We can't make time. We can't find time. If we can't make it and we can't find it, how can we possibly have any at all? It goes fast when we don't want it to. It goes slowly when we want it to fly by. And we seem to never have any time when it comes to making priorities, especially when those priorities should involve our health.
I am guilty of it as well. I have caught myself saying the dreaded statement: I don't have time to ____. Insert anything you want in the blank. Whether it's "workout" or "prep my meals" or "eat healthy" or "make a meal plan" whatever the statement is, it is so common to say we don't have time for it. When that clearly isn't true. We do have time, we all have the same amount of time in a day, we just CHOOSE to use that time differently. I have four kids, I run a business, I am a wife, I take care of my house, I am a chauffeur for activities, I am one of the busiest people on the planet so I understand not having time. I understand why people use that phrase. But once you shift your thinking over to realizing that you do have the time and that you can make the choices as to how you use your time, you will live a much happier and healthier life.
So how do you do that? First you stop saying you don't have time and you start scheduling into your calendar these things that you don't do right now. Like working out, or meal planning, or prepping meals, or whatever it is you want to start doing but think you don't have time to do. For example, I started putting into my calendar - with a loud alarm reminder - to do a 30 minute workout 3 times a week. Now I am holding myself more accountable to doing it. I "found the time" because I put it on the calendar, now I just need to follow through when the reminder goes off. I also block off 2 hours every weekend to plan our meals for the week, plan the grocery list, and to prep the food. What I mean by that is I literally write out every meal on a spreadsheet that our family will eat. Sometimes I have to wake up early before everyone else to do this, but that is how I make the time! I create a list from that meal plan for our groceries. I quickly scan the kitchen, refrigerator and freezer and cross off things I already have that I don't need to buy (my kids like helping with this like it's a scavenger hunt!) Once I have my groceries (usually via Coborns Delivers or a quick trip to the store, because with a list it goes very fast) I gather up the kiddos and the hubby and we all wash and cut the fruit and vegetables and divide out the meat, etc. so that it is READY TO GRAB when we need it. I make time in our calendar to do this and I get everyone involved to help me. Sometimes they don't and sometimes I prefer to do it alone, but when I ask for help they know it isn't really a question and that if we all do it together it goes so much faster. I am getting everyone involved in my home in understanding the importance of doing this so that we are all healthier! How I wish I had learned this growing up, so I look at this as an invaluable lesson that I am giving my kids now.
If you are someone that finds yourself thinking that you don't have time for working out, or you don't have time to make healthy meals, think again. You have as much time as everyone else, you just need to choose to allocate your time to this, you need to make it a priority and schedule it into your week. You need to make the choice to stop making time be the excuse and do something about it. You will find that you will actually save time once you have things planned out like this. It is so much easier to spend those 2 hours once a week than it is to try and figure out meals every single day. The great thing is, since I have been doing these meal plans for awhile, now I have about 6 versions that I cycle back through and I spend even less time now!!!
Think about how you use your time. Will you starting making time for your health? It's funny that once we lose our health we seem to find time and will do anything to get our health back... so why not be proactive about it and not lose it in the first place? Find the time and you will find and keep your health!
