According to an article on Statista, the top three New Year’s resolutions in the U.S. this year were to exercise more, eat healthier, and lose weight. Admirable resolutions for sure but I’ve heard that song before. We all have. It pretty much plays on repeat every year. I ask, why does it take a special date to commit to better physical health? And if that’s really a goal we’re serious about, why must we recommit to our physical health goal every year? We can all agree good physical health has important benefits:
- Reduces risk of disease/heart attack/type 2 diabetes/stroke/depression to name a few
- Improves ability to do everyday activities
- Increases quality of life
- Builds strong bones and muscles
- Increases longevity
- Provides more energy
- Boosts mood and energy
- Relieves tension and anger
So why is it so hard to stay the course beyond the first few months of the year? When good physical health has such incredible benefits, why can’t we seem to prioritize it? There are many reasons, of course. Everyone’s situation is different. Some people find themselves too busy with kids and work to get to the gym or meal prep. Others simply don’t enjoy exercising so they stop doing it and prefer juicy hamburgers over spinach salads so they revert to old habits. Still, others experience a major life event that turns their world upside down and steals their motivation to work on themselves – events like divorce, getting fired or let go, or losing a loved one. Well, I’d like to speak to the first group, to those of you who want to exercise more, want to eat healthy, and want to lose weight but can’t find the time in your busy life to make it happen.
Here’s my secret: Marry your favorite activities or those you must do with exercise and with healthier eating. Here are some examples: Your kid has an hour-long soccer practice which doesn’t give you enough time to leave and get anything done so you stick around and usually chat with the other parents. Alternatively, you could use that time to work on you! You could walk or jog laps around the fields to get your steps in. You could bring your own yoga mat and do crunches and leg lifts. If you’re too exhausted from the day’s happenings, you could simply whip out your phone and plan your shopping list for the week (all healthy foods of course). When you create a shopping list, you are much less likely to grab the chips, cookies, and other junk food as you walk down the aisles. A list gives you a mission. In this age of technology, you can even use that time to order your entire shopping list and have it delivered to your door, thus removing all need for willpower in the grocery store aisles.
Here’s another example: You have three work meetings in three different locations today. Your go-to for long drives is to turn on your favorite podcast then listen to your playlist. Nothing wrong there except what a waste of time driving is when you have physical health goals! So here’s how you can marry the two: First, bring along a giant jug of water with fresh-squeezed lemon inside. Lemons are full of antioxidants that boost health and well-being. Water hydrates your cells and assists you in consuming fewer calories. Second: Focus on your posture. Simply by sitting up straight, you are properly aligning your bones and joints, reducing headaches, and toning your muscles to name a few. But don’t stop there. As you are driving, you can also do simple exercises like engaging your core, glutes, or shoulders for 15-second intervals. Isometric exercises are simple but effective in toning your muscles.
Your problem is not necessarily that you don’t have time to maintain your physical health. You just might not have the time for the exact physical activities and meal prepping you’d prefer. Any exercise and healthier food choices are a step in the right direction, though, and a step you can keep taking repeatedly by continuing to marry them with activities you enjoy doing or must do. Get in that habit because it’s one you can keep with awesome benefits. As Jim Ryun said, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
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