I’m tired. I don’t want to workout. I’ve got a huge To Do list and don’t have time. I really want this piece of cake, ice cream, brownie, pie. Sound familiar? If you’re like me, you’re full of these excuses. If I had a nickel for every excuse I used… yeah, I wouldn’t need to play the lottery. 😉
One of the most surprising things that living a healthy lifestyle has taught me is to really listen to myself and learn what drives the choices I make. I figured out some really cool stuff about myself along the way. One of the differences is that I now know when I’m making an excuse and when it’s real.
It took a lot of soul searching and introspection to get to this point. Every now and then I still use one of the old lines for not working out, but I pause and figure out what the real reason is. 99 times out of 100, I end up hitting the gym after figuring out it’s an excuse.
How do you know the difference between something real and an excuse? I read an interesting approach to weed out some of the fake reasons. Rephrase your statement using the words “It’s not a priority to me now.” Here are some of the excuses I use redone the new way:
- Eating according to my plan isn’t a priority to me now.
- Going to the gym isn’t a priority to me now.
- Losing weight isn’t a priority to me now.
Once you rephrase things, see if that makes a difference in your decision. Sometimes you’ll figure out that it does change your mind. Other times it won’t and you’ll be fine with your choice. After changing the wording, step back out of the moment of instant gratification for a second.
Take a look at the bigger picture too and think about whether the choice you’re making now is something you’ll be OK with later. If you have the piece of cake now, will you wish later that you hadn’t? If so, it could be an excuse based on how you’re feeling at that moment. Notice I said could be, not is for sure.
BUT also know that it’s OK to make the choice to not workout or to go ahead and eat the cake. This is life and it shouldn’t be filled with obligations every second. It’s OK to skip a workout every now and then even when it is an excuse. The world will not end. The important thing is to not make it a habit.
This exercise is more to focus on recognizing when something really is an excuse (not to guilt you into doing or not doing something). Once you find the real reason for your choices, your decisions will be much more educated and you’ll get some great insight into what makes you tick. Pretty cool, huh? 🙂
Tom Yum Soup
- 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp red curry paste
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 16 oz cooked shrimp, tails and shells removed
- 2 Tbsp minced green onion
- 2 Tbsp sliced fresh basil
Mix the first seven ingredients (up to the coconut milk) in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice. Heat for another 5 minutes or so until back to soup temperature.
Remove from heat and divide evenly among 4 bowls. Top each with 4 oz of shrimp and sprinkle with the green onion and basil for garnish. Makes 4 servings at approximately 155 calories each – 24g protein, 8g carbs, and 3g fat.
NOTE: I used the unsweetened coconut milk from a carton which is much lower in calories and fat than the kind that comes in a can. I prefer that since it still has the same taste as canned but it’s slightly thinner in consistency.
If you don’t like shrimp, you can substitute tofu or grilled chicken breast. I refrigerated the leftovers to take later in the week. I love LOVE Thai food. Here’s another oldie but goodie recipe that’s similar.
Do you like learning what makes you tick? Would you make all kinds of excuses for Thai food? I would. 😉
Speak Your Mind