How many excuses have you used over the years to avoid getting in shape? We all have them. The truth about excuses is they keep you from reaching your goals taking control of your health.

Let’s cover some of the most common excuses and try to motivate ourselves to get over them and start working towards those fitness goals.

Excuse #1 – I don’t like to be hungry

The truth is, no one does. And you don’t ever have to be. As Darin Olien points out in his book Superlife your body actually needs quite a lot of food, so eat away. Just be aware that healthier more nutrient dense foods will actually fill you up better, faster and more sustainably.

Excuse #2 – I’ve tried it

It doesn’t work for me. This excuse can be tricky. Have you tried every nutrition plan and every exercise routine on the planet? How long did you stick with it? To get rid of this excuse you need to think in terms of lifestyle changes and being in it for the long haul.

Forget diets and lose-weight-quick schemes. Those don’t work and if that’s what you’ve been trying, then it’s true, it doesn’t work for you. In fact, those don’t work for most people. Making lifelong nutrition and lifestyle changes is something you can’t just ‘try’ and give up on. It’s an ongoing process.

Excuse #3 – I love food. I can’t help it

As mentioned above, that’s good news, because we need to eat quite a lot to sustain ourselves. But again, we need to eat high quality, nutrient dense, filling, health food.

If you have an addiction to junk food, and use that as an excuse, it could be likely that you have an unhealthy relationship with food. Emotional eating is common, and you can overcome it, especially if you work on your overall emotional health and learn to manage anxiety and stress.

Good food can come in many forms. Instead of chips and sweets, try adding more fruit to your diet. You still get something sweet and fruits usually contain a lot less calories than processed junk food.

Excuse #4 I’m too tired to exercise

This also may be true, especially by the end of the day, which is why you should always exercise first thing in the morning if you can. The type of workout you choose is vital, too. Picking something you enjoy doing will help you stop seeing exercise as something negative, and look forward to your workout.

If you want to lose weight or get in shape, face it, you’re going to have to lose your excuses. They do not go together. Stop allowing them from holding you back. Start taking your health into your own hands. You’ll not only feel better, if you stick with it and make life-long changes, you will hit a healthy weight, whatever that means for you.