Plan

I'm a planner. Big time.

Like most American people alive in 2016 (almost 2017!), my daily life revolves around the calendar in my iPhone. Everything I do or need to do is represented by an electronic event notated in the device, and synched with my Google accounts. Client appointments, of course, household chores, bill pay reminders, workouts, parties, competitions, dinners out, dinners in...everything. I used to put "walk dogs" into my calendar as a daily activity, but at this point I may as well load "wake up" as an event, the daily walks are so ubiquitous.

Someone perusing my calendar might find it a bit...neurotic. I laugh, because you should have seen my organization methods before the era of e-devices, when I was surrounded all day by a flurry of post-it notes. But honestly, keeping a chock-ful calendar is just how I get sh*t done. If I didn't have my daily responsibilities notated somewhere, they would jangle around in my brain and I wouldn't be able to focus on anything in the moment. My calendar is the place I can offload this information without forgetting it. It keeps me accountable. At the end of the day, I can scroll back through my schedule and see what I've accomplished. It's darned satisfying.

Why talk about this on the TFN blog? Far and away, THE reason clients give me for why they feel they can't get workouts in, or implement their daily nutritional habits, is TIME. There's just no room in their weekly schedules for three workouts, they say. They can't remember to bring a water bottle on shopping trips or to the movie theater, to pack snacks for their busy day of meetings, or even get to the grocery store to buy the things with which to pack the snacks. There's too much going on.

Really?

The "Time" rationale is never the true reason someone doesn't commit to 3x week strength training and daily nutrition habits. But it's an easy justification that everyone can relate to. Everyone is busy. Yes, some people do genuinely have more to juggle than others, but there is NEVER not enough time to exercise or slice up some cucumbers. With all the modern ways to get organized and parse out your time, lack of planning is no longer a good reason. It's an excuse - an excuse that may mask deeper reasons like "I'm afraid to fail at this" or "I think my spouse/coworkers/friends will judge my new priorities as selfish".

If you think that making Time is your #1 obstacle to lifestyle change, bust out that iPhone and plug your week's workouts into your calendar. Add a 90 minute window somewhere this week for food shopping and unpacking, and add a daily event with an alarm reminder for finishing your first liter of water (10am would be a good time!). These and more are all strategies I work on with my Nutrition clients. The most vital part is to let go of the idea that Time is an insurmountable hurdle. If that's how you feel, there's a deeper and more powerful reason you aren't yet making change.

~Jenn