Keys to Making Your Health a Priority

Keys to Making Your Health a Priority

Time is the #1 reason, and excuse, most people claim as to why they cannot partake in an exercise program or do so consistently. In today’s society, time is of the essence and people seem to have less of it. Time can be looked at as the most valuable commodity we have, or don’t have. Whether it’s family activities, career obligations, events, or even self-sabotage…the reasons and excuses for not finding time for your fitness can pile up quickly and snowball until there is no fitness plan whatsoever.

time-for-fitness

When embarking on a fitness journey and maintaining the diligence necessary to reap the benefits, there is definitely some planning, thought and compromise that has to happen. Here are some things to consider and steps to take so that you find time and stay on the fitness wagon:

  • Forethought

    Do you typically workout on a whim and – as a result – are very sporadic? Maybe you hit the gym once this week, three the following week, and then sprinkle a zero-workout week in there. Forethought into your schedule can pay huge dividends. Looking a week or month ahead, rather than day by day, can really help you adhere to optimizing your time and fitness. Practicing forethought will also allow you to better plan for different types of workouts, whether it’s a strength training session, group class or a 30-minute interval workout.

  • Calendar

    That’s right, adding the workout into your calendar like you would a meeting, birthday party or wedding can be a great hack to be more diligent with your fitness. Blocking off a time for your workout will help keep your health a priority in your schedule. The more steps it takes to cancel or delete something, the less likely it will happen. Make those workouts more difficult to cancel by putting them in your schedule.

  • Compromise

    This is a tough thought and hopefully your schedule works without much compromise, but there will eventually come a time when something will have to give. You won’t always select fitness over whatever other activity you have planned, but try to get in the habit of doing so more often, especially if your workout consistency has been struggling. Is it giving up that 30 minutes of reading the paper in the morning? Is it missing that 2nd or 3rd happy hour of the week? Is it reducing time watching television in the evening? Is it communicating with your spouse to watch the kids for a little bit? Is it getting to work 30 minutes later or leaving a little earlier? Is it bringing your lunch to work and using the lunch hour to workout rather than visiting the nearby restaurant every day? There are many other instances in which you can question the value of your time and what you want to do with it. The important thing is that you become more efficient with your time.

  • Inclusion of Others

    In general, people are less likely to blow off something if another person is involved. This is sometimes the best way to keep you accountable. Whether it is pairing with a workout buddy, joining a group exercise session or hiring a fitness coach. The urge to cancel is made much tougher if your decision impacts someone else as well.

We all have things that come up unexpectedly and life is not going to get any less busy. But you have to make your health a priority at some point. In the end, everyone has time that they can dedicate to their health, it is just a matter of priorities.

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