Beginning in the 1960’s numerous surveys from the Federal Government have been issued to the general population about exercise. One of the questions that have been asked from that decade forward is regarding why people DO NOT exercise. The #1 reason each and every year from that time forward is time. We just can’t seem to get enough time and to make it worse we seem to get more and more busy each and every year. We can all agree that time is hard to come by but we can also agree that exercise is very important and should not be edged out in the name of being “busy”
I want to offer some simple suggestions that I have received from my clients over the last 10 years that has helped them overcome this barrier and get them to the point of permanent lifestyle change…where time is no longer a constant issue.
Suggestion #1: Ask yourself the question (disclaimer…the following exercise may make you uncomfortable if you are new to this lifestyle but it will help) Have I made my new fitness/nutrition program and absolute PRIORITY in my life?
This is where you need to sit in solitude and really search you soul…sounding cheesy? This is an absolute necessity! This is a time for you to dig deep within yourself and discover your readiness to make a lifelong change. If you find that you are hesitant, doubtful, fearful, or indifferent to making this change then you need to stop and re-evaluate your priorities. If you find that you are indeed able to make time to exercise on a daily basis then go for it and never look back. The bottom line here is that you absolutely cannot start a new lifestyle while sitting on the fence. If work/life is too busy and too important for this change then back off for a while and wait until you are in the doctor’s office dealing with Diabetes…you will then understand that this truly is a priority not just a luxury to be enjoyed at your convenience.
Suggestion #2: Map out a Plan!
This is where 95% of Americans fail in there endeavor to exercise…they never schedule in a time to exercise. I have two suggestions here. Make a hard copy of your schedule and make a softer flexible one. Many have a set schedule and others do not but we all have a general sense of what we are going to be doing from day to day. On your hard copy write out what days and time during the week you will be working out and keep it on you at all times. On the soft copy, which could be a planner, an I-Phone, or other electronic device, you can write out your week and schedule exercise in. If you need to be flexible do it! The key point here is to make sure that you are making a plan and sticking to it. It is now more than a wish; it is plan of attack, your roadmap, your compass to get you where you need to be.
Suggestion #3: Take an inventory of your EXCUSES and then throw them out the window!
This is a great exercise that is imperative to do before starting your program. While still in the same solitude of soul searching I want you to physically write down ALL of the excuses that you have that stand in the way of you accomplishing your goals! Each and every last one of them! I don’t care if you think they are “valid” or not, write them all down. I am not saying that you are not busy…please do not misunderstand. What I am saying is that all of these excuses are just miss managed priorities. Nobody is telling you to quit your job or abandon your family…quite the contrary.
Suggestion #4: Re-Prioritize!
Now I want you to write down your Daily schedule. I understand that it may fluctuate…that is not the point. I want you to FIND the time that will work best for you to exercise and make that your permanent time if possible. If your schedule fluctuates you are going to have to make some omissions to make time for exercise. Not possible you say? NONSENSE! I want you to be a grown up here and MAKE EXERCISE A PRIORITY! Stop fooling yourself with every excuse that you find yourself making. Do you see what I am saying here? All of those excuses may be important but if they are more important than exercise then what you are telling me exercise is not important and I cannot buy that one. It is time to make a paradigm shift and make exercise a priority. One last thought…do not skimp on writing this one down! Physically writing it down into your planner will give you the psychological benefit of knowing that you are indeed making it a priority! Write out your Dailey and weekly schedule with exercise included. Now I want you to RESPECT it! I don’t care how busy you are, when it comes time for your exercise time it is time to put those important things aside temporarily and fulfill your obligation period…no excuses…just do it.
Suggestion #5: Realize that you really DO have the time!
In the governmental surveys mentioned earlier, it was concluded that time was the major barrier to exercise. But subsequent studies have proven that NOT to be the case. What the studies found is that people really have the time if they want it, but they don’t know how to manage their time and they also found that they do not know have to manage their emotions. In other words millions of Americans come home from work each day and they feel tired…so they then opt not to exercise. Another common situation is that we feel stressed so we opt for more leisure or comfortable activities to the expense of exercise.
Well there we have it my friends. I apologize if I get a little too passionate about this topic, but I do know that there is ALWAYS time for fitness if we allow it.