Daily Fitness Is Time Well Spent
By Shannon Leavitt
Last month my partner and I spent a few weeks in Europe enjoying the usual tourist sights, an abundance of croissants and crepes, local libations, and walking, and then walking some more. We couldn’t help but notice the lack of overweight people among the European populace and then connect the dots from societies built around pedestrians, public transportation and fresh food, and leanness.
So when a friend recently lamented on how next to impossible it was to get in the recommended 7- 10,000 steps while working a job that demanded most of her time, I was even more ready than usual with commentary and solutions. I could see the frustration in my friend’s tense face as she related her list of should dos that included exercise, eating well, meditation, connecting with friends and family, and maybe, just maybe one day finding the time to volunteer. Unfortunately the perception and/or reality of a lack of time is a complaint that too many of us relate to. But is it valid or is it possibly about misplaced values? After all American society is built around a work pedestal with many employers giving mere lip service to the importance of helping employees to actually live more balanced lives. Being healthy in the USA requires defying a societal group-think system and truly advocating for your Self.
As I challenged my friend’s conviction that every minute she put into her work was absolutely necessary, I could see the myopic vision that stress produces and the disconnect between being healthy and rested, and performing well and happily at work. Since she asked my advice, I told her that her solution to getting and staying true to her fitness goals was two-fold. First, she had to stop valuing work more than her health. Second, she had to identify the links between better health and being more productive and contented at work. Intellectually she knew the links but emotionally she was a slave to habitual ideas of duty coupled with fear. We humans tend to put energy into what we value, but if our values are not acknowledged or are obscure from lack of honoring them, we will put energy into other people’s values like the collective American value of ‘working til you drop’.
Research shows that productivity, health and happiness drop dramatically when we are overworked or burned out, and that regular exercise is a sure-fire way to improve health, mood, immunity, focus, and resilience. Yet breaking out of an overwork habit and into an exercise one is rarely easy. It requires self reflection, values identification, planning, experimentation, flexibility, and compassion. Here are some wise steps toward creating a healthier, more balanced life.
Five Steps Toward An Exercise Habit
1. Know and write on a note that stays visible to you, WHY fitness is important to you.
2. PLAN it in doable amounts like you do other important appointments or events.
3. Don’t overthink or dread it. Instead encourage yourself by going back to your WHYs.
4. Be patient with yourself. Be willing to start over, scale back, try a new activity, and get support with a coach or exercise partner.
5. Above all- Set yourself up to succeed by not adding activity to an already over busy schedule. Reflect on what’s most important and get less busy!
Don’t wait for society to care more about your health than you do! If walking, or some other activity, isn’t built into your daily life or commute yet, start planning a daily fitness break or two and rest assured that it will be time well spent.