Excuses... who are we kidding?

Excuses... the lil fibs and lies we tell ourselves and others to justify our actions or lack of actions and convince ourselves that they are okay. Certainly doesn't help when others create excuses for you either. Wow Preseason Task #2 really opened up a can of worms. Since completing the task, I have continued to find more excuses and have still used a few :( naughty I know lol

The more I think about the task, the more I think about all the tiny internal conversations I have had with myself. The ones where I tell myself it's too early to get up to exercise and I need more sleep, it's too hot/cold/rainy right now, something else is more important right now (e.g. work related tasks, cleaning, relaxing, socialising) and I bargain with myself "to do it later". Let alone if I have had my hair done... no one needs sweat making their hair frizzy before they go out! Better still are the conversations where you debate with yourself whether you should or shouldn't eat the chocolate biscuit/icecream/bag of chips/*insert any naughty food* - I've worked out today so it's okay, I have been good all day so why not, I missed morning tea and lunch so lets make up for it now or I've already eaten X,Y or Z (all naughty foods) so the day's healthy eating is already ruined.

Being an emo-eater doesn't help. More excuses can be created. I feel tired/sick/cranky/sad/upset/bored I need something to make me feel better/perk me up. We all feel a million emotions a day so I don't even want to begin to think of all the excuses I could actually use to eat badly or not exercise or both! lol

Then the lovely realities of life... too busy, late night back at work, living alone and cooking for one, parties/celebrations, medical emergencies, family emergencies etc... all give nice 'outs' to exercise and eating healthy.

Physical conditions use to also be a nice way out of exercise. My back is sore so I can't push myself as hard or my most unique excuse which even though was based on medical advice I used to take a more relaxed, easy workout with my Ex-Personal Trainer - The Patulous Eustachian Tube Excuse. (A Patulous Eustachian Tube for anyone who has NFI what I am talking about, is a rare physical disorder which in a nutshell means the tube between the nose and ear drum that generally is closed stays open. As a consequence, you hear your own voice amplified in your ear, your hearbeat and your breathing. It is kind of like having a bucket on your head.) I was diagnosed with this condition at the start of 2010 and was given the advice from the specialist that generally people with this condition were people who had lost excessive amounts of weight quickly e.g. Anorexics and people who were terminally ill, but more importantly there was no real cure and suggested I put on weight or get pregnant to try and calm the symptoms. Well... hello ticket to slacking off in training! I still wanted to lose the remaining weight I was carrying but this was a nice little way to procrastinate making progress.

After suffering a nasty ankle injury when hiking in the Grand Canyon late last year with work I realised physically you can push through any pain or discomfort (within reason of course). I figured if I could manage to hike 10km out of the canyon in 38degree heat up a steep, winding incline on one leg with no support and immense pain... then my headache, sore back, tiredness etc really are no excuse to not exercise.

From completing the task I have realised 3 core things that are necessary for success in achieveing my goals:

• Organisation - the more organised I am at home preparing food for the next day, ensuring I always have gym clothes ready to go = no excuses in not working out/eating well.
• Routine - if my exercise is booked in to fit with my schedule = no excuses there is no time because time has been allocated
• Flexibility - if unforseen events occur work around them, rearrange the days plan and don't just cut out the exercise or eat fast food.

Having just been on school holidays for 6 weeks my normal routine has disappeared. Sleeping in, too much socialising and plenty of time to "put things off till..." have allowed me to still practice the art of excuses. I am very glad in an odd way to be back at work. Routine is back and so is the need to be organised. If things come up I need to remember to be flexible and slot my exercise in around the hickup/obstacle thats presented itself.

I know since signing up for the 12wbt, some excuses have still been used.... some justifications for eating cheese and some icecream, along with limited exercise. This weekend I hope to nut out this week's eating and exercise plan, including getting back to the gym (have not been once this year yet).

Time to cut the crap and JFDI... am only hurting myself if I don't and the longer I stay unhappy and self-conscious about my body image.