Making Time for Exercise
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One of the main reasons that most people give for not exercising is that they don’t have time. The thing is, we’re really good at making time for the things we want to do.
We have time to watch TV or blog or surf the Internet. We have time to play Words with Friends or Draw Something or Farmville (which, for the record, I have never played). We have time to read or draw or crochet or bake. Whatever interests us.
But, we don’t have time to exercise.
A week or so ago, as I was drifting off to sleep, thinking about what lay ahead the next day (I think was the night before I was to drop my kids off for camp the following day), I had a thought occur to me.
Make time or make excuses.
It’s that simple. It’s one or the other. Sure, there are times when it really is hard to find time to work out, but most of the time it’s not as hard as we try to make it out to be.
If you want to be healthy, if you want to reach your weight-loss goals, if you want to maintain your current weight, you have to make time. If you’re not making time for exercise, you’re making excuses.
Is that harsh? Maybe. Is it the truth? Absolutely.
That mantra is what ensured that I worked out several days last week when I would have slept in a bit more instead. It’s what got me up much earlier than I’d have liked for a run with a friend. It is what, in retrospect, what has helped me lose nearly 90 pounds.
So, what will it be for you today? Will you be making time or making excuses?
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Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
Yes, we willmake time for things that are most important….and we will make decisions based on things that are important, too…..great post and reminder!
Honesty is not harsh. It’s convicting. Thanks for the reminder. Good words to wake up to this morning!!
Yes, I like that perspective better than “harsh.”
Well said! I couldn’t have put it better myself. Guess it’s time for me to close my laptop & put on my running shoes! 🙂 Thanks for the reminder & the motivation! Blessings, Alisha
Well said! It really is make time or make excuses. I lost 40 lbs by making time. I can tell you I did not want to get up even this morning, but I did (and I ran in nasty hot humidness…blech). I also think that as at home moms, it is about making time for ourselves (which would be the same if we were working moms). At some point we have to make ourselves a priority and take care of ourselves in order to be able to lovingly take care of those around us.
Enjoy your day!
Exactly! It is so important to make sure that we’re making time to care for ourselves, so that we can better care for our families.
beautiful truth here friend — and I am guilty !!!
Honestly, I’ll be making excuses today. It’s too hot. I didn’t get enough sleep. I have laundry to do and dinner to cook. lol. how’s that for a list of excuses. You are so right though. I made time to get online and read your blog, so yeah, I make time to do the things that I really want to do. I guess I’ll stop making excuses when being unhealthy finally seems harder than starting on the road to healthier living.
I want more detail about how to make the time. Exercise is the one thing that, nearly 3 years after my separation/divorce, I have yet to re-incorporate into my life. Between work (a must, to pay the bills) and kid/house related stuff (and trust me, I’m pretty bare-minimum when it comes to the house) and my very real needs to sleep and occasionally relax, I’m at a loss.
I guess that’s different for everyone. When I first began changing my life, finding time meant giving up other things — sleep, a little time in the evenings with my husband and kids, a relaxing evening after church. It also meant doing things a little differently — I’d walk on the treadmill instead of sitting on the couch to watch The Biggest Loser.
I can’t imagine how busy life must be for you these days. I would imagine that making time is going to look different for you than it would for someone else. Maybe it’s finding little pockets of time for exercise, rather than one big block — a 15 minute walk here and there, rather than 30 minutes on the treadmill. Studies have shown that those little bits of time really do add up.
Maybe it means that exercise takes the form of active play with your boys or walking the dog. I imagine that it is tricky, but the health benefits (mental and physical…I’ll be posting about that soon) make it so worth the effort. I hope you can figure out a way to work reincorporate exercise back into your routine at least a few days a week.
I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately, Kris, and wouldn’t you know that I would stumble into your fitness category on the exact day you were preaching to me. LOL I have so many excuses, and as a result, my waistline keeps getting better. I weight only about 15 pounds more than my Dad right now. That is a hard pill to swallow because he has always been the biggest person in my life.
I know it is time to take care of myself. I know that God is trying to motivate me. My habits are just so hard to break.
They are hard to break, but it can be done! The surprising thing to me is, as I’ve made slow, but steady changes, they really do become a lifestyle, which makes the whole eating healthy and exercising thing much easier.
No excuses! There are ways to accomplish things and exercise. Mowing the lawn, for example, is a great form of exercise. Of course, the lawn doesn’t need mowed every single day. My point is that we can find ways to incorporate exercise into our lives every day. Walking on a treadmill while watching TV is great. But, what if there’s no treadmill? Well, how about doing your own circuit such as jumping jacks, lunges, and push-ups? I believe that was a circuit suggested by Bob Harper do to on while on vacation. Even if you can do 10-15 minutes 2 or 3 times a day, that’s enough. So, let’s get (or keep) moving!!!
I had some health issues that kept me from exercising. While they were valid, it still affected my weight. Now I take an aleve with my breakfast, and I’m able to walk. I hope this keeps up in the cool weather as that usually kicks in arthritis for me.
My way of “no excuses” right now is our puppy. There is no way I want to deal with 50# of 8 month old dog when she didn’t get her 2 mile walk. I love how this has been good for our family as we walk together. I just wish my house cleaned itself while i was walking.
Yeah, big pupppies with no exercise are not fun. 😉
Thanks for this! I really do need to exercise! I’m 50 lbs overweight and I’ve had two babies back to back in the last two yrs! T__T I cant make anymore excuses. I must get my weight down. I’m so thankful you’ve put yourself out there so moms like me can benefit! -Jasmine
Jasmine: I also had my kids 12.5 months apart, and used that as an excuse for my weight. When they were 10 & 11 (five years ago), though, my blood pressure started to creep up and my doctor was going to put me on meds. That was the kick in the pants I needed to get off my rear. I started walking, then jogging. Now I regularly run 3 miles several times a week and occasionally throw in a 6-10 mile run one day a week. I walk with my daughter and run with my son. I try to make it a family effort, and that is much easier.
One DOES have to make time for it, though. But in the end, the results–physical and mental–are so worth it.
Exactly….when I did my gym program this spring, I made time to workout 5-6 times a week for 2-3 hours each time. Now I am struggling to find time to workout 3-4 days for an hour at a time. I evrn have a free gym membership, I just need to GO! No more excuses. Great post.