What Do You Really Want?
One of the main reasons that people don’t succeed in their health initiatives is failing to prioritize. Some refer to this illusive quality as “Time Management”. The truth is exactly what my Grandmother said, “People do what they want to do.”, implying that we talk a good game but when the chips are down, we do what means the most to us.
Nurturer
Have you ever had a day, or a year… where you kept meaning to exercise but you just couldn’t get to it? What were you doing? Sometimes we defend ourselves by saying that we were doing something for someone else. Whose going to do it when your health fails due to poor health habits? It makes much more sense to take care of yourself first so that you can take care of others later.
I Have a Job
One often heard response is, “Well… I have to work.” Most people do. Very few of us are professional athletes or bikini competitors who fly around the world for competitions to earn our living. David and I both work very demanding jobs with long hours but we prioritize our workouts. They are non-negotiable. We both have full lives outside of our jobs that require our time. We both frequently get under the bar when we are beyond exhausted. People do what they want to do. Do you want to be healthy? Do you want to be active? If you truly do, get your doctor’s permission and find an activity that you will commit to do. Make it non-negotiable.
Command Your Destiny
There will always be people in your life that want to commandeer your time. Learning how to say “No!” is imperative. If “No!” is hard for you, you can always speak up for yourself and tell the person that you may have time after your workout but your workout comes first. I once lived with someone who used my exercise mat that I was using at the time for a project of some sort and had something that they wanted me to do when it was time for me to work out. I was doing a very hard circuit training video that absolutely required a mat. I promptly scrambled to the kitchen, grabbed my purse and started out the door and the person said “Where are you going?” When they learned that I was going to Walmart at 11:00 at night to get another mat, they were infuriated. It really didn’t matter. I was working out. I got my mat and got through it. It was a great workout.
Illusion
“I have to clean my house.” So, you have to work and every spare minute that you’re not working is spent cleaning house? Is there no down time on your phone or tablet on social media? It’s very easy to spend hours on social media platforms and then wonder why we didn’t get anything done. Have you noticed that as social media has become mainstream, obesity has come to be seen as the norm? When we see our “Friends” becoming heavier, we begin to think that obesity is normal. (1) This applies in any social network and we tend to choose friends that are like us. We also spend hours sitting on our bottoms, exercising nothing except our fingers. That time would be so much better utilized with physical exercise that works your whole body. If you think that you have to clean your house, work out, leave your phone alone and clean your house.
The Answer
The simple truth is that there never seems to be enough time for everything that we want to do so priority is everything. There are known methods for prioritizing. Try utilizing these tips and get your workout done.
1-List everything that you need to get done.
Don’t assign an order to the items at this point. Just list them.
2-Identify what is critical.
Here is where your workout belongs. When David first started training me he told me that my workout was my job on the assigned days. That’s how it works. If it’s your job, fit it in around your paying job. It will be first, timed around your employment.
3-Determine what is the most valuable to you.
Is your health important? How about stress reduction? Recognize the ultimate significance of exercise and activity in your life and give it the place it deserves when you plan.
4-Do the hard stuff first.
If your workout’s not hard for you to get done then why are you always bumping it to the bottom of your to-do list? Get it done and then move on to tasks that take less commitment.
5- Be flexible about other tasks.
The world won’t stop if you don’t make that phone call to the friend that will keep you on the phone for hours lamenting her life. You don’t have to make the most complicated meal ever cooked in history tonight. Work out and do the other things that are necessary at a level that you can accomplish in the time left after your workout.
6-Decide what to cut and make sure that it’s not your workout.
There will be some things on your list that can wait. Don’t go ahead and do them just because it’s a good idea and miss your workout. You can paint the bathroom at another time. There will be tasks like this every single day. Do them on a day when you have a little extra time AFTER your workout.
Practicing What We Preach
Here at David’s Way we never tell you to do anything that we don’t practice. This is how we get our workout done. We recognize it’s importance and prioritize around it. You have to decide if you are being truthful about what you want. When you want fitness with your whole heart, you will make the time for it. As you become more fit other tasks will get easier. Your body will work more efficiently. Your mood will be better. After you have lived this way for a while, it will be your normal. Commit to fitness and reap a lifetime of rewards.
(1) https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/social-networks-can-affect-weight-happiness-201112163983