Coach Tip Tuesday: You Can Have Excuses, or You Can Have Results

You’ve done it.  I’ve done it.  Come up with a “reason” that was actually an excuse to not work out.  To not put in the work that we need to put in to reach our goals.  But guess what, my friends?  You can have excuses, or you can have results.

The most successful athletes are successful because they don’t accept excuses from themselves.  They cultivate the habits that will allow them to be successful, reach their potential, and smash their goals.  It is true that every one of us will encounter true REASONS why we can’t do something - injuries, illness, family obligations, that dreaded four-letter word called work, etc.  The trick lies in determining whether the reason is a reason, or if it is an excuse.

All of us are busy, and while a busy schedule is certainly trickier to work with, it’s not impossible.  With planning, it’s possible to work within that and still be active and reach your goals.  Are you someone who tends to get caught up in your day as it goes along?  You might benefit from planning to get your workouts in earlier in the day.  Are you someone whose kids wake them up at 5:00 a.m. and then it’s go time until they go to sleep at night?  The treadmill might just be your very best friend at 8:30 p.m.  

One of the biggest “reasons” besides being busy that I hear is that an athlete feels tired.  While fatigue management is certainly a very important part of any solid training plan, the truth of the matter is that all athletes need to learn to work through fatigue.  Yes, there is a limit to this, but generally speaking, we aren’t all going to be fresh as daisies every day of our lives.  Learning how to function in endurance events under fatigued conditions is actually a really valuable skill.  Thus, I try to encourage athletes to shift their mindset from tiredness and fatigue being a “bad” thing to a mindset where they are embracing a challenge that will ultimately help make them stronger.

The less excuses you make, the greater your results will be. These things go hand-in-hand; don’t think that they are mutually exclusive. The next time you tell yourself, “Oh it’s okay if I skip my workout today or if I modify things on my own because…….”, I encourage you to really look yourself in the mirror and be honest. Are you seeking or creating an excuse? Or do you truly have a valid reason for what you’re doing? Don’t exhibit self-limiting behavior by creating excuses. Instead, create unlimited possibilities for yourself by closing that door on excuses. Get the results that you all deserve, my friends. :)