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168 Hour In A Week. Are YOU On The Schedule?

168 hours in a week.

Yet, we do not have enough time.

Here’s my experience with time.

Three and a half years ago, I admit “I had no time.” I woke up at 4:30am, left the house by 5am. Then I returned home half a human being around 10pm. I did this 5 days per week. I didn’t see my kids. I had no energy for my husband. But I was trying.

I felt like I was spinning my wheels. I was too tired to take the time to make great food. I was too tired to keep my house consistently clean (something that truly affects my serenity). I could barely get in workouts (even though I am a Trainer). After about 8 months of this, I realized I was drowning. I remember the moment I asked for help. You see, I am one of those, I can do it all, kinda people. So for me, asking for help, uttering the words “I can’t do this anymore, I need help”, WAS A BIG DEAL.

For many of us, asking for help is so hard. And what’s worse, is that those of us in this boat, are often perfectionists. We have to do it ourselves, and it has to be done perfectly.

I am a recovering “Perfectionist”. Haha!

But I digress.

Back to “not having time.” I truly did not have time to take care of myself. That was not a lie. It was my reality. But here’s the thing. I could have stayed in the land of “I don’t have time” for another year, two years, ten years. But instead I chose to make “having more time” a priority.

Taking care of your health has to be non-negotiable. Everything else will fill in the gaps like water in a glass. Those things that require YOU, they will be there. Kids, work, family, running errands, school, pets, volunteering commitments, doctor appointments, etc. For me, it started with admitting I needed help. The next step was taking a serious look at the aspects of my life that bring me personal peace (spending quality time with my family, exercising regularly, eating healthy, cleaning my house) and admitting to myself I will do whatever it takes to make them a priority.

Create time. We have personal training clients and group class members who do this 3-4 times consistently every week. These rockstars wake up early, workout, eat, shower and head off to work. If they were sleeping, they would not have time to exercise.
Rewire your way of thinking. Stop repeating those tired old messages. Instead, when you feel overwhelmed, repeat positive messages like “I have all the time I need” or “I have an abundance of time.”
Schedule your workouts like you have time. The reality is, once you have 45-60 minutes to exercise on your busy calendar, you will find a way to navigate the other details. Case in point: Your week is jammed packed and you feel you could not squeeze in one more moment, then you get a call from your doctor’s office. Your test results came back and they need to talk to you right away. Now how busy are you? Having “time” or “no time” is relative.

Today, carve out some time for you. Let the water in the glass fill in around the time you set aside for YOU.

Today, set aside 3-5 hours out of 168 hours per week to take care of the only body you will ever have. Treasure it.