Don’t make time, take time!
"I just couldn't find the time to go for a walk."
"I was going to prepare meals for tomorrow but I ran out of time."
"I don't have the time to come in to train."
...ever said any of these before?
Time is our greatest commodity. The only currency that we all have an equal amount of. So where is it all going? What are we spending our time on? While everyone has different commitments, be they work, family, or social, when it comes down to it everyone has the same amount of hours in a week. If you want to accomplish something, be it hitting a fat loss goal, training for a 10km run, learning a new skill, you need to put in some hours, minutes and seconds to get there. How many do you have?
168 hours.
We all have the same amount of time, it's what we do with it that determines whether we're successful in our endeavours, whatever they may be. If you're struggling with "finding" the time to get something done, you could benefit from a "time audit".
What's a "time audit"?
A time audit is simply a tool we use in which we break down exactly what you spend your time on during the week. An example of this could be:
Work - 45 hours
Travel to and from work - 5 hours
Sleep - 56 hours
Grocery shopping - 1 hour 30 minutes
Household chores - 3 hours
Showering, getting dressed - 5 hours 15 minutes
Total - 115 hours 45 minutes
Time remaining - 52 hours 15 minutes
So if you worked 5 days a week at 9 hours at a time, travelled 30 minutes to and from work every day, slept for 8 hours a night, spent 45 minutes total getting showered and dressed, took 1 hour and 30 minutes buying groceries, spent 3 hours cleaning and doing household chores, you would still have 52 hours and 15 minutes remaining in the week.
Love a good visual metaphor.
That's a lot of time! . . . how do I find it?
From here your time may go into your friends and family, and raising and taking care of the kids. There's also the little things like watching television, checking Facebook, unwinding after a big day at work, going out on a Friday night, or sleeping in on the weekend, to name but a few. This is where the rest of your time goes, and from where you must take time if you want to achieve your fitness and fat loss goals.
You must take time if you want to achieve your fitness and fat loss goals.
168 hours.
We all have the same amount of hours in a week, therefore it is impossible to "make time" for cooking, preparing healthy meals and for exercise. You have to take the time that you found in your time audit and put it to use. That might mean spending a little bit less time on Facebook in the mornings or watching television in the evenings, so you can prepare your meals for the next day or get your workout gear ready for the morning. By taking the time you have and putting it to use, you set yourself up for short and long term success in achieving your health and fitness goals.
Don't make time, take time!
Talk soon,
Alex
