What about Myself?  Setting Daily (and Weekly, Monthly and Annual) Priorities

In today’s world, there are a lot of things clamoring for your attention.  You can probably count off the most immediate ones on your fingers and then realize you need a few more hands!  You may be trying to juggle a family (transporting kids hither and yon), a career (whether you’re a wage earner, an independent contractor or a business owner, your to-do list of paperwork and phone calls may seem to be continually growing), and all of the other errands that form a part of our daily lives.

But in that mix, you need to find time for your health.  Your fitness and personal health needs to be a priority, or you may find that you start to get just a little less able to do all of those other things.

It’s tempting just do away with fitness goals as part of an “extras” category that doesn’t need your immediate attention.  Sure, maybe it’s not top priority for today, or tomorrow, but add up all of those todays and tomorrows at the end of the year, and you might be telling a different story.

The truth is that taking time for keeping your body strong will help your mind stay strong as well, and enable you do deal with all of those stressors that you face every day.  On the flip side of that coin, sacrificing your body to the priorities of the outside world can mean a slow, gradual descent into a weaker state of response.

One problem with handling these questions of priority is that you may see working out as taking “personal time” in the face of a bunch of pressing duties.  What about the people who are waiting on you while you’re out pleasantly jogging on that elliptical or taking a swim?  You may see this kind of “time off” as selfish.

But it’s not selfish.  It’s necessary.  Okay, so if you’re lounging by the pool eating grapes, you may have a priority problem.  But if you’re going to the pool to get some actual exercise, this will boost your productivity and help you manage the demands that the day places on both your body and your mind.

You may feel the need to communicate this: it could be that someone in your workplace is laying a guilt trip on you.  Explaining the difference between a needed workout and just “going fishing” might help.  Same goes for your other boss: your spouse.  A calm, reasoned discussion may lead to a great result.  Your spouse may even take the bait and decide to take on his/her own fitness goals.

But keep this in mind: taking care of your body with scheduled, reasonable workouts during a week is not selfish, and it’s not a dereliction of duty.  These kinds of “regular maintenance” on the body’s muscles, joints, etc. are a way of “banking” time for a real result later in life, and a return on productivity.  Any work place that doesn’t recognize this kind of equation is basically a sweatshop.  That doesn’t mean that an employer will always sign off on whatever schedule an employee sets.  It does mean that people who feel they can’t afford to take time for fitness need to pursue an open dialogue with whatever and whoever is the obstacle to this goal.

So how do you handle all of the stuff you need to do, like phone calls, emails, errands, etc. and still find time for health?

Get a calendar and fill it up in blocks, and make sure everything stays on an even keel.  Time management is crucial to this process: you may need to color code activities to see what’s going on in your day.

Be efficient.  Find ways to work out wherever you are (even in the office).  Pre-plan meals and “pack for the day”.  It may be you can shave off time this way to devote to fitness.

And whatever you do, don’t let your personal wellness be part of what you “let slide”...remember, it’s an investment, A VERY SOUND ONE, for your future!

By Steve,FitnessFuture Expert