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You hear the phrase through the P90X videos all the time but, really, is it just cliche?  Something Tony says and doesn't really mean?   I would like to take my personal example and show how I apply this, to my life and situation.  

First, I'm a chronic insomniac.   I've been that way since I've been 3-4 years old and I can remember wishing, at a very early age, that I could spend just a single day not feeling so tired I could hardly move.   Through the years, I've learned relaxation techniques, and other things, to help with this but it hasn't truly gone away.  I have learned, however, to deal with it, and make it my own. 

Second, I work in a high-stress, high-demand, high-tech job.   My company is based in Silicon Valley CA and I live and work from my HOUSE in TX. I have no office to go to. I can't just "pop-in" to someones cube and have a quick chat about something that I need to get information on.   That adds, at times, to the stress of the work I do.

Finally, I own 20-acres, two horses, 3 dogs, and a cat.  My wife and I do ALL of our own work, here.  Landscaping, gardening, house cleaning, cooking, horse chores, dog chores, etc.   The horses are young and we're training them from foundational skills up.  We didn't buy them finished.   I also play guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and have a recording studio which I am, currently, remodeling myself, personally, and LEARNING woodworking skills and techniques as I go along.   I maintain our tractor, gator, mowers, blades, wood chippers, horse trailer, pickups, swimming pool and various other things, here, too.   The point is, my "after work chores" constitute close to a full-time job, too.

I make sure that I'm in bed EVERY night, for at least 8-hours. I may not sleep, but I'm there.  My wife and I cook/prepare ALL of our meals from scratch AND we exercise, EVERY SINGLE DAY! 

A few weeks back my wife went on vacation for a little over a week and spent time with her family.   I think that's awesome but it "saddles" me with the entire responsibility of everything, here. I don't take time off work when she goes, I just take on her chores/responsibilities which makes it interesting.

During this years vacation I had two nights where I couldn't/didn't sleep. Not a problem, it happens. However, the next morning when I got ready to exercise I was, well, tired.  Exhausted might be the better word.   So, what does one do?   A lot of folks I know would use the excuse:  "I'm really tired today, so I think I'll skip a day and then do it later..."  Well, "later" never comes and skipping a few days leads to skipping more days and more...

On these days I grabbed my P90X+ discs (yes, X+) popped them into the DVD player and pushed play.  I knew, going in, that A) my reps might be lower,  B) my ability to hold good form might be compromised some, and C) I might need to modify to get through and D) I'm probably going to have to take a few breaks in the middle.   That, to me, is completely OK.   I am, at least, doing the exercise, and recognizing the benefits of it.

When I don't sleep, my muscles get rather stiff and sore so, I did a light warmup and a more comprehensive stretch routine before I even started the DVD.  I felt a little better starting out, and then the warmup and the workout seems to go a bit smoother.   I took a few extra seconds and "lost" a rep, or two, here and there to ensure that I started each exercise with good form, and I slowed down a bit to ensure that I maintained that form through the full range of motion in the exercise.  Then, when I hit my limit FOR THAT DAY, I stopped, rested a bit, restarted and worked till my form dropped, rested, restarted and got through the workout.   Through that, I found that I got into the zone and focused hard and my "burnout" wasn't quite as quick, as my body got into the routine.  Near the end I was close to doing what I normally could and I wasn't as tired as I thought I'd be.   Exercise has that way of "energizing" an individual.

In the end, there are times when we're going to get injured, either exercising or doing something else, our bodies are going to hurt from over-training, or over-exerting doing manual labor... we're not going to sleep well, or our sleep will be interrupted, or short, or whatever the myriad of "busy" excuses we get to have, these days.  NONE of these is a reason to avoid exercise and working out - unless the workout would threaten the integrity of the injured site.  There's being smart about it, and avoiding as an excuse.

Do your best, and forget the rest... get in there, get it done, to the best of your ability, that day, at that moment, in that time.   Honestly, for me, some days I can knock out near 20 pullups at a time... other days I'm struggling to get 8 out... on those days, I accept my boundaries, I accept my limits and I accept, and appreciate the fact that I am, and can, exercise.  It's that simple... on the days I get 20 out, well, I can celebrate a bit, cuz that don't happen none to often - if I may use some bad grammar.

There are very few "reasons" why we can't exercise, but there are plenty of excuses.  I think that the key is differentiating between the two, and making the right choice - do your best, forget the rest.  If, truly, your schedule does not allow for a full-routine THAT day, or for a few days, choose 5-10 exercises that get the parts you're struggling with, work through those - so, say you can't complete the entire chest/back routine but you struggle with wide-front pullups and military push-ups... well, head to the gym, or wherever, and knock out some wide-fronts, and militaries, then do slightly wide grip, then normal pushups and give yourself 15-20 minutes of just concentrating on those things.   To help recovery, do a pull-up, then pushup, then an ab move... and leave very little break between each one... repeat, and you'll be amazed at how much can be accomplished in 15-20 minutes working out that way.   Is it a "perfect" workout, no, but it, at least, maintains your gains, helps you work on your weak spots and helps you be consistent with making time, every day, for your fitness and your health.  It's the best you have, at that time.  THAT is what matters.  Decide, commit, ACT and succeed!

Dar