CNN recently published a story where President Obama’s trainer commented on the President’s ability to find time for fitness despite his busy schedule. It may be difficult to compare the President’s schedule to yours, but the fact remains that one of the main things keeping people from working out is lack of time.
I’ve often said that to most people, time is more valuable than money. We all have the same amount…and it’s fixed. I don’t get any more minutes today or tomorrow than you will. What’s different, however, is how we choose to spend our time. Whether we realize it or not, our priorities determine how we spend our time. If you like walks in the park, shopping, or video games, the amount of time you spend doing any of these is a choice. Sure, most of us have to work, but how do you spend the time before and after work?
One of my priorities is my family. I’m fortunate because my wife shares the same love of fitness that I do. I’m able to make fitness a priority while spending time with her. Is it a sacrifice for us? We wake up at 4 am everyday to make it to the gym by 5:00…I’ll let you decide. The point is, if something is a priority in your life, you make time for it. If there’s no time, it’s not a priority, it’s a desire. It’s really as simple as that. Make health and fitness a priority.
People argue that we have no control over how long we live, so why spend time worrying about fitness? I won’t address that philosophy here, but I will say that you can improve the quality of your life by taking proactive measures to improve your health. How often do you think about the ailments you don’t have? Do you ever notice that muscle you didn’t pull when you jogged to cross the street? How about the low back pain you don’t have from lifting your grandchild? Look at fitness as a preventative measure, not as a daily inconvenience.
Will you carve out a half hour of your day for fitness? If the answer is ‘yes’ then your health is a priority.
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