"What's your Excuse" Poster- Discuss.

Rae1105

For me, I was just "whatever" about it until she came out with her bullshit apology. I think it was completely condescending and then made me pissed off about the original tagline. Not everyone can afford to eat healthy or do much. Some people want to spend what little bit of down time they have with their kid or taking a small mental health break.

As for the whole topic of working out one hour a day, home vs. gym, eating healthy etc. that was discussed, what about the people that can't afford any of that? My one hour a day is when I get to shower and get dressed in the morning before my son wakes up. The money I would spend on healthy foods, I am paying for formula because I couldn't breastfeed. Some people don't have another parent at home to help with anything. 

I think the judgmental attitude is the main issue here. Who is she to try and guilt ANYONE into being a certain way? It isn't always feasible for everyone to be a certain way, nor should it even be desired! It's another form of the Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding fight. Why is it necessary to make one woman feel guilty for something that is different from you?

Nechie122

I work 45 hours a week at a job that's not fitness model (as does DH). We take turns doing daycare pick-up so we each get some "me" time. I know from the WM board that that in itself is a luxury.

On days when I do pick-up, am I really going to drop my LO off at a gym daycare after she spends 45 hours a week in an actual daycare? Are you nuts?

It's nice to be able to have "me" time to workout. But sometimes I spend my "me" time working late, going to networking events or seeing friends. And every hour in the morning or evening I dedicate to myself is an hour I'm not with my LO. (Or sleeping. Or doing household tasks. Because I don't have a SAHP.)

Point being: being physically fit is a very laudable goal. But sometimes other very laudable goals take precedence for a period of time.

robinsokj

As a parent, on of the best exercises is to get active with your kids. You don't need a gym or a video. Just go play

robinsokj

I never said it would make you ripped, but the goal if exercise should be for health not vanity.

LaCally4

If I didn't teach the classes, I probably wouldn't work out half as much as I do. My 30-minute workout at home takes more like an hour between interruptions and trying to distract the little one so she doesn't use me as her personal jungle gym the second I get down to do a 30-second plank. I don't like the tag line and I don't like the implication that because people aren't physically fit with young kids at home that they need an excuse.

theseaword

robinsokj said:

As a parent, on of the best exercises is to get active with your kids. You don't need a gym or a video. Just go play

I'm working on fixing this situation, but right now I see DS for about an hr a day. I pick him up around 6, we have dinner, bath, and book and he goes down between 7-7:30. It sucks.

MsMommy2012

I give major major props to women who can get any physical activity in whatsoever and work full time. I only manage 3 runs a week because I work from home and can make up hours after DS is asleep and bc DH is in class in the evenings anyway. Gyms close by don't have childcare and there's no way I would pick DS up to just put him back in childcare. As it is, I run on my lunch break (walking back now) while DS is with the nanny and make up the hour later. Only works bc my hours are flexible and bc I work in yoga pants in the am until I shower.

CinemaGoddess

This story is dumb.  

lildevil968

I think she looks great, but the message she is trying to send is condescending.

I work out/ run 6 days a week. I bet I could out run that bitch anyday of the week.

LuckyDad

I've decided that Toddler Dance Party every night is my new exercise plan.

twister22

CrashIntoMe1 said:

Meh, if my job was in the fitness industry, I'd probably look like that, too, as I'm sure it's required by her job and I truly think this makes all the difference.

I like this one a lot better.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=510279682400565&set=a.416812935080574.1073741828.412715205490347&type=1&theater

That is pure awesomeness @CrashIntoMe1

I feel kinda meh about the whole thing. She seems pretty into her appearance, and I just don't care nearly as much as she does.

I read 1 article and watched 1 short interview with her. She made 1 good point that when she's at the playground with her kids she's playing with them, and not sitting on a bench on her iPhone. That's the one good take away I got from that, as I am guilty of sitting on the park bench.

My excuse? I like to browse the interwebz and eat crap food. I would like to get back into shape, but I'll never look like that. I have horrid stretch marks and the gross stretched out stomach pouch. Plusalso I don't do anything to try to get tan.

CinemaGoddess

HilarityEnsued said:

CinemaGoddess said:

This story is dumb.  

We should have just started with this response and then everyone could love tit it and this thread wouldn't have been 55555 responses.

True story.  

CinemaGoddess

Holls2011 said:

She doesn't bother me at all.  It would be nice to have a six pack, but I doubt that will ever happen to me now. 

I know I am not healthy right now, I know I have 35 pounds of extra weight on me and that I could always eat healthier and exercise more.  I do not need someone in exercise gear, ripped abs and three children to ask me what my excuse is. 

I don't have to answer to anyone but myself.  I will get healthy, but for the right reasons, not to attain some perfect version of myself, but so that I feel good. 

This has probably been covered already, but whatevs. 

The problem with this kind of thing is that it can be applied anywhere to make someone else feel badly about themselves. . 

"I baby wore.  What's your excuse?"

"I found a man who treats me well.  What's your excuse?"

"My house smells like cookies all day.  What's your excuse?"

"I can orgasm 17 times in an hour.  What's your excuse?

That is why it's dumb.  Good on this woman for getting there.  But don't be a bitch about it.  She is being a bitch about it.  

SandyClam

My kid is banned from the gym daycare.

missyishere

SandyClam said:

My kid is banned from the gym daycare.

Oh, V.

insertclevername

SandyClam said:

My kid is banned from the gym daycare.

Every time we tried to drop DS off at our gym daycare they would call us five minutes later and tell us to come pick him up.  These kids can be the worst sometimes. 

Snapdragon750

It ticks me off because the whole "If I can do it, you can do it!" attitude about anything ticks me off.  I don't take this image personally because I happen to have the kind of genes that make it pretty easy for me to get in shape, but that's not true for everyone.  I had a FB friend who posted a braggy picture of herself (she has 1 kid) similar to this, and it reeked so hard of self-centered judgment that I de-friended her.  This woman isn't trying to motivate anyone.  She's trying to show off.  Also, this is more than just being "in shape." THIS kind of shape is exceptional and is extremely difficult for most women to achieve.

I also hate the completely sexist assumption that a woman needs an "excuse" not to have a hot body.  As long as I'm making healthy choices, what I look like is no one's business except my husband's, and that's only to point.  It's not my job as a woman to look sexy, and if I don't feel like it I don't need to excuse myself to anyone.

thekatie

I look nothing like her. I have pasty pale skin, loose skin AND extra flab, stretch marks... I could stand to lose at least 10 pounds... I'm not "my living is made being uber-perfectly-fit" fit, but you know what? I AM physically fit. I'm just not "perfect" fit (no extra fat, whatever).

So what I take from it (well, really more from responses to it honestly) is that people think you have to have like 1% body fat to be physically fit. Having endurance, muscle, strength means nothing if you also carry extra weight or flab. And that's bullshit.

PS - I haven't read a single article, and exactly 100% of my knowledge about this thing comes from this thread, without clicking any links.

Snapdragon750

You know what I REALLY hate about images like these are that they give fuel to certain men to expect all women to bounce back from pregnancy this quickly.  Like when my dad visited me after my first baby (two months PP), he encouraged me to join a mommy yoga class ASAP.  When I told him I planned to get back in shape, but I was going to give myself a little more time because it's not so easy to lose weight PP, he gave me a line about how he sees plenty of women after kids looking great so obviously since it's POSSIBLE then it must be women who don't are just making excuses.

Men like my dad are going to see this image and go "YEAH!  THAT'S RIGHT!" and it disgusts me.

CurlyQ284

I walk 30 minutes a day at work but don't have the best diet. My weight is staying the same. If I worked out more and improved my diet I could lose the weight. The problem is that with my current schedule I only have 3 hours of time after work to spend with DS before he goes to bed and I have to make dinner in there too. I get 2 hours relaxation time and maybe 6-7 hours of sleep. Sleep and time with DS are higher on my priority list.

I'm not going to make judgments about what kind of mom she is but I do think she's an asshole. She may be hot looking but her attitude is ugly and she probably isn't a person I would want to be around

ridesbuttons

Funny how so many posters are identifying their excuses. Don't care about others but I do care about my own fitness and well being. My boys are young and very active. I'm in my 40s and intend to ski, skate, swim and engage them in physical and hopefully as many outdoor activities as possible as long as they will tolerate my company. Fact is, working out is the most minor part of the picture. Diet makes us look the way we do. And we all have time to eat. I have no problem with her photo, caption, any of it. If it encourages one person (where does the message indicate 'for women only'?) to make breakfast and pack a lunch and avoid the drive thru, well, good for her. If you've got 15 minutes to bump, then you've got 15 minutes to plank and do some lunges. It is a real shame that so many feel attacked by her image.

RondackHiker

ridesbuttons said:

Funny how so many posters are identifying their excuses. Don't care about others but I do care about my own fitness and well being. My boys are young and very active. I'm in my 40s and intend to ski, skate, swim and engage them in physical and hopefully as many outdoor activities as possible as long as they will tolerate my company. Fact is, working out is the most minor part of the picture. Diet makes us look the way we do. And we all have time to eat.

