Denise Sanger

It’s a scary disease and more people are afflicted with it than you may realize. It’s actually terrifying the sheer volume of people who you may know with this disease. What disease am I talking about? Excusitis. It’s so common that the majority of people in your life may have it in one degree or another. There is actually a reference in the Urban Dictionary for this terrible disease:

Excusitis: Derived from the word “Excuse”. It is tendency/Disease/Regular behavior of making excuses for every poor performance.  In simpler words,  giving excuses for everything and trying to back their faults.

I read about this condition in a book I carried with me while traveling and thought to myself, “I know people with this disease!” Have you ever made plans with a friend or family member to do something and the response you received was one excuse after another? And this disease doesn’t just pertain to health. It afflicts many different aspects of life including career, marriage, school and others.

Now on the flip side, take a moment and think about the number of people you know that have overcome crazy odds to live their lives to the fullest. One in particular that comes to my mind immediately is Rebekah Gregory.  Gregory was one of the victims at the Boston Marathon terrorist bombing in 2013. Running a marathon after losing a leg sounds almost impossible doesn’t it? This year, 2015, she entered and completed the Boston Marathon with a prosthetic leg and sheer determination.

It would have been very easy for Gregory to say she would never run again and the reasons would probably be very good. She pushed those negative thoughts out of her mind. She didn’t feel sorry for herself nor did she find excuses when it was time to lace up her shoe on her prosthetic leg and run. She did it and she put one foot in front of the other and trained for this year’s race.

Do you have excusitis? Don’t worry because there are actually four great treatments for this disease:

1.  Don’t talk about what ails you. Why? Because the more you talk about it, the worse you seem to feel. Talking about what ails you not only harms you because your body hears everything your mind “says” but it also bores your family and friends. Don’t get me wrong. If you are ill, you need to see the doctor and you should make that appointment right away and follow the treatment until you are well. However, if you are complaining about your bad health as an excuse not to eat right or exercise, it’s time to stop. Health is 80 percent nutrition and 20 percent exercise – pencil eating clean and exercise into your daily schedule. If you haven’t been exercising recently, start with a walk and build from there.
2. Second is if you have made an appointment to see your doctor and he/she tells you that there are things you should do to improve your health, but that overall you’re okay – stop worrying. Worrying and stress are very harmful to our overall health and well-being.
3. Be grateful for the health you do have. Have you heard the saying that “I felt sorry for myself because I had ragged shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” When you find yourself complaining that you are not feeling well, remember to think about the positive things about your health. For example, your feet might hurt but you can walk. You can go to church. You can do the grocery shopping. You can pick the kids up from school. Being thankful and focusing on what is right with your health is very powerful against new aches and pains.
4. Finally, this was my favorite part of the whole chapter – “It’s better to wear out than rust out.” Life has been given to you to enjoy and live to the fullest. Don’t waste it.

Next time you find yourself coming up with a health excuse that stops you from walking out your front door – take a moment, regroup and remember how grateful you are that you are able to get up and walk out your front door. Many others are not as lucky as you are.

To your health,

Denise

Becky Skipper & Denise Sanger are both certified fitness instructors and founders of Family Fitness Outreach Center. Their goal is a healthier Suwannee County. Classes are held Monday – Friday at 5:30 p.m. at 302B Pine Street across from the jail. 386/292-6105.