Fitness

13 Excuses Super-Fit Chicks Never Make

Hate to exercise? These expert tips will motivate you to reach for your running shoes

by Sarah Carrillo

2 of 14

The Excuse: "I'm already skinny, what's the point?" Getting thin isn't the only (or even the best) reason to exercise. Whether you need to lose weight or not, our experts say you should approach your workout with a clear goal in mind. This could be anything from looking better in your skinny jeans to finishing a 5K.

Gervais says before you even start a workout program, you need to ask yourself a few questions: 1. What is my goal? 2. What do I need to do to get there? 3. How do I want to experience this journey? And of course, there are a few things to keep in mind with each of these questions:

For the first one, Gervais says your goal should be about approaching success instead of avoiding failure. It's really all in how you phrase it. So instead of making your goal "I don't want to be the fatty in Pilates class anymore," a better goal would be "I want to be able to make it through a Pilates class and still have energy for a quick run after." A positive goal gives your mind a clearer path to follow and gives you a higher likelihood of success.

When it comes to the "hows" of achieving your goal, celebrity trainer Aaron Williamson says there are plenty of resources available to help you map out a journey. "You can always go to a website to get a program customized for you," he says. "There are tracking mechanisms built in � each day you'll be able to see your overall performance and it will let you know if you're staying on track or not."

And as for how you'll experience your workout journey, Gervais says it's important to realize that it won't be all sunshine and rainbows. "Change is met with resistance internally," he says, so you need to be honest and allow yourself to experience some frustration and anger.

SEE NEXT PAGE: The Excuse: "Exercise is boring"

EDITORS' BEST OF

12 Best Acne Products for Your Clearest Skin Yet

11 Best Tinted Moisturizers for Easy, On-the-Go Coverage

leave a comment

Older comments

That's true not because you are skinny you can't eat anything. Exercise and proper nutrition is the key to be a healthy you

by Carl30 Friday, April 19, 2013 at 08:26AM Report as inappropriate

Great tips!

by tallredamanda Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 03:41PM Report as inappropriate

Interesting tip's... great advice if only I wasn't sick with LUPUS def. would love to be able to it all..

by Tlee Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 10:12AM Report as inappropriate

Dang! I just got my slap in the face.

by Sari Monday, January 7, 2013 at 09:34PM Report as inappropriate

Love this. It just killed every excuse I've ever made and some I never even thought of.

by NillaButterfly Monday, December 24, 2012 at 09:18PM Report as inappropriate

Darn, this article shot down all my excuses. Now I guess I'll have to get off my lazy butt and exercise!

by WiccanLady Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 02:40PM Report as inappropriate

Great article.

by nicky22 Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 11:41AM Report as inappropriate

This article does a nice job at pointing out hurtles in adopting a lifestyle of working out. It does not however emphasize the lifestyle changes needed to keep fit beyond working out. Simply creating habits like walking a mile to work from the bus stop and going out of your way to be thoughtful of the food you eat, makes a much greater difference in health than a rigorous work out regime without lifestyle change.

by summerlotus5 Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 06:11AM Report as inappropriate

Definitely guilty of a few of these

by kimihavens Monday, November 5, 2012 at 12:57PM Report as inappropriate

excuses come so easily! i used to do that and ever since i just stopped making them, i have been feeling so much better about myself and it feels great!

by danny54f Friday, October 12, 2012 at 09:00AM Report as inappropriate