I have no problem with her photo, caption, any of it. If it encourages one person (where does the message indicate 'for women only'?) to make breakfast and pack a lunch and avoid the drive thru, well, good for her.

If you've got 15 minutes to bump, then you've got 15 minutes to plank and do some lunges.

It is a real shame that so many feel attacked by her image.

And you're clearly the only one in this thread who cares about your fitness.

ridesbuttons

Don't eat less, eat better.

proudworkingmom82

I caught some of the silly show bethenny on my lunch break at work today and this chick was on their discussing this poster and all I Can say is what a major Bitch!!

missyishere

I'm dying over here.

ridesbuttons

You are welcome.

RondackHiker

I've lost 20+ pounds in the last four months without working out and while eating junk.

Do I win?

CinemaGoddess

ridesbuttons said:

Don't eat less, eat butter.

FTFY.  

kcisthebombdotcom

You know what I REALLY hate about images like these are that they give fuel to certain men to expect all women to bounce back from pregnancy this quickly.  Like when my dad visited me after my first baby (two months PP), he encouraged me to join a mommy yoga class ASAP.  When I told him I planned to get back in shape, but I was going to give myself a little more time because it's not so easy to lose weight PP, he gave me a line about how he sees plenty of women after kids looking great so obviously since it's POSSIBLE then it must be women who don't are just making excuses.

Men like my dad are going to see this image and go "YEAH!  THAT'S RIGHT!" and it disgusts me.

While I think pushing someone at two months pp about their body is beyond insane, I think there's a certain point where people need to stop blaming their weight on their kid. I know someone whose youngest is seven and she's still whining about the baby weight. I certainly don't believe in fat shaming to be a tool but I think society is almost too accepting of obesity and tiptoe arond it because we need to be so politically correct. I think there's a happy medium between the two extremes we need to find.

CinemaGoddess

lildevil968

I just saw an interview that CNN did with this lady. She sounded like a complete bitch. I wonder if she has ever had a weight issue?

RondackHiker

justAphase said:

Can we go back to turning this thread into a joke?

Can we put violators in the cone of shame?

CinemaGoddess

kiraliz2 said:

I'm going to gain all the weight so society will accept me.

 - Said no one ever.  

SandyClam

I'M EATING AN EVERYTHING BAGEL WITH CREAM CHEESE. SUCK ON THAT!

RondackHiker

mooshagirl said:

What I don't understand is those of you saying you don't have time to workout because you only have an hour or so after work with your kid until they go to bed.  Well if your kid goes to bed at 7/7:30, that's like 3 hours that you have to exercise before you have to go to bed.  I would kill to have my kids go to bed that early.  They usually aren't asleep until 9pm and then I put in my workout DVD.  Sometimes I don't finish working out until 10:30pm, which sucks, but I do it because I'm not going to make excuses.  If you really want to be healthy and exercise, you'll make it happen,  While, I don't really agree with the line in her photo, because I think it comes off as bitchy, I do think she is right.

Cone of shame for you.

missyishere

::farts my onion bagel in @Mooshagirl's general direction::

SandyClam

@MOOSHAGIRL, WHY DO YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING WITH THEIR TIME? WHY IS IT YOUR BUSINESS? MAYBE IT'S NOT THEIR PRIORITY. THEY DO NOT NEED TO EXPLAIN THEIR ART TO YOU.

CinemaGoddess

mooshagirl said:

What I don't understand is those of you saying you don't have time to workout because you only have an hour or so after work with your kid until they go to bed.  Well if your kid goes to bed at 7/7:30, that's like 3 hours that you have to exercise before you have to go to bed.  I would kill to have my kids go to bed that early.  They usually aren't asleep until 9pm and then I put in my workout DVD.  Sometimes I don't finish working out until 10:30pm, which sucks, but I do it because I'm not going to make excuses.  If you really want to be healthy and exercise, you'll make it happen,  While, I don't really agree with the line in her photo, because I think it comes off as bitchy, I do think she is right.

FT,FY

My kids often don't go to bed until 10 or 10:30 PM.  So fuck the idea that I'm going to be working out until midnight, then not get to sleep until one, then be up when they get up at 6:30. 

NO.

FUCKING NO.  

missyishere

What's your excuse for being a condescending mcjudgerson?

colliebabe

SandyClam said:

@MOOSHAGIRL, WHY DO YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING WITH THEIR TIME? WHY IS IT YOUR BUSINESS? MAYBE IT'S NOT THEIR PRIORITY. THEY DO NOT NEED TO EXPLAIN THEIR ART TO YOU.

@sandyclam Maybe some people can't workout because there is an old table in what was going to be their workout room, ok?