Stop the Excuses

Christy Lormel has almost 12 years of experience in clinical research, health promotion, health education, and program management, Christy has been with Inova Health System for 8 years and Inova Well for almost 4 of those. In her spare time Christy enjoys teaching barre and yoga as well as spending time with her husband and 3 little ones.

We’ve all done it. It’s just so easy to do! Whether you blame it on work, family obligations, or simply being too tired, finding an excuse to miss your workout is probably a million times easier then actually completing the workout. So the real question is how does one stop doing that? There really is no easy answer to that question because the only person standing in the way is you! Get out of your own way!

If working out seems daunting, maybe you’re approaching it the wrong way. Start by changing your perspective. Find a way to make working out easy and fun. If the concept of getting up before your family and heading to the gym is too much for you, then cut out the part that seems impossible. If doing an hour workout class seems unbearable, what about a half hour class? Hate working out in general? Find a workout that is fun for you!

Not motivated? Try these workout tips below!

• Go on a jog or power walk on your lunchbreak.
• Try out the gym in your workplace!  Don’t have a gym at work? Try Inova Joan and Russell Hitt Center for Healthy Living!
• Make it a date! Take your significant other to a yoga class with you.
• Push the stroller with a girlfriend so you can catch up while burning some calories.
• Try a home workout. Pushing play in your living room can be a lot easier then driving to the gym!
• Play with your kids! Play freeze tag or chase outside to spend time with your family and get that heart rate up!
• Set up a reward system. If making it to the gym seems daunting, realizing that there is a reward at the end makes it seem doable! Eyeing those new shoes? Make it to the gym 3 days in a row and give yourself permission to buy them!
• Change it up. If you hate running on a treadmill, try running outside. Hate group fitness classes? What about personal training? Inova Joan and Russell Hitt Center for Healthy Living offers personal training or group training sessions to help you find the best type of workout for you to achieve the results you desire.

The moral of this story is you are the only person standing in the way of your workout. Finding a way to make fitness fun and enjoyable will help you stop making those excuses!

If you are struggling with identifying how to get active on your own, Inova Well can help! Try us today and find out what everyone is talking about!
Inova Well’s purpose is to create a sustained culture of wellness by leveraging our clinical expertise to provide evidence-based solutions for healthy people, healthy community and a healthy planet.
We take a whole-human approach to health and support a personalized journey to individual wellness. Contact inovawell@inova.org to get started your wellness journey, TODAY!