Finding Time to Exercise--It Can Be Done!

Article by Nancy Goodman

Be honest, on your list of priorities, where does exercise fall? Is it even on your list? Some of you don't exercise because you think you don't have time. You're waiting for your schedules to ease up, for the weather to cool off or heat up, for a project to end, or for some other future event. The truth is, there's never a right time to get moving. It's now or never.

We all have excuses for why we don't exercise. Recognize any of these?
Exercise is boring. If you don't look forward to your workouts, it's no wonder you skip them. People often force themselves into activities that don't interest them, which, of course, increases the quit-factor.
• There are no immediate consequences to skipping a workout. It's not like you'll gain 10 pounds or suddenly get heart disease if you miss one day. But it's easy to let the time get away from you, until pretty soon it's been a month since your last workout. Then come the consequences—weight gain, low energy, insomnia, and more.
• You're waiting for things to calm down. Life doesn't calm down as we get older. Jobs, kids, family, social obligations—they're never going to go away. If you're waiting for a clear schedule, you'll be waiting for a long time. If you really want to exercise, find a way to do it now.
• You're waiting to fall in love with exercise. Think you'll suddenly wake up one morning, itching to get to that workout? It just doesn't work that way. You have to work at it every day and find that motivation wherever you can.
• You get frustrated by lack of results. Are you a scale watcher? Remember, it takes time to see results. If you're obsessed with the scale, it's that much harder to stay motivated. Focus on what you're getting now—energy, stress reduction, satisfaction, etc.
It's not easy making exercise a habit, nor does it have to be the equivalent of moving a mountain. It starts with a decision and is followed by taking an action. That action can be as simple as walking the dog or as complicated as training for a marathon. Either way, there's no better time to start than now.