In talking with friends and clients about making healthier lifestyle changes, the biggest challenge is time. With busy lives and busy professionals, time is not easy to find. I hear you. That was my biggest challenge to overcome.
I was at my healthiest right before I became pregnant with my second son. I had some challenges with my pregnancy and actually feared working out. With my first son, I ran every day until I was 7 months pregnant. So this was a complete 180. I gained a ton of weight during this pregnancy too. When he was born, I completely focused on my kids and my oldest was also in school. Their schedules became my schedule. I'm sure some of you can empathize with me. When they slept, I slept. When they ate, I ate (and not the best choices), when they went to school, I went to work and so on. I found it impossible to lose the "baby weight"
I was always passionate about health and working out and I knew that I needed to make time for me, but I HAD NO TIME! So, when my clients tell me they don't have time for yoga or cooking, walking or prepping, I totally get it. We all want it. We all think it's important, but where do we fit it in between work, school, after school, dinner, kids.....and more? It can be really overwhelming.
First, look at your time. We all use time differently and sometimes we waste it without knowing it. Try journaling for a few days. What did you do? How did you use your time. Is there an opportunity in there to make some changes? Instead of watching TV after dinner, could you watch one show and then do a workout?
Cook twice, eat once. This is something I learned at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and I love this saying. We can spend too much time in the kitchen daily. For those of you that love cooking, this could be a stress reliever, but it could also get in the way of adding in that healthy routine you've been wanting to add. Here's how it works. Make a meal that you can have for leftovers. Throw the leftovers in the fridge or freeze it for another day. These meals are great too for emergency meals when you don't have anything healthy and you're about to grab those donuts out of the pantry!
Schedule it in. For many of us, myself included, if it's not in my calendar, it doesn't exist. Or, someone else takes that slot on your calendar. Book the time out that you need. If you want to meditate before an important meeting, put a block on your calendar prior to that meeting. If you want to get out and go for a walk, block it out during lunch time. If you want to add journaling to your night time routine, put it in your schedule.
Get it done early. One of my coworkers always brought his gym bag to work and I asked him one afternoon if he was going to the gym after work, he said no. He said he gets his workout done first thing in the morning because it's the only part of the day that NO ONE ELSE can take from you. I thought this was brilliant. Find the time in your day that no one else can take from you. It might be first thing in the morning. It might be during lunch or it might be right after work before you drive home.
Get an accountability partner. This is what worked so well for me. I was once again healthy at 40 and it's because of my coworkers. I was using EVERY excuse in the book, but we did a Biggest Loser challenge at work and I knew I had to support my team and not let them down. I'm also competitive, so it spoke to my competitive spirit. They became my accountability partners and because of it, helped me reach my goals.
Get a health coach. A health coach can be that accountability partner for you. A health coach is your partner in this journey we call life and can help guide you on the journey to wellness. A health coach is just that, a coach. It's someone who you can work with to set goals and make small adjustments along the way. At The Wellness Value, we work with you on what those goals look like and develop an individualized approach to your journey so you can be confident in knowing that your coach is working with you and not just being prescriptive. They can be that person to help you find the time to focus on you and your health!
I'd love to hear what you do to find time! Share your comments.
For more information, email me at michelle@thewellnessvalue.com
댓글