One hundred days of excellent excuses

It's been over three months since I've worked out.

Yep. You read right.

Over one hundred days since I've laced up the running shoes and hit the road, trails or yoga mat.

For those of you who know me, and what I do for fun and work, you may now bring your bottom jaw back up to it's full, upright and locked position.

"Wow! So how's that workin' out for ya'?" I hear you ask politely.

Not well.
Not well at all, my friends.
Sleep is not sweet.  I am not sweet.
Despite sharing a home with five other saints,
My hormone induced personality disorders are really not sweet.

There are lots of excellent reasons for my longtime departure from what I know to be good and right for body and soul:

• I've been very, very busy doing...er...farm stuff.
• I've been lonely.
• I've been out of sorts, off my game, upside down.
• The roads here are a death trap.
• Cars pass on the shoulder at 60 miles per hour.
• My children should not witness their mother as road-kill.
• I don't have a running buddy.
• I don't have a workout group.
• I miss All About Athlete Austin something fierce
• It's been raining, a lot.
• My fourth toe on my right foot really hurts.
• I'm out of shape and kind of embarrassed.
• It's really, really humid here.
• The effort required to even think about interviewing/joining a gym is more that I can fathom.
• I HATE running on the treadmill.
• The cost of joining a gym here is more than David will be able to ever fathom.
• Did I mention I've been really, really busy on the farm?
• Just so, so busy.
• Crazy busy.
• Doing
• Farm
• Stuff

Blah.  Blah.  Blah.

As a coach, I've been sniffing out excuses masquerading as excellent reasons from thousands of athletes over the last decade.  Each person, including me, thinks she is the lone exception to the "make time for exercise" rule.  Our excuse feels legitimate and oh-so-important.

Let's just call a spade a spade, shall we? My excellent list of reasons for why I don't bother to exercise each passing day is a growing heap of lame excuses that's starting to get really moldy and stink.

So, today I have to coach myself.  This list may help you in an endeavor where you need a little push.

• Start somewhere.  
• Pick a place today and just start.
• A little is better than nothing.
• For real.  Ten minutes is better than no minutes.
• It adds up.
• People are always nicer than you think.  
• Smile, be humble, be brave.
• No one is looking at you.
• No-one is that busy.  
• Especially me.
• Busy, productive people need exercise the most.
• Stress will come out somewhere.  
• Best if it comes out in streams of sweat instead of a huffy-puffy attitude.
• My children really need a happy mom.  
• My husband truly deserves a pleasant wife.
• Deep sleep is one great reward of physical effort.
• When I am sleeping deeply I don't think of the stink bugs under the dresser.
• Exercise makes you think about what you eat and drink.
• You do become more "health" conscious.
• Because the effort shouldn't be wasted.
• Don't wait for the right moment, feeling, weather report or personal invitation
• Just start somewhere.

I'll let you know how it works out for me.  Will you?