Ever wonder how some people seem to have to time to workout and you don’t?
Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, so how does the woman running a business and or the woman with 2 small children have time to exercise?
We make time for what’s important
You are more brilliant and creative than you give yourself credit for. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking yourself how do I fit this in? I was at the gym the other day and one of the members was saying that she worked out a system with a neighbor who has a little one. They take turns watching each other’s kids to give them the time to do what is important to them.
How many times have you had to figure things out in a pinch? Why is this any different?
Two reasons – Sacrifice and Suffering
We believe that sacrificing ourselves for the needs of others is necessary for them to like us, to avoid them getting mad, or because we think we are supposed to.
I had a client who was always running to the aid of her daughter whenever she called, which lead to her feeling used and abused, helping, but resenting it and running out of energy (and money) because she was running to the rescue when she really wanted to be out enjoying life. When we discussed this, she believed that if she didn’t step in, her family would end up on the streets.
Remember when I said we can become really resourceful, when we want to?
Once we looked at the validity of some of her thoughts about the situation and she decided to take a stand for herself, she started saying “no” more. What happened? Her daughter found out how to be a creative solver of problems and my client had more time and energy to do the things that mattered to her most, starting with exercise and spending time with friends.
Do you have relationships in your life that are draining your energy? Perhaps it’s time to set some boundaries.
The second reason people don’t make time for exercise is that they equate it with suffering. Most of the women I know who have difficulty starting or being consistent with a regular fitness routine think that the reason they should exercise is to lose weight fast. The problem with this thinking is that when you workout “hard” for several days or a few weeks and you don’t see the results (weight loss) that you were looking for, you begin to believe that exercising is not worth the effort and eventually quit or sabotage your efforts.
With that comes other thoughts like, if I don’t sweat, it doesn’t count and I have to do boot camp or run because they burn the most calories.
Did you even stop to consider whether or not you like those activities?
Regular movement has many benefits that we neglect when we tie them to weight loss. Can you think of reasons to start exercising that do not involve weight loss or fitting into skinny jeans that you can get excited about?
Every day I work at the hospital I am thankful for the ability to climb stairs, to have a strong healthy heart, to be full of energy. Maybe you have been given a medical diagnosis that you would like to manage without medication or you want to be able to keep up with your kids?
Giving yourself the gift of regular movement is a choice. When you move your body on a regular basis, you are showing yourself that you are worth paying attention to and caring for.
Challenge:
- Find and start clearing the energy drains whether they are people or activities that you don’t care to participate in any more.
- Think about what types of movement might be fun for you to do on a regular basis, without worrying about how many calories they burn.
Question: What types of movement did you come up with? Please share in the comments below. It may help stir other people’s creativity.