Excuses, excuses. “I don’t have a gym membership.”

“It’s too cold outside for me to go on a run.”

“It’s way too hot outside for me to go on a run.”

“I don’t have time.”

I recently had a conversation with a guy who would not be swayed on that excuse. When I said to him...“What, you don’t have 30 minutes?” he laughed in my face telling me that any workout that was worth it would take at least an hour and a half. Let’s debunk all the reasons this man gave me as to why a 30 minute would never be acceptable

1. You can’t really focus on a muscle group in that amount of time.

Yes, you can! Perhaps you can’t join all the bros at the gym and try to work on your arms for 2 hours, butfaster reps at a high intensity can reward you with the same results as a full day of lifting.

2. That’s not enough time to do cardio and strength.

Again, yes, it is! You don’t need to do a long winded run or bike ride to get in cardio, set aside ten minutes of constant cardio moves. Whether you do a ten minute sprint on the treadmill, or break it up into moves like jumping jacks, leaping lunges, jump roping, punching bags, or any other cardio moves that also focus muscle groups, you’re just killing two birds with one stone at that point, and your body will thank you for it.

3. "I can’t just not use weights." (Tip: never be double negative, and never use double negatives!!)

Why not lose the weights? Body weight training is so effective! Weights are great, but if you’re pumping out an intense thirty-minute workout, one of the best things you can do is practice moves that use your entire body, and that make you stronger through your own weight. (You could also invest in some weights or resistance bands if you need more resistance.)

4. 30-minute workouts only really work for girls.

Ok, well if this is true at all it’s because we’re freakin’ awesome. Seriously, what does that even mean? Yeah our bodies act differently to some things, but I guarantee you that your heart works just as well as mine and your heart rate will still increase just as well as ours when you start working hard. This one doesn’t even need much debunking… it’s just a really bad excuse.

5. It just isn’t worth the time.

A short workout is better than no workout! However, in the end, attitude is everything. Whether you’re working out 30 minutes a day or 3 hours a day, the workout will do nothing unless you’re motivated and believe in the work you’re putting in. If you choose to never workout over putting in a short thirty minutes a day just because you believe it “won’t be worth it,” then you’ll probably be right.