deal with food addiction or eating disorders it might come a little easier although not easy I know. But you never know what folks are dealing with. Although I lost about 165 lbs it is no easier at 235 pounds than it is at 400. Every day is exhausting thinking about eating healthy or living healthy.
I do know a lot of people that say it is too hard or they don’t like this or that. I try to tell them to find things they like to just move – it does not have to be traditional workouts.. but for some it comes down to their own personal willingness to put in the time & find what works for them. We can’t make them do it.. I encourage but I can’t make someone do something they insist they can’t do… hopefully for people I see all the time, the encouragement & just saying do what works for you eventually sinks in…