There Is No Good Reason...

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...why you shouldn't be or can't be working out on a regular basis. 

I am the unofficial queen of justifying bad behavior. (ie spending more money than we have, eating more cookies than any human being should in one sitting, etc.) One of the justifications I have struggled with the most in my life has revolved around NOT exercising. Here is a list of my top excuses and the solutions I have found to overcome each obstacle:

• Excuse: I have a plethora of chronic conditions that make exercise challenging. My neck injury and curved spine pose the most consistent problems. I can't seem to do a standard workout routine without injuring myself... even if I do the routine correctly.
• Solution: I have to do low-impact aerobic exercises such as walking. I have also had success using an elliptical trainer.

• Excuse: I can't afford to join a gym.
• Solution: I walk at parks when it's nice outside and I walk in the mall when it's not. Yes, it's true. I have joined the ranks of the elderly mall walkers. They love seeing the kids and the kids love seeing them. I also use the elliptical at my parents' house. Ask around, I bet you know people with dusty exercise equipment that would let you use it.

• Excuse: I don't have time to exercise.
• Solution: I don't have time not to exercise. I am a better mommy, a better wife and a better me when I find the time to take care of myself. As seasons of life change, my workout routine has changed. I have learned to be flexible about when and where I fit it in. (OK, as flexible as a rigid person can possibly be.)

• Excuse: I have kids. Need I say more?
• Solution: Explain to the kids how important exercise is. If they help you exercise, give them a reward. If we walk at the park, the kids play at the playground after the workout. If we walk at the mall, the kids play at the indoor play area after the workout. If we are at my parents' house, my kids have to stay in the room with me. I put a movie in for them and let them play with any electronic game we have handy.

• Excuse: My son threw up basically 24 hours a day for the first year of his life and screamed in pain if we let him cry. Which meant I had to hold him most of that year. 
• Solution: When he was too sick for the stroller, I strapped him in the Baby Bjorn and walked while pushing the empty stroller. When Gigantor became too heavy for the Baby Bjorn, I bought another one with extra lumbar support... and we kept walking.

• Excuse: I hate exercising because it's boring.
• Solution: I downloaded Netflix onto my iPhone. I watch 24 while I use the elliptical. Let me just explain to you how much harder I work when Jack Bauer is narrowly escaping death... again. I look forward to working out because I can't wait to see what happens next.

The point? There will always be excuses for not working out. But there will never be one that is good enough to keep you from doing it. You are way too important NOT to take care of you. Be diligent in finding a way to make it work for you. And be prepared to be flexible enough to figure out something new when life happens and your current plan doesn't work anymore. I only have two more seasons of 24 left... I'll be adapting before the summer hits.