Some may think this post is harsh. So if you're sensitive, get offended or upset easily, then it's your choice to read it. This is the whole truth based on my opinion and experiences. The world is filled with people making excuses for themselves for anything and everything they can possibly think of. Health, money, jobs, exercise, family, time, vacations, chores, whatever. Basically people make excuses for anything they do not want to do so they can make themselves feel better about the situation. I'm no exception to this terrible habit. For nearly 19 years of my life I made excuses for why I was overweight or bordering being overweight, why I couldn't (or wouldn't) exercise or eat better, and why I didn't prioritise my health. There are definitely other things that I still make excuses for today - but we're talking about health. I've reach a stage where I know what I want for myself and I am going to do all I can to make sure that no matter how old I get, I am going to try to be in the best health that I possibly can be without overdoing anything. I'm definitely not where I should be in terms of physical and mental health, but I'm getting there. I've realised that no one is going to help me if I keep on making excuses for myself. If you don't take the first step, no one's gonna be able to help you along the way. I know that I and all the other people who do things to benefit their health, are probably the minority when it comes to the general population. Everyone says "I care about my health", "I take care of myself", "I'm healthy" but are you, really? If you are not bothered with improving your health, if you can honestly say that you are completely happy with the way you are, then good for you because that's what everyone else wants to achieve. But if you're not happy, if you say that you want to change, that you want things to improve, then are you really doing everything you can or are you making excuses for yourself? If it is the latter, then hopefully you realise the one person who is suffering because of your shit excuses is YOU. (and yes they are always shit excuses) Some people still believe that things like heart attacks, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, strokes, sometimes even obesity, cannot be helped. That it happens if you're unlucky. That these things creep up on you and there is "nothing much you can do to prevent it." The absolute worst excuse I've heard is that everyone has to die somehow, so why not "enjoy your life" and "do whatever you want to do" until you die. What I've noticed (and been upset about) is that so many things that people in the first world suffer from, get sick with, die from, to some extent, could have been avoided if they chose to live a better life and care about their bodies. But hey, *insert excuse here* and let's pretend it's not a problem because we don't have it yet. Some people even make jokes about cancer or getting a stroke like that's actually something to joke about. Sure, none of us are perfect and there are countless things that even the healthiest person can still get - after all, no one's immune. Considering the world we live in and the upbringing many of us have had, we may not be able to bring our chances of getting cancer or suffering from a heart attack down to 0. BUT if you can choose to eat better, exercise and in exchange know that you have given yourself a better chance, that maybe that chance of getting a stroke one day has reduced from 40% to 5%, wouldn't you want that? BNow, what good do your excuses do for you?
Cause it's just easier to eat some bacon and eggs for breakfast instead of finding a tastier and healthier alternative? Cause you just can't resist refined sugar in your snacks and desserts? Cause it's "normal" to have milk and cheese and meat so it can't be that bad? And let's not forget, because "I don't have time to exercise" is a legit excuse EVERYONE uses yet many of these same people have time to binge watch their favourite tv shows. 20 minutes of a workout is really so hard when you NEED to binge watch 5 hours worth of tv isn't it? Here's a tip: If you actually wanted to, you can watch your fave tv show AND workout at the same time - I do this literally for every workout now. I'm not trying to be unreasonable. There is a massive difference between having a REASON that you're unable to do something and having an EXCUSE. And you need to learn the difference so that you can wake up and do something that benefits you. Some people have to work multiple jobs with crazy hours and are exhausted when they come home- that's a reason. Some people don't earn enough money at their jobs so buying a $2 burger for lunch looks more appealing than spending $50 worth of groceries for the week cause they still have bills to pay - that's a reason. Some people have no help with families they need to look after, kids or parents or little siblings that they need to do heaps for - that's a reason. BUT If you don't have the time to workout cause you HAVE to watch tv - that's an excuse If you don't eat better because it's "not convenient" but you're happy to take the time to deep fry some chicken - that's an excuse If you like to get shitfaced all weekend so you "might as well eat shit the rest of the time" - that's an excuse If you don't want to eat better because you "like cheese/bacon/sugar" too much - that's an excuse If you say "But i've always lived this way" - that's an excuse If you think it's too hard without even trying - that's not just an excuse, that's pathetic. And all of these excuses are one that I have used. They came out of my mouth to try to justify my unhealthy habits. Do you think some of them sound familiar? When you do have the time and the resources, why don't you at least try. Don't make an excuse, pick something you can manage and do it. Do it for you. Do it for your health, for your future, do it for your family - because no one wants to watch their family get sick, suffer and die prematurely. And for those of you who might want to get mad because you think I don't understand what it's like to grow up being unhealthy: I made excuses too. I lived my life putting disgusting foods into my body and being completely unhealthy. So I know how much of an excuse saying "I was brought up this way" is. I loved cheese and ice cream and cakes and chicken and sugar and literally everything that was bad for me. KFC and Burger King/Hungry Jacks was my favourite for years. I love cheese fries and mountain dew and I died for those Hershey's Pies. I always said I couldn't exercise cause it was "too hard". I made excuses for P.E, I once even pretended to throw up so I could get out of a run that I NEEDED to pass my fitness test in secondary school. When I was in school, about 2-3 times a week I would have 2 dinners, one with my friends at a fast food place and another at home about 2 hours after the first. Eventually I stopped doing it but how disgusting was I to force myself to eat that much food. If I was at a buffet or having a good meal at home I would force myself to have to have sometimes up to 5 or 6 rounds even if I got full after 2 plates. I can clearly remember being in Primary school and forcing myself to eat a ridiculous amount of chicken from a dish my grandma cooked because I loved it that much. It was probably enough for 3 meals, but I just kept going because it tasted so good. When I did start to exercise and eat better, yeah it was hard, it was like torture some days. I wanted cheese fries and brownies all the time. But then you feel the difference, you see the changes, you realise why this helps and why people who do it keep doing it. And then I stopped making excuses because it was easier to eat better and exercise than it was to deal with bloating and stomach aches and getting sick all the time or to deal with my body that I knew I didn't like and wishing I looked better in a dress but trying to convince myself that no matter what this is my body and I have to love it, but I still kinda didn't. (Blog post about loving my body HERE.) What has made me so upset about all these issues with health and people making excuses for themselves, is when I look at my 80 year old granddad in a hospital bed, complaining of pain, refusing dialysis because of his fear or needles, being scared of dying every single day and always saying that he wants to go home, all because of how he chose to live his life. Every single things he has now, could have been managed and could have been prevented if he had chose to be healthy. I know for a fact, it is easier to do this now than to end up even a little bit like him. People say he chose to enjoy his life - and apparently it's worth it to do this. But is all that time "enjoying" yourself really worth all this? He's been sick for longer than I've been alive, and recently saw it take the worst hit. And for what? "enjoyment" they claim. It is not worth it to not do it and claim I am "enjoying my life" when in fact I am happier today with myself, my body, how I feel and what I can do than I ever was before I started it. So wake the fuck up, and stop making excuses for your health.
2 Comments
Anelza_irsa
19/5/2016 10:56:31 am
Hi Aly!
Reply
Aly R
19/5/2016 12:39:56 pm
Hi Azlena,
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Get Started With Yoga!
|