Let’s face it, when it comes to getting your fitness in one of the most popular excuses is time. We’ve all used it every now and then when we haven’t been able to make it to the gym, but sometimes that “lack of time” becomes an excuse for stopping your healthy lifestyle all together. We totally get it; between juggling work and home, not to mention a social life and hobbies, fitness seems like it would be hard to fit in. But the thing is, living a healthy lifestyle is all about balance: balancing all aspects of your life and making healthy choices harmonious with how you currently live. But how do I do that? Well that’s the golden question isn’t? How to manipulate time to allow you to do everything you want to do in a day and still get a full 8 hours of rest. What most people don’t realize is that the key to balancing a healthy lifestyle isn’t in manipulating time because that simply isn’t possible. Whether we like it or not, you can’t manipulate time. You can certainly move the hands on the clock, but it won’t change the reality that time is not in your control at all. It will keep moving forward whether you want it to or not. The only way to truly control your time is to prioritize your time. It sounds easy, but when time is moving out of your control it’s very simple to not complete everything you want to get done in a day. So here are some tips to prioritize your time and make the most by living a healthy, balanced lifestyle: Make a list of things that are important to you: This is the first step for obvious reasons. You can’t prioritize anything without knowing what is important to you. Health should be on the top of your list, but the rest is up to you: things like family, reading, personal development, work, and your hobbies should all make the list. Also take into account the things you want to incorporate into your life that you haven’t already. This could be something like a date night with your spouse, or some time dedicated to yourself like a spa day or relaxation hour. The combination is up to you! Utilize a calendar and put everything on it: Calendars are a tried and true way to prioritize your time. First block off things you can’t really control, things like work and other obligations. Next block out time for your other passions: maybe this means a family day every other weekend, or an hour a night to read and detox. Whatever is on your priority list put on the calendar! It will help you stick to it easier. Be adaptable and flexible Just because you are trying to balance all your priorities, doesn’t mean you have to stick to the calendar 24/7. Life is life, things are going to come up, and when they do you’re going to drop the things on the calendar that are least important to you. So don’t beat yourself up! Sometimes you’re going to miss a workout or something else on your list, but that’s okay because you have the tools to make sure you still make time for everything you want to.
