One of the biggest reasons we hear from people who quit coming to the gym is that they do not have time. Time is our most valuable resource, and how we spend it can be one of the most important decisions we make every day. We do not typically hear this from prospective members, but more from members who come for a while and quit coming. I wanted to address this issue here, and discuss why time is not only a bad excuse, but a completely invalid one.
“I really love the gym and I have been getting great results. However, I am (traveling more for work, working more hours, kids are getting busy, dating someone new, etc. etc. insert time consumer here) and I can’t come to class anymore. Once things settle down I will be back for sure!” This is a statement that we hear a lot from members when they leave, and it is something that I want to walk through and address here. If you feel like you do not have time to come to class, then I would encourage you to sit down and map out your week. Write down how much time you spend on each activity that you do. If you are like the majority of people, then you will realize that you actually have a lot more free time than you think. People waste a lot more time than they realize throughout the week, and just being smarter each week with how you plan your time can give you a great deal more time each week to get things done. The bottom line is that if something is a priority to you then you will make time for it. If going to the gym is important to you then schedule it on your calendar at the beginning of the week and schedule other things around it. I think what you will find is you will not only find time to get your gym time in, but you will also be more productive with the rest of your time as well. If you still can not find time in the day, then consider cutting some things out. Think about which is more important five years down the road. Is there anything in your schedule that is time filler that will have no impact in the future? If you are like most people then much of the stuff that keeps them “busy” is really not that important at all in the long run. Taking care of your health and fitness is one of the most important things you can do, so keep that in mind when deciding which activities and tasks you should be doing and which you cut out.
“I would love to do CrossFit (or exercise in general), but I just don’t have time!” This is a statement that I get a lot from people that I know in the area who do not come to Coyote, and most likely do not work out at all. This statement is usually made for two reasons 1. They genuinely do not believe that they have time 2. They are just using time as an excuse full well knowing that if they had all the time in the world they would still not exercise. Let’s address the first reason. Basically what this person is saying is that they do not have time to prioritize their health. I would answer that with a question. What do you do when you get sick? Do you have time for that? Of course you do-you do not have a choice. If a person does not prioritize their health then they are going to get sick. It is not a matter of if, but when. They will also probably be getting sick fairly frequently. Why not be proactive and spend time working on your health by exercising and eating right? This can keep the amount of times that you get sick lower and also decrease the amount of time it take to get back on your feet. Not making time for your health is a very shortsighted mindset, and it will eventually come back to haunt you. In the long run, you will most likely actually be losing time. As for the second reason, I will just say this-quit lying to yourself and to others. If you are not willing to make the commitment to take care of yourself then just admit it. I think that once you actually start saying it out loud to others, and actually accept that you are making that decision, then you will realize how foolish of a statement it is. If you do not have your health, then what do you have?
Finally, let’s address the person who really has a super busy schedule and has hardly no free time. I get it-there are certain stages in life where we are super busy and hardly have time for anything else. This is still not an excuse for not taking your health and fitness seriously. How long does it take you to wake up in the morning? Get out of bed when your alarm goes off and do 10 squats, 10 pushups, and 10 sit-ups instead of hitting the snooze button. If you make this a daily habit then you will accumulate a ton of reps over time, not to mention starting your day off with a lot more energy. If you are busy at your desk all day, hop up once every hour and do some more pushups and squats, or do a little stretching. When you get home at night set your watch to 5 minutes and do as many burpees as you can. If you add up the total amount of time you spent throughout the day doing these exercises then it will probably total less than 10 minutes, and you will be much fitter than you were before. You will also be in much better shape when your schedule lightens up. Finally, I would say to seriously consider why you are so busy. Is what you are doing that takes up so much time really worth it? We only get one life, and no one ever looks back on their life and says they should have worked more. Think about what you are doing that will truly matter 5, 10, or 20 years down the road and prioritize that.
I hope that I have shown you that time is never an excuse when it comes to your health. Many of the most successful people in the world find time every day to exercise and take care of themselves, and they are most likely way busier than any of us. They do not let time be an excuse, and you shouldn’t either. Make the time now to take care of your health, and your future self will thank you!