We all use excuses not to commit to an exercise or health plan. But the truth is, that’s all they are: excuses. If you find yourself full of excuses not to commit, you’re not alone – it’s a widespread occurrence. Dr. Mark Novitsky joins me to discuss the top ten reasons we don’t commit to a fitness or health plan.

 

The Top 10 Reasons Why You Haven’t Committed to Exercise

1. Time
2. Mistrust
3. Disappointment 
4. Shame for Needing Help
5. Overwhelm
6. Resistance 
7. Always Putting Others First
8. Procrastination
9. Discounting Yourself
10. Money

 

About Dr. Mark Novitsky

Dr. Mark Novitsky is a Board Certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Board Certified Adult Psychiatrist.  Dr. Mark believes that effective work with children involves working closely with parents, schools, and other medical/mental health providers - to achieve a joint goal of optimizing a child’s well-being.  

His extensive clinical experience includes, but is not limited to:

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Mood Disorders
• Depressive disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Childhood trauma/Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Substance Use Disorders

Dr. Mark is an adjunct faculty for Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University’s Department of Psychiatry.  He was previously the Corporate Medical Director for one of Philadelphia’s largest non-profit Child Mental Health Organizations.  He is a graduate of The Beck Initiative, a joint collaboration between The Aaron T. Beck Center at The University of Pennsylvania and CBH/DBHIDS, for Cognitive Therapy and Research. 

For the last several years, he has had the privilege of working at Washington DC’s premier psychiatry office, Potomac Psychiatry, as a child and adolescent psychiatrist, adult psychiatrist, and a forensic expert witness providing court testimony in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.  Potomac Psychiatry has been featured as the Faces of Washington, in The Washingtonian Magazine.

Dr. Mark grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs, received his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University, and attended both medical school and psychiatry residency at Temple University School of Medicine (now Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University). He served as Chief Resident in his third year of residency at Temple.  He completed Child and Adolescent fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University, where he served as Chief Fellow.  

During his fellowship, Dr. Mark was awarded a research grant.  He has several publications in peer-reviewed journals and has presented his research at the annual meetings of both the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).  In 2013, his Adherence in Pediatric Psychopharmacology-A Multi-dimensional Perspective and Approach was a docent selection of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Mark has taught hundreds of medical students and residents, and most recently was the lead Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in a non-profit public outreach campaign to Philadelphia schools through Michael’s Giving HAND (Micahel P. Donatucci Foundation, Inc ), teaching school administration, teachers, counselors, and parents about how to identify and address Depression, Anxiety, Substance abuse, and Bullying.  

When he’s not working, Dr. Mark enjoys spending time with his family, walking around Longwood Gardens, checking out live music, and being outdoors with his Labradoodle.

 

Prioritize Your Fitness

The number one excuse we hear is that people don’t have time to exercise. But making the time to take on healthy behaviors can actually make you more productive in all other areas of your life. 

It really comes down to having well-defined goals, setting your priorities, and sticking to them. I find this especially helpful if you feel you’ve failed in the past – you simply didn’t have these goals as your priorities then, which is okay.

I understand that it can feel overwhelming to try to start a fitness routine when you already have so much going on. Letting the overwhelming feeling win is easy, but by setting out your top three priorities daily, you can start getting a grip on it all.

 

Put Yourself First

As women physicians, we’re used to putting everyone else before ourselves. This is counterproductive! By putting yourself first, you fill your cup, giving you so much more energy, space, and opportunity to serve the other people and priorities in your life. 

One of the other big excuses for fitness is procrastination. We tend to procrastinate on what isn’t a priority for us. What if you did make your health and fitness a priority? Imagine what could change.

I want you to invest in yourself. I want you to put yourself first. I want you to prioritize your health, wellness, fitness, and happiness. You are so worth it.

Do your decisions align with your top priorities? What steps can you make this week to stop using any of these top ten excuses not to exercise? Let me know in the comments on the episode page.

 

In This Episode 

• How often we all use time as an excuse not to do something [4:00]
• What happens when we create the time to take on healthy behaviors [5:15]
• The importance of a clearly defined goal [8:15]
• What happens when you change your thought process about failure and priorities [11:30]
• How to prioritize exercise when you already have so much else going on [15:45]
• Why you are least productive when you’re overwhelmed [16:45]
• What transformation happens when you put yourself first [23:00]
• Why we procrastinate on our health and fitness goals [24:45]
• Why you need to invest in yourself and your health [28:45]

 

Quotes

“There are 24 hours in a day, and that’s never going to change. It’s not actually about the time, it’s about how you use the time and what you choose to use your time on. It all comes down to priorities.” [3:26] 

“We set ourselves up for disappointment. We set ourselves up for failure if we don’t go ahead and define what it is that we want, and we agree to trust the process. That’s why it’s important that we know what we’re getting ourselves into. Even if we get ourselves into something that’s not comfortable, we can trust ourselves to be successful because we know what we’re trying to achieve.” [9:16]

“It starts with us. We have to agree that we are worth it, and there is no more putting a hold on ourselves.” [17:47]

“It is so easy to try and put others first, but you will show up as your best self if you are putting yourself first. You are the most important person in the room.” [23:06]

“The investment that you make in yourself and your health is priceless.” [28:43]

 

Rescources

Check out the full episode page here.

31 Days of FIT.  Learn more HERE.

Muscle Maintenance During Fat Loss. Waitlist HERE.

Fit Woman Collective™. Learn more HERE.

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*** Ali Novitsky MD, this podcast, and podcast write-up are NOT providing medical advice ***

 

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