“I don’t have time to exercise”

One of the most common challenges many people I work with have when trying to achieve their goals is getting time to exercise. This can be from demands of work, family and other commitments. In many cases, especially with people who run their own businesses, when thinking about priorities in life, it’s easy to pitch ourselves way down the list and so it’s understandable that when we think about all our commitments, we’re lucky to find time to sleep let alone exercise! Quite often, our diet falls by the way side too when we’ve got so little time and we end up picking at different things.

What if there was an easier way? What if there was a way to get everything done AND have the time to do all the things we know we should be doing?

How would it be if you put yourself at the top of your list of priorities? You may be laughing right now and thinking “yeah, right” but what if you did? Putting yourself first doesn’t mean neglecting other things, it means being able to do everything much more efficiently AND potentially getting more done or having time to relax. Think of it another way, how would your business, family or organisation cope if a key member was off sick? Not very good, eh?

How can we change things for the better? Most of us plan everything else in life except ourselves so why not use those skills to make a difference?

How would it be to go to bed earlier and get up half an hour earlier to exercise? I suspect that during an early morning workout, your mind would have the space to plan the day ahead. Just think how much quicker you’d get through emails or how much more you can get done at the start of the day when you’re full of energy. If early morning isn’t ideal, how about to take time out for a walk at lunchtime? Again, a good opportunity to clear the head, get some fresh air and start the next part of the day more energised.

If meals are an issue, a couple of options can be to make a big pot of something at the weekend, put into tubs that you can freeze and heat up on the day or prepare a big tub of salad with some chicken and veggies that you can graze on through the day.

If you find yourself saying yes to everything and increasing your workload that impacts on your time, why not set a timescale for when it will be done? If you think of  when we need things, we usually have to make an appointment to get them done or be given a timescale for when they’ll be done so why not do the same with your workload? The only person who expects things to be done immediately from you is you or those around you because they know you always say yes.

Start to make yourself a priority and see how things change. If you allow yourself more time for you, your health, mental wellbeing, productivity, mood and energy levels will all change.

Putting yourself first isn’t selfish, it is essential. What could you change to make your life better?