Your Top 5 Exercise Excuses -- Busted!

1. "I Was Bored So I..."

There are plenty of good reasons that fitness routines get derailed. Maybe you had a baby and haven't made it back to the gym. Perhaps your still-healing sprained ankle won't support a daily run. Maybe your gorgeous Spinning instructor has been out of town and without him, what's the point? Whatever the reason, it's hard to get back on once you get off track. But before you shelve your sneakers for good, read how other FITNESS readers got past their biggest roadblocks.

1. "I Was Bored So I..."

Trained for a Race

"To conquer my workout monotony, I signed up for a marathon and began to seriously train for it," says Abby Katzen, 34, a freelance writer and publicist in New York City. "Putting the race on my calendar got me totally revved up, and following a training schedule gave me structure and really helped to motivate me. I love being able to keep track of which days I run, how fast and how far I go, and when it's time to increase my mileage."

Got Competitive

It took a squash lesson at her gym to get Monica Musero's juices flowing. "What was missing from my normal exercise routine was a competitive component," says the 32-year-old director of development from New York City. "Now I practice on my own, take lessons, and even compete in tournaments."

Tried Something New

Even the pros get bored occasionally. To keep her workouts interesting, Rebeccah Wassner, 30, a professional triathlete from New York City, engages in a completely different activity, such as Pilates, during the off season. "I strengthened and stretched muscles that I normally don't work and gave my mind a rest from the stress of competition," she says.