Understanding the Struggle with Time

“Time” is one of the most popular reasons why