Finding the Time to Workout

One of the biggest reasons people don't workout is "I don't have time." Moms especially have this challenge... and I can say that as a mom of two. It's HARD to find the time for myself. There are "Mommy-Guilt" issues added to that, and it just gets harder and harder to justify... and that's a whole different blog post.

The point is: EVERYONE has time challenges (some more than others).

How do you find the time?

Well, the first question you need to ask is this: "How bad do you want it?"

Do you want it bad enough to go without sleep? That's a tough one...

Right now, I *do*. I tweaked my knee on Wednesday (after the most awesome run... I managed to injure myself STRETCHING. Irony.) So, I went several days without working out. It was TOUGH! I am addicted. I was grumpy... I was weepy... I was just not myself.

I heard a Buddhist monk recently talk about happiness. He said being happy is NOT selfish- in fact, we should all strive to be happy, because happy people usually don't hurt others. I thought of this on day 3 of no-workouts... and realized I need to take care of myself so I can be a better mom, a better wife, a better friend, a better librarian... just a better person.

The point I'm trying to make is this: You have to realize the importance of working out, and make it a priority. Without that, you'll be lost when the first obstacle appears.

We've recently had a schedule change that makes it so I can't use my lunch time to workout on Mondays and Wednesdays. When I get home, it's run-run-run with the kids until bedtime, so I have found that I don't like to plan my workouts for after work (because, honestly, they don't get done).

My solution: The only way for me to workout on those days is if I wake up at 3:45 am.

So, this morning, my alarm went off at 3:45 am. I woke up and thought, "This is ridiculous. It's the middle of the night. What am I doing?" After sitting there and thinking about it for about 10 minutes (and wasting time) I got up.

Fast forward to after my workout (which was Turbofire): "Woohoo! I feel great! I'm so glad I did that!"

I'm counting on that feeling to get me out of bed tomorrow at 3:45.

Now, I'm not saying everyone has to get up in the middle of the night to workout, and it certainly isn't ideal (I don't think I'll try running at that time of day..), but I'm making it work for me. As a (relatively new) mom of 2, with a full-time job and a side business, I am proud that I'm making it happen. If I didn't have those circumstances, I would do something different.

So, let me ask you again: How bad do you want it?

I hope this helps. What are some ways you fit in your workouts?

Happy Monday,

Sarah

Find me on Facebook!