This past week I had an “aha” moment, or maybe it’s more of a deja vu, in remembering some tools that I’ve used in the past, to keep me on track. I love eating healthy food. I love the feeling of being alert, having lots of energy, thinking clearly, being more creative and my ego loves the healthy glow in my skin. So lot’s of positive aspects, but why do these reasons easily fade away for me - why has healthy eating always been a challenge for me?
I’ve never been ‘one’ with the planning and prepping process. I wasn’t born with the gene like some of my friends who enjoy creating dishes and find it relaxing. At times, I can even convince myself that I don’t have time to plan and prep because I have other things to do. But I must call B.S. on myself. I’m choosing to not do it because it’s not fun. And that’s a weak reason.
I don’t need to love the process, but I do need to respect that my body needs healthy food and taking the time to plan, shop, prepare is just as important as completing my workouts. For years I think I did well with a so-so nutrition regime. But knew that I could never get away with that attitude for my training, so I always made workouts the bigger priority.
Photo Credit: Rudd Center
As I’ve gotten older I have taken on more responsibilities and time management is a lot more tricky. But once again, I call B.S. on myself. I look at my mom who just turned 68 and still gets up at 7am to get her hair and groceries done on a Saturday morning. Whereas I have chosen to sleep in, shortening the amount of hours in the day to get things done. And when time is a premium, I will always choose to do the more fun things, like working on this website.
You know the old saying “the definition of insanity is someone doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result”.
I’ve got some big health goals and need to start re-looking at how I spend my time.
In the past, using some time management tools has really helped me opens my eyes as to where I spend my time, does it align with my priorities in life? You get to define your priorities, and they do change over time. So, if you feel like you’re spinning and not accomplishing your goals, whether health or another area of your life, maybe it’s time to do a time audit.
Wheel of Life - My Naturopath introduced me to this concept, and it helps you decide on a macro level, where you want to divide your time.
Time Audit - once you’ve determined where you want to spend your time, track how you are actually spending your time. You’ll see the gaps and can start to make adjustments. It’s a lot harder to make up excuses when you see the evidence.
I hope these tools will help you in your healthy and athletic goals. Please share with me here or on Facebook, your strategies.
What a helpful article that is very timely (see what I did there!) for me. I’m going to have a go at using the ‘time audit’. I’ve been really struggling over the last few months to keep on track with my health and fitness goals and I suspect I’m not utilising my time in healthy ways… Thanks!