This post is not intended to be a guilt trip. My goal is not to make you feel bad for being unable to fit in a run or a sweet pump sesh everyday, 7 days a week. Instead I want to share some of my thoughts on prioritizing exercise in your life to encourage you to be, and feel, like your best possible self.
Between work, kids, your spouse, cleaning, your kids, cooking, your pets, your kids, your social life, laundry, and your kids fitting in a workout might possibly be the last thing on your to-do list. It’s an easy thing to put off and save for another day because the only one who will suffer any repercussions is you. Unless someone is counting on your athletic performance for their payday it’s likely no one is going to get on your case and make sure you exercised (unless of course you have a physical therapist…winky face)
But I think exercise should be a priority. Especially, if it makes you feel good. Also, I think exercise can seem like this daunting, time consuming thing. It doesn’t have to be. Below are my “exercise thoughts”. The way I think about and try to prioritize exercise in my life.
1. Don’t Put it Off Until the Next Day
Ok, so I’m going to do my best to explain the way I think about daily exercise. It’s hard to put into words, so bear with me. The way I prioritize exercise above other tasks is by thinking “Can that be done tomorrow?” For example; Can the pile of laundry be done tomorrow? Yup. Could the house be vacuumed tomorrow? Sure. Will anyone starve if I wait until tomorrow to run to the grocery store? Nope. Can I do my workout for today, tomorrow? No. Because that would be tomorrow, and you lost your chance to do your workout today. Once the day is done, it’s done. Finito! And if you wanted to exercise and didn’t…you didn’t exercise. So, if you only have 20 minutes in your day and you have to pick between cleaning your bathroom or doing some exercise. Do the exercise. No one will die if the bathroom is a little messy (hopefully).
2. Lots of Things Count as Exercise
Exercise doesn’t have to be a lengthy yoga session, a long run, or an hour long power burn strength routine. Surprise!…stretching counts as exercise. Crazy I know. But stretching your legs, your back, or your neck is exercise and can help you feel better. Walking is also exercise. So is chasing your kids around the yard. Do a 10 minute YouTube video. Do some of my exercises on the blog. Walk up and down your stairs 10 times. I try to break a sweat once a day; but some days I just stretch on the floor while I drink my morning coffee and that’s good enough for me.
3. Creative Tips for Fitting in Exercise
On the days I am home alone with my kids I often don’t set aside a large chunk of time for exercise sans kids. Instead, I try to do exercise with them. What does that look like? It looks like me doing squats and burpees in the kitchen while my kids eat breakfast; or me doing planks and mountain climbers while I do a puzzle with my two year old; or lunging my way down the hallway while I hold my baby. Sure it probably looks kinda silly, but I don’t care. I feel better and honestly a 9 month baby (or a 2 year old toddler) makes great weight resistance. You can see some of my at home workouts here:
4. Sometimes You Have to Play Mind Games to Get Started
Sometimes mustering up the motivation or the energy to work out is really tough. Trust me, I know. There’s been many times when I’ve had to play mind games with myself. Just starting the exercise is often the hardest part. Thinking about how I’ll feel after the exercise is what gets me going. I think about the way my body feels after I work out. There’s nothing like that great feeling after a good run. I don’t necessarily love the way I feel during the exercise but it’s that post workout buzz that I chase. And usually once you start the exercise your motivation improves. Suddenly an “I’m just going to walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes” turns into a 30 minute walk/jog. Hooray for you!
5. It’s Worth It To Wake Up at the Crack of Dawn
Time constraints are honestly everyone’s biggest hurdle to finding the time to work out. I’m going to be frank with you. Sometimes I get up at 4:00 am to fit my workout in. Blarggggh… I know. It’s rough. But it’s the only time I have time for exercise. And it’s worth it. I actually feel less tired, have more energy, improved mood, and better productivity on those early morning workout days. If your baby was up five times throughout the night you might want to slap me to the moon if I say “Hey! Get up early to work out! Hehe!!”. But, if you’re not totally sleep deprived I highly recommend the early A.M. exercise. Then it’s done and over with and you can carry on with the rest of your day knowing you did something great for you.
So listen, I’m not perfect at making time for exercise. But these tips above are what I constantly try to remind myself so I can prioritize exercise in my life. Like I’ve said before, we only get the one body…we might as well take care of it.
Good luck and just do your best to set aside a little time for exercise.
-Monica
