I can't go to gym, I don't have the time..........

What is the most common excuse you have heard regarding not being able to go to the gym or take up morning runs? Funny enough I hardly ever hear people complain about the cost of signing up for gym membership. It is always only about “I do not have the time”. Most people I know always say 

I can't do mornings

My schedule is too tight,

I am too busy,

I have too many things to do after work

I am a wife, I have to cook

I am a mother, I have to help with homework

Etc etc etc

While I do not dispute all these valid reasons, the truth is, people who go to gym all do actually have tight schedules, but they sacrifice a bit of time for gym. I also do not dispute that in some exceptional cases, some people do have very tight schedules perhaps in relation to work. As for the rest I believe where there is a will, a way surely can be found. Gym takes sacrifice, you need to sacrifice an hour within your day to be able to attend to your body. If you can find time to go for tea with the girls after work, surely you can find time to go to the gym, if you can find time to pass by the grocery store after the gym, surely you can find time to go to the gym, if you can find time to rush home and sit in front of the tv and stare at your tv, surely you can find time to go to the gym, of course this can only happen “if you want to attend gym”…………….. 

Personally, if I do not want to go to gym, I can come up with a thousand believable excuses, and yes I can be very busy when I want to, half the time when I am not at the gym, I’m probably at home sitting in front of my tv, eating ice cream. Yes I have chores too, cooking, running after my toddler, But 30 minutes in the gym, surely cannot hinder me from being able to do all that. It is almost like running, you can never put a runner down, if a runner wants to run, a runner will run. A runner will delay departure time of a trip just so he/she can squeeze a morning run before the trip is undertaken. A runner would rather postpone weekend travel to Saturday instead of Friday evening, just so he/she can fit in a long run before travel takes place. Runners have a bit of “crazy”or “cuckooness” in them, you can hardly ever put a runner down, the truth is “where there is a will, there is a way”.  Sacrifice is the name of the game. Surprisingly  some of us who've done this for a while also do come up with excuses every now and then, the most recent one i can think of is normally in relation to the rain, whereby when you wake up and hear tiny drops of drizzle, you quickly tell yourself you're not going for a run because it is raining, when deep down you know that it is hardly raining outside, but since it works in your favour to tell your conscience that you cannot run, you come up with that very convenient excuse. 

When I started gym, some 10 years ago, I used to go twice a day, mornings and evenings, I had no responsibilities then, well I did have curfew at home, so after work I would rush to gym, squeeze in some 40 minutes of training then speed home to cook for my parents in time for my curfew. Now I am a mother and a wife, and I run too, back then I didn’t run, the running has sort of made me lazy in the sense that, I feel there is no need to go to gym because I run, which I believe is a wrong mentality. I almost always have to really force myself to go to the gym nowadays, I suppose I too have that common syndrome of having the “I do not have time” excuse. I prepare my gym bag every day when I go to work, with the intention that after work the trip to the gym shall happen. It does not always happen, however I do try to attend, believe me its not easy, it was easier 10 years ago, the only motivating thing right now is that I’m wiser and hence I know the benefits of gym. 

Unfortunately in our adult life, gym/training is necessary for our wellbeing mentally, physically, emotionally. There is a therapeutic/healing effect that gym/ training provides that is simply priceless. Work can be exhausting, family life can be demanding, life in general can put pressure on you as a person, gym helps you distress from all pressures, known and unknown, gym is not for weight loss only, gym takes effort, gym is for your health, your fitness your wellness, your emotional wellbeing, it is a necessity. If you do not take care of your body, no one else will. 

“You only get one body; it is the temple of your soul. Even God is willing to dwell there. If you truly treat your body like a temple, it will serve you well for decades. If you abuse it you must be prepared for poor health and a lack of energy.”  ― Oli Hille, Creating the Perfect Lifestyle