Monday, April 19, 2010
Find the Time, Part 2
Here's a great article from WebMD addressing the planning and time issue better than I could. Serendipity!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Find the Time
OK. Time. You don’t have it. How do you find it? How can you make it?
We hear this suggestion: “Write it in your calendar – make a date with yourself and keep it.”
Does that work? Maybe for some people. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes not. I have a pretty flexible schedule, plus I love working out - a definite advantage. But other people have much busier lives than mine and still manage to keep that date with themselves. Why? I suspect it’s because they’ve already made the commitment to working out and have integrated it into their lives. In most cases, that date is non-negotiable. And if obstacles come up, people find a way around them – to keep getting in some kind of workout so that a missed day (or a short, not-so-great, imperfect day) doesn’t snowball into weeks without activity.
So what about when we do carve out the time but don't use it? When we write “work out” on our to-do list with great intentions and then get swamped with something else? When we know we could take a walk after work but flop down in front of the TV instead? Why is our workout the first thing we throw out?
I Don’t Have a Magic Bullet – Or Maybe I Do But You Might Not Love It
The solution is simple. It’s not easy. And I’ve already mentioned it. Make the commitment. Don’t ask, do I want to, do I feel like it, do I deserve it, could I be doing something else, I’ll just finish up this report, this chore, stop at the store, it’s too cold, I have to make dinner, I’m so overwhelmed, etc. Don’t get involved in any of that mental stuff.
Get involved in this mental stuff: Remind yourself that you’re the person who takes the time to work out and get healthy. That’s it. Once you make that shift, you’ll find a way to make those dates on the calendar actually mean something important.
Start Small
The beauty of starting small is this: You can accumulate activity throughout the day, in 10-minute segments. Can you get up 10 minutes earlier? Can you take some sneakers to work and walk around your office building for 10 minutes during the day? Can you walk around the field during your daughter’s soccer practice? Can you steal 10 minutes from loading the dishwasher and do some push-ups, lunges, and simple exercises with hand weights? Could you schedule a few 15-minute walks on the weekends?
Not up for 10? Start with 5. I’m not asking you to ignore your friends, family, home, work, hobbies, and the rest of your life. I’m asking you to look hard at times when you’re sitting down instead of moving, when you’re ignoring your health while trying to squeeze in one more task. I’m asking you to feel uncomfortable and overwhelmed and take action anyway. I’m asking you to stop waiting for the perfect moment and find something you can commit to.
Sometimes we have to show up to create a little momentum for ourselves.
These May Help
1. Identify what you’re going to do and write down those exercises ahead of time. None of this, “Well, maybe I’ll go for a walk and then work on my butt or something but oh my arms are really flabby, too - crap.” Make a plan: On Monday I’ll walk for 10 minutes and then do three sets of 10 push ups, lunges, and tricep dips. On Tuesday I’ll walk for 15 minutes, doing 30-second intervals of faster walking every 3 minutes.
2. Don’t act like you have to perfectly plan the next five years of workouts. Look at your calendar. Find the 2 or 3 easiest days to work in some kind of exercise this week and start there. Find 2 or 3 easy days in the next week and block out some more time, so that when other activities and demands start to crop up, you can schedule them around your exercise time.
3. Make it easier. Do you need to pick up some 5-lb hand weights and keep them in your car with an extra pair of sneakers? Set an alarm for your workout time? Can you watch American Idol from your treadmill? Trade play dates with a neighbor? Maybe you need to involve the whole family (“We’re all eating a healthy breakfast and taking a walk on Saturday morning.” Yeah, you can do that - you buy the food and pay the medical bills – not your kids). Would it be more fun to work out with a friend? Would a group exercise class be more fun than running? Is there some sport you always wanted to learn, or start playing again? Do you need to post a list of the health benefits of exercise on your fridge? Are you motivated by specific results, a particular goal, or a (non-food) reward? Ask yourself what would make exercising a no-brainer for you.
4. Expect obstacles and emergencies. Kids get sick, we get sick, deadlines get moved, cars break down, holidays happen. What do you do? How do you keep one missed workout from turning into 3, then 5, and then you’re completely off track again? Can you re-wire the part of your brain that automatically thinks, “Well, so much for my workouts – this week is obviously shot to hell”?
5. Focus on how you’ll feel after you work out. I don’t mean just physically (maybe we don’t want to think about that, although exercise does increase your overall energy level) – I’m talking mental. How great you’ll feel tomorrow knowing you worked out today, vs. thinking of how you burned up another chance to exercise by sitting on the couch.
Finally - Give Yourself the Gift of Success
You don’t really need a good reason to get started, but you might discover something that takes it from task to habit to lifestyle.
Would you like to beat a family history of heart disease?
Are you tired of saying, “I’m the chubby one?”
Do you want to model healthy behavior for your kids?
Is this just the beginning of you making healthy choices in other areas of your life?
Would it be fun to run or walk a 5K?
Do you find yourself thinking more clearly? (Yeah, it helps the brain too.)
Does it help to imagine a healthier, more energetic body rather than just a skinnier one?
Are you finding relief from stress, anxiety, depression, or PMS?
Does exercising give you a more positive relationship to food and your body?
Do you really just enjoy it? (Don’t laugh - it might happen!)
Remember that consistent effort adds up over time. Here’s hoping you get started this week!
We hear this suggestion: “Write it in your calendar – make a date with yourself and keep it.”
Does that work? Maybe for some people. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes not. I have a pretty flexible schedule, plus I love working out - a definite advantage. But other people have much busier lives than mine and still manage to keep that date with themselves. Why? I suspect it’s because they’ve already made the commitment to working out and have integrated it into their lives. In most cases, that date is non-negotiable. And if obstacles come up, people find a way around them – to keep getting in some kind of workout so that a missed day (or a short, not-so-great, imperfect day) doesn’t snowball into weeks without activity.
So what about when we do carve out the time but don't use it? When we write “work out” on our to-do list with great intentions and then get swamped with something else? When we know we could take a walk after work but flop down in front of the TV instead? Why is our workout the first thing we throw out?
I Don’t Have a Magic Bullet – Or Maybe I Do But You Might Not Love It
The solution is simple. It’s not easy. And I’ve already mentioned it. Make the commitment. Don’t ask, do I want to, do I feel like it, do I deserve it, could I be doing something else, I’ll just finish up this report, this chore, stop at the store, it’s too cold, I have to make dinner, I’m so overwhelmed, etc. Don’t get involved in any of that mental stuff.
Get involved in this mental stuff: Remind yourself that you’re the person who takes the time to work out and get healthy. That’s it. Once you make that shift, you’ll find a way to make those dates on the calendar actually mean something important.
Start Small
The beauty of starting small is this: You can accumulate activity throughout the day, in 10-minute segments. Can you get up 10 minutes earlier? Can you take some sneakers to work and walk around your office building for 10 minutes during the day? Can you walk around the field during your daughter’s soccer practice? Can you steal 10 minutes from loading the dishwasher and do some push-ups, lunges, and simple exercises with hand weights? Could you schedule a few 15-minute walks on the weekends?
Not up for 10? Start with 5. I’m not asking you to ignore your friends, family, home, work, hobbies, and the rest of your life. I’m asking you to look hard at times when you’re sitting down instead of moving, when you’re ignoring your health while trying to squeeze in one more task. I’m asking you to feel uncomfortable and overwhelmed and take action anyway. I’m asking you to stop waiting for the perfect moment and find something you can commit to.
Sometimes we have to show up to create a little momentum for ourselves.
These May Help
1. Identify what you’re going to do and write down those exercises ahead of time. None of this, “Well, maybe I’ll go for a walk and then work on my butt or something but oh my arms are really flabby, too - crap.” Make a plan: On Monday I’ll walk for 10 minutes and then do three sets of 10 push ups, lunges, and tricep dips. On Tuesday I’ll walk for 15 minutes, doing 30-second intervals of faster walking every 3 minutes.
2. Don’t act like you have to perfectly plan the next five years of workouts. Look at your calendar. Find the 2 or 3 easiest days to work in some kind of exercise this week and start there. Find 2 or 3 easy days in the next week and block out some more time, so that when other activities and demands start to crop up, you can schedule them around your exercise time.
3. Make it easier. Do you need to pick up some 5-lb hand weights and keep them in your car with an extra pair of sneakers? Set an alarm for your workout time? Can you watch American Idol from your treadmill? Trade play dates with a neighbor? Maybe you need to involve the whole family (“We’re all eating a healthy breakfast and taking a walk on Saturday morning.” Yeah, you can do that - you buy the food and pay the medical bills – not your kids). Would it be more fun to work out with a friend? Would a group exercise class be more fun than running? Is there some sport you always wanted to learn, or start playing again? Do you need to post a list of the health benefits of exercise on your fridge? Are you motivated by specific results, a particular goal, or a (non-food) reward? Ask yourself what would make exercising a no-brainer for you.
4. Expect obstacles and emergencies. Kids get sick, we get sick, deadlines get moved, cars break down, holidays happen. What do you do? How do you keep one missed workout from turning into 3, then 5, and then you’re completely off track again? Can you re-wire the part of your brain that automatically thinks, “Well, so much for my workouts – this week is obviously shot to hell”?
5. Focus on how you’ll feel after you work out. I don’t mean just physically (maybe we don’t want to think about that, although exercise does increase your overall energy level) – I’m talking mental. How great you’ll feel tomorrow knowing you worked out today, vs. thinking of how you burned up another chance to exercise by sitting on the couch.
Finally - Give Yourself the Gift of Success
You don’t really need a good reason to get started, but you might discover something that takes it from task to habit to lifestyle.
Would you like to beat a family history of heart disease?
Are you tired of saying, “I’m the chubby one?”
Do you want to model healthy behavior for your kids?
Is this just the beginning of you making healthy choices in other areas of your life?
Would it be fun to run or walk a 5K?
Do you find yourself thinking more clearly? (Yeah, it helps the brain too.)
Does it help to imagine a healthier, more energetic body rather than just a skinnier one?
Are you finding relief from stress, anxiety, depression, or PMS?
Does exercising give you a more positive relationship to food and your body?
Do you really just enjoy it? (Don’t laugh - it might happen!)
Remember that consistent effort adds up over time. Here’s hoping you get started this week!
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