A well used excuse reason for not running is…”oh, I can’t seem to find the time”, well it’s no wonder because time isn’t something you find. Oh I just found twenty minutes lurking in my underwear draw, and look I just tripped up the two hours I lost a few months ago when I had that hangover.
NO
You do not find time, you do not make time, you do not manage time…you simply make the most of the time you have available to you.
This is just simply thinking in a pragmatic way about the time you have available…which is pretty much the same as everyone else (24 hours a day) and then deciding how you are going to fill those hours.
If you have an hour to straighten you hair each morning, or 3 hours in the evening to watch soaps back to back then you have time to run, you are just choosing not to prioritise it.
Even if you work 10 hour days, with 3 hours of commuting that still leaves you 11 hours, say 7 for sleeping, 2 for preparing and eating food, 30minutes for personal hygiene that leaves you over an hour for exercise. So do you really not have time?
The government in the UK suggest 3 x 30minutes per week of structured exercise, but all of us could do that every day at least…maybe even more at the weekend.
I have been taking part in two online challenges this month
Janathon – exercise, log and blog for 31 days straight. I have exercised almost everyday but the blogging has been a bit challenging
And
Jantastic me – running 4 times a week and logging my runs, I have hit my targets so far although this weeks has been tough because of an ad hoc night out partying
What these challenges teach me is what I am truly capable of when motivated, but also that I achieve more when I plan ahead and give some thought to my week in advance.
So how else can you make the most of your time in order to reach your fitness goals?
1. Multitask – can you run somewhere to get the things you need, or to visit the people you need to see. A classic kill two birds with one stone.
2. Change your routine – can you tweek your day to get your exercise in, run at lunchtime or after dark.
3. Switch OFF the TV – or the laptop/tablet/mobile phone. Tally up your hours of technology/screen time. You must be able to claw some time back.
4. Involve other people – missing out on family time, date night or socialising with friends? Convince them to exercise with you or at least plan meetings around your fitness goals.
5. Become more efficient – are there things you do that you waste time on? Do you take an hour to do your hair/make up? Can you shower rather than bath? Where can you claw back multiple 5 minutes?
6. Sleep less – we do need a good nights sleep but could we get up even half hour earlier or go to bed half hour later? An early morning run before anyone else rises can set you up for the day!!
7. Get some paid help – if you spend 4 hours a week cleaning or doing ironing couldn’t you pay someone else to do it? Put a price on your time? How much do you charge per hour? Is it more cost effective to et others to do some of the more tiresome/thankless tasks?
8. Have systems – do you spend 10 minutes a day looking for your keys? Each time you pay your bills do you have to search for an hour to find the paperwork? By setting up simple time saving systems you will waste less time the next time.
There are numerous techniques to free up your time, you just need to think about things more, plan, commit and follow through.
How do you prioritise fitness in your busy lives? Do you have any tips or tricks?