This is a question everyone battles with, EVERY DAY! Do I really have time? The short answer is yes, we do have time. The little inspirational memes I share state that a “30-minute workout is 2% of your day.” This is true, so why is it we say, “I just don’t have the time”?
Every day is filled with 24 hours. Let’s breakdown what happens in that time.
Starting Point: 24 hours
Work (a reasonable workday): -8 to 10 hours
Sleep (if getting the proper amount): -8 hours
Remaining time: 8 to 10 hours
So, what are you doing with that remaining 8 to 10 hours? The fact is, there is time for that 30-minute workout. Workouts don’t need to be hour to two hours of high intensity, sweat bleeding the fat off your body to be effective. Some days a workout can simply be a 15-minute stretch to unwind from sitting in a chair and to relax the mind. A 15 to 20-minute core workout, can get your heartrate up and if you push it, that short ab work will make you notice your mid-section the next day. When we say we don’t have time, what we’re really saying is “I’m not a priority.”
As a boss, I’m guilty of telling staff to do as I say and please ignore as I do. I am as guilty as anyone of coming up with reasons why I don’t have time to get a workout in. Tuesdays often become my rest day. This is not usually my plan but often how it works out. I have meetings most every Tuesday night. They vary from long Council meetings to community collaboration meetings, but meetings each Tuesday night, nonetheless. I will tell myself to start late, because I’m working late and there is plenty of time to get work done. Then my anxiety kicks in, and I worry, stress, toss and turn and before you know it, I’m up at 4 a.m. reviewing emails and thinking there’s no way to get it all done. In reality, I can wake up at 4 a.m., take the time I need to stretch, center, even get in a core, cardio or strength workout in. The times that I set the anxiety aside, and get the workout in, I’m actually more productive and relaxed during the workday. So again, why am I not making time?
Our minds are very powerful. They can convince us we can achieve the world and they can throw us into the pit of despair with no way out. On those Tuesday mornings, what I’ve done is put everything else first. I’ve developed a sophisticated list of reasons to talk myself out of what I really need and should be doing. Who else is guilty of this? I’m going to say, if you’re reading this, you are already listing the reasons you’ve given yourself for not exercising on any given day. So how do we break the cycle of excuses?
Prior to starting my health journey, I wasn’t consistent with my workouts. Sure, we went to the gym…when we felt like it. Despite trying to sit down and write out a schedule, I didn’t really follow it and most days I found reasons not to go or I would convince myself that I will do it after work or just not eat so much that day. Newsflash, this didn’t work! When I made the commitment to myself to be serious about being healthy, I made it a priority to hit the gym a certain number of days. For me, that was six days a week. This type of schedule doesn’t work for everyone and six days a week of workouts is a big commitment. Pre-Covid times, it was easy. My hubby and I would ride over Hoosier Pass each morning together to be at the gym by opening (5:30 a.m.) We could get a good 45-minute workout in; dress and head to work from there. This worked well and helped each of us to push the other. On Saturdays when I was off, I usually went to yoga. Sundays and/or Mondays in the winter are skiing and, in the summer, hiking. At the time Athena was cool with being left in the car for that hour at the gym or at the office and so life was good. As Athena has advanced in age, she’s decided that being separated in a car from me for more than the time it takes to get groceries, is unacceptable. That became the first challenge. We found work arounds but nothing ideal. Then COVID hit. When shut down came, I was a year and a half into this routine. The gyms closed, but my yoga teacher shifted to online yoga and so that was at least a way to keep the momentum going. The biggest challenge was the fact that I had nowhere to go. My time was filled with more work but in theory became more flexible. However, because I didn’t initially have a regime, I found I actually slacked quite a bit. After a couple of months of this, I purchased home equipment and reset my schedule. Again, it wasn’t that I didn’t have the time, I didn’t make the time.
So how do I do this? Sundays are generally my prep days. I prep or at least plan my meals for the week. I look at my work schedule and set my work goal list. I also take time to write in that schedule, when I’m going to work out. Yes, I still use a handwritten planner. I also have my phone and computer calendars, but I have found having something in front of me with colors and lines helps me focus and stick to that commitment. Is it perfect? Nope! Things do come up and at times life throws us a curve ball. When I think about skipping Tuesday because there’s just too much to do, I also think about the fact that I’m giving my one rest day up and if that meeting goes late, how motivated am I going to be on Wednesday? Next, I try to schedule everything for the same time each day. This was part of my early success. Get up, get it done and move on with the day. I’m a morning person so once I’m up, it’s game time. Not everyone is a morning person, so make the time for your workouts when you are going to be the most successful. This may be lunch, or late afternoon. If you set your time for the evenings, hold yourself accountable to make that time. Often, we allow ourselves, to put it off because after a full day of work, the last thing we want to do is hit the gym. Do what’s best for you but be ready to look in the mirror and either be disappointed you didn’t do it or celebrate another step towards your goals.
Another tip I use along with writing it in my planner, is I turn off the phone, and log out of my work computer for that time. A hard lesson I learned about online yoga at home is that it’s very easy to not be present and to notice all that is happening around me. I found myself checking emails during savasana or looking to see who called while in plank. The same would happen while doing a run on the treadmill. TURN IT OFF! There rarely, if ever is a reason that something can’t wait 30-minutes or one hour. Take the time for you and then get back to the rest of the world. As I mentioned above it doesn’t matter how much you do, all of it counts. If the only time you have between getting ready for work, getting the kids out, meetings and traffic, is a 15-minute stretch next to your desk, then do it. Your body will thank you!
Last, I wanted to share with you my own personal success on the day. For the last couple of months, I have given myself reasons not to get on the treadmill and get in a run. While some valid, they really are excuses no matter how I’ve validated them. Today, I slid my treadmill out and started a run. My goal was to only do 30 minutes no matter how far I got. I was able to go 3.16 miles in that 30-minutes. While I haven’t run in two months, I was still on track with my last run, but something surprised me. It was smooth, easy and I could’ve gone longer and further without a worry. I stopped at that 30-minutes and switched to my row machine for another 30-minutes. For two months, I told myself, not today. It was a great feeling of accomplishment and a reminder that my body will do what I want it to do, I just have to tell the little voice in my head it’s all good and there is time.
I hope you will make time for you this week. Until next time.
Slainte!
Miche
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