IS ‘BUSY’ GETTING IN THE WAY OF YOUR HEALTH GOALS?

Sometimes, it seems that life moves at a more rapid pace than ever, even though there are the same 24 hours in a day as there have always been. Priorities shift - we change, and it seems like the older we get, the more we use “busy” as our excuse for getting things started and for keeping things going. I said it - busy as an excuse, because you are only as busy as you allow yourself to be. If you can’t make yourself a priority, you have clearly used being too busy as an excuse for too long, and it is time to shift your priorities. We move through life from one event to the next, just going through the motions and allowing routine and stress to rob us of reaching our health goals. We have a choice when it comes to how much energy we spend on certain things. The real health problem is that we create too many barriers for ourselves by being so busy – so much so, that we end up without enough time to set ourselves up for success.

So, how exactly do we allow more time in our lives to do the things we want and put our goals first? Here are a few tips that can help you prioritize your life, and most importantly, your health:

Say NO: Saying ‘No’ opens up the doors for you to say YES to those things that are in line with your health and fitness goals. Stop ignoring how you feel and practice the art of saying ‘NO’. Once you’ve practiced it in your head, it is time to say it out loud and create some boundaries. This one is always a bit of a struggle for me. I never want to feel like I am disappointing someone. I’m also a doer. Sometimes it is easier just to say “Yes” and do something yourself rather than spend the extra time teaching and explaining. But most of the time, it is because I trust myself more than I trust someone else to do something right - at least that is how I get in the rut of saying yes all the time and justifying its importance. We can’t agree to absolutely everything. Prioritize the yesses and the noes and find a balance between the two.

Put yourself first: This one comes up a lot with my clients - their weekends and evenings are jam packed with kids’ activities, errands and chores. They forget (and moms are especially guilty of this) that they are a person first, and that they have needs too. You are a priority, not an option! You do better when you are at your happiest. Find out what makes you feel fulfilled and ensure that you have made time for those people, events and private time. Doing this will improve not only your mental health, but it will also positively affect your physical health. Being active and doing regular exercise shouldn’t just be another item on your to-do list. Get into the mindset that it is something you need, and that it will make you a happier and more positive person, and one who is better equipped to deal with all of life’s busy moments. It is time to put your goals first!.

Erase the guilt: Even when you feel like something has to give, you worry about hurting people’s feelings if you decline an invitation or cancel a date. Decide who you want to be and don’t let outside influences deter you from taking time out for yourself. It is time to act in your own best interests, as uncomfortable as this may make you initially feel. Acting in your own best interests ensures that you are making the very best of your life, so that you can help those around you make the very best of theirs. What purpose does guilt really serve? Yet it always seems to be lurking just below the surface. If anything, we should feel guiltier when we deprive ourselves of reaching our own goals! By focusing on the positive aspects of our lives and learning to let guilt go, we can move forwards towards our goals and make better (and healthier) choices in the long run.

Be in control: Routines can become obsessions. Needing to feel in control can lead us to nit-pick details that don’t matter. We magnify all of the barriers instead of the possibilities. Stressing about the small stuff or affirming to others just how busy our lives are just gives us a false sense of control. You spend so much time doing unimportant, mundane tasks; yet you keep your expectations high and goals unrealistic. Do you really have control? I get it, we want the superhero cape, but every now and again that cape needs a good washing. We try so hard to control other people or situations, and more often than not, we end up feeling more powerless. This is where we spiral. Instead of looking inwards and asking “What do I need?” and “What is possible now?” we put ourselves down. We search for the next thing we need to do and end up rewriting our current goals we are working towards, because it just seems too hard to keep going. It is hard. That is the point of picking that goal. But it is even harder when you are full of “I’m so busy” excuses! It is much easier to blame that trainer or that program than to take a long look at yourself and ask what you need now. I am really good at routines and I am a master at fighting for control. But, I have become a quick learner when it comes to being flexible and focussing on the bigger picture. I love this reminder: Low days exist to remind you that you still have choices. High days exist to remind you of how fast you can rebound. It’s ultimately your choice whether you get hung up on being in control, or just being.

Get organized: When your thoughts are scattered, how can you begin to take time to think about yourself? Getting organized means that you can finally quit letting “I’m too busy” get in the way of your priorities. To work towards your health and fitness goals, you need schedule time for you. Setting time aside to work towards goals is a big obstacle for a lot of my clients. The thought of meal planning and scheduling your workouts ahead of time feels like one more thing on your to-do list. But, this is where the magic starts. The secret to having the body you want (you know, that one that will make you hold your head up high, feel confident and be a role model for others?) starts with your priorities. So make sure you write them down!

Ask for help: Asking for help shouldn’t be a last resort. It doesn’t mean that you are weak or needy – quite the opposite!. It takes strength to know when to ask someone for a helping hand. People, after all, are usually quite helpful and generous. But why is it so hard to say, “I am struggling over here, and I can’t seem to get it together…help!” When we see others succeed and reach their goals, we have a tendency to compare ourselves to them and internalize it, as if something is wrong with us if we can’t do everything by ourselves. There is nothing wrong with you. Asking for help is part of being human, so don’t be afraid to speak up!

Keep it simple: It is more important to start a goal and completely finish it, than to constantly keep changing it or starting one new program after another and never getting to the end. If you find you’re continuously changing your goals, then it’s unlikely you’ll ever reach them. Instead of thinking of “falling off the wagon” or getting back on it, remember that there is no mythical wagon. There’s only you and your goal – it’s not about a beginning or an end, it is about how to integrate exercise and proper nutrition into your busy lifestyle.

When it comes to health and fitness, ask yourself: “How much time can I legitimately commit to exercise?” and use that as your starting point. If you want to improve your life and your body, make it impossible to fail. Make a plan that works for you. In my experience, there is one thing about all of us that is constant and true - we always want more and we always want better. But more and better doesn’t happen when you’re perpetually busy. Busy doesn’t make you more important or more valuable. Busy is just a distraction from reaching your inner happiness.