Here we are at the end of month three of the new “2011
exercise-you.” This is around the time that the reality of exercise
begins to set in — you didn’t get out-of-shape over night and
you’re not going to get back in-shape overnight, remember?
That fitness and weight-gain hole you’ve dug for yourself over
the past decade or so is going to take awhile to get out of. This
is also when the realization that you’re going to have to workout
for the rest of your life sets in and you worry how in the world
you’re going to find the time to do that?
Finding the time to exercise is the final piece to the fitness
puzzle. It’s a challenge for millions of Americans who have
cluttered their lives with professional and personal commitments to
the point where their every day routine is a frenzy of minute
details.
We have lost our way on how we spend our two most precious and
irreplaceable commodities — our time and our health. Time
management is life management and if you can’t manage your time,
it’s unlikely you’re managing much else in life.
Let’s talk about how to fit regular exercise sessions into your
busy life. Let’s talk time management.
The first thing to realize is that the time allotted for any
task is always less than the time required to accomplish the
project. If you don’t believe me, tackle cleaning out your garage
this weekend. Get real about how long it takes to do things and
adjust the time you allow for tasks accordingly.
Next, find out where your time goes. If you want to make better
use of your time, begin by learning exactly how you’re using
it.
List all the activities that make up a typical day including
some of the unscheduled interruptions and crisis management. Look
for “time leaks” those recurring interruptions or unproductive
habits and find ways to eliminate them.
Establish clearly defined goals dividing them into daily,
professional and personal goals. Write them down and prioritize
them.
Goal setting and planning go hand-in-hand. Effective time
managers plan their activities — convert your goals into actions by
listing all the necessary steps to accomplish your goals putting
yourself on a time schedule.
Next prioritize your activities. Some matters are urgent but
relatively unimportant — like returning a phone call regarding your
high school reunion. Others are highly important but not urgent –
for example, starting work on a presentation you have to give next
month. Then, there are those that are both important and urgent —
such as, buying a present for your spouse’s birthday.
Keep interruptions of your planned day to a minimum and identify
which interruptions are time wasters and which are not. Eliminate
the time wasters.
Use a daily planner. It can be paper-based or software-based. If
you use it regularly, it will quickly become your most valuable
tool in organizing and prioritizing your life. It will give your
daily routine structure.
Now, schedule regular exercise appointments in your daily
planner and don’t cancel them except for the most urgent of
situations.
Finally, list those things that might derail your exercise
routine and brainstorm creative solutions to those potential
interruptions, so you have a plan in place to deal with them when
they happen.
Take control of your time and make regular exercise part of the
fabric of your life. The secret to your future health is hidden in
the management of your daily routine.
Cord Prettyman is a certified Master Personal Trainer and the
owner of Absolute Workout Fitness and Post-Re-hab Studio in
Woodland Park. He can be reached at 719-687-7437 or by email at
cordprettyman@msn.com.