The words you use shape what you do. Say “I can’t,” and you slam a door shut. Ask “How can I?” and you crack it open.

I’ve got a friend who says he wants to work out. But every time it comes up, a fresh excuse rolls off his tongue.

“I don’t have time today.”
“My workout buddy’s not picking up.”
“Gyms are expensive.”
“Now that you’ve brought it up, I’m annoyed, so I’m definitely not going.”

Sound familiar?

His words become his reality. If he needs a bathroom, he’ll find one in 30 seconds. But taking care of his health? That somehow never makes the list. It’s not that he can’t exercise. He’s simply chosen not to make it a priority. And because he doesn’t want to be held accountable, he blames the schedule, the budget, or the person who brought it up.

Here’s the shift that changes everything. Turn your statements into questions.

Instead of “I don’t have time,” ask, “How can I fit in 30 minutes today?”
Instead of “I can’t afford it,” ask, “How can I work out without a gym?”
Instead of “I don’t know anyone there,” ask, “How can I meet people at the gym?”

That small change rewires how your brain works. Statements feel final. Questions feel like opportunities. One slams a door. The other hands you the key. And this matters more than most people realize.

According to the CDC, only 24.2% of U.S. adults meet the official guidelines for both cardio and strength training. We’re supposed to get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week. That’s just 30 minutes a day, five days a week or about 2% of your time.

But instead, we give our time to screens. The American Time Use Survey from 2024 shows that most Americans spend 2.6 hours a day watching TV. That’s five times more than what’s needed to meet basic health recommendations.

If you feel like you don’t have time, you’re not alone. But that doesn’t mean it’s true.

And here’s the good news. You don’t need a perfect routine or a full hour at the gym to make progress. Just moving a little more can help, starting now.

A study from Columbia University found that just five minutes of walking every half hour can significantly reduce the harmful effects of sitting. It cut post-meal blood sugar spikes by nearly 60%, and lowered blood pressure by 4 to 5 mmHg. That’s the kind of change you’d expect from six months of daily exercise.

That’s not a workout plan. That’s standing up and walking around the room every half hour.

So why don’t more people do it? Because they’ve told themselves it’s not worth it. That it’s too small to matter. That if they can’t do it right, they shouldn’t do it at all.

That’s not just a motivation issue. It’s a language issue.

Psychologists call it closed-loop thinking, when we make rigid, limiting statements about ourselves and our lives. “I’m too busy.” “I hate working out.” “I’ll never stick with it.”

But when you ask a question, like “How can I make this easier?”, you activate a different part of your brain. Questions tap into your identity and values. They invite your mind to solve problems instead of defending excuses.

Self-talk research backs it up. Positive internal dialogue leads to more confidence, resilience, and follow-through. Negative self-talk? It tanks motivation and increases feelings of helplessness.

So next time you hear yourself say, “I don’t have time,” stop.

Ask:
“How can I use just 3% of my day to improve my life?”
“How can I do something right now with what I already have?”

Because that’s what this really comes down to. Not finding time, but finding language that works for you.

Change your words.
Change your questions.
Change your actions.
Change your life.

It really can start with a single sentence.

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Reference Links:

Self-talk as a regulatory mechanism: How you do it matters.

Kross, E., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., Park, J., Burson, A., Dougherty, A., Shablack, H., Bremner, R., Moser, J., & Ayduk, O.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Published 2014

Click Here for the Study: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035173

 

Breaking Up Prolonged Sitting to Improve Cardiometabolic Risk: Dose–Response Analysis of a Randomized Crossover Trial

DURAN, ANDREA T.; FRIEL, CIARAN P.; SERAFINI, MARIA A.; ENSARI, IPEK; CHEUNG, YING KUEN; DIAZ, KEITH
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (ACSM), Published May 2023

Click Here for the Study: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2023/05000/breaking_up_prolonged_sitting_to_improve.9.aspx

 

Physical Activity Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2020

Nazik Elgaddal, M.S., Ellen A. Kramarow, Ph.D., and Cynthia Reuben, M.A.
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Data Brief No. 443, Published August 2022

Click Here for the Briefing: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db443.pdf

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7/24/2025