The “I don’t have time to exercise” starter pack
The most common excuses I hear for not having time to exercise….
This is something I often hear and to be honest, it pisses me off. Not many people truly have ‘the time’ to exercise. Most days I could certainly use that hour or so doing plenty of other equally important things, but I choose to exercise because I know the benefits it provides. If you want to find the time to exercise then you better start looking long and hard at your schedule and make room for it. There are literally thousands of daily distractions. Start prioritising the ones that will give back to you… Like what? EXERCISE, you guessed it, is one of the top things we can do for ourselves, not only physically but mentally too!
These are some of the more common reasons I’ve come across for people not having the time to exercise; and half the time they don’t even realise it…
Social media – how many hours a day do you honestly spend on your phone? For most of us its approximately 2 HOURS! Don’t believe me? If you’re an iPhone user, go to Settings -> Screen Time - and have a look at why your days are disappearing before your eyes. Imagine how much physical activity you could do in that time! Mind blown!
Netflix or just TV in general – I don’t know about you but I’m a sucker for an addictive series and can easily lose hours playing eps back-to-back. Netflix says its subscribers watch for an average of 2 HOURS per day! So you’re thinking, I don’t watch that much?! And maybe you don’t sit down and watch a whole movie every day, but an episode of Bridgerton in the morning and evening and there’s your 2 hours gone.
The gym isn’t open when you want to go, so you don’t have time. Find a gym with 24-hour access or shift your day around to make it happen. We all have the same 24 hours in the day, make it work for you.
Kids – The kids take up so much of your day, you don’t know where you could find the time. Young kids (under 4) are usually pretty happy to be taken for a stroll in a pram… Or take them along to your gym (with a creche service). For older kids, either get them to join in or do something active while they’re at school or their after-school activities. While little Olivia is doing ballet class, why not go for a run around the block?
Sleeping in – I am the first to admit that sleep is one of the MOST important things in terms of health, however most of us screw this up by laying in bed for all hours looking at social media, youtube etc., that would be better spent actually going to sleep earlier so we can wake earlier. Waking earlier might mean you can finally get that gym session in before work…
Not having time is actually a choice and a question of time management. Remember we all have the same 24 hours in a day. How you use each minute (not hours) is in your complete control. Remember it just comes down to prioritising. So next time you’re tempted to say “I don’t have time” instead say “This isn’t a priority right now” and see how that changes things… It feels very different!
I guess what I’m really trying to say is… If something is important enough you’ll find time, if not you’ll find an excuse.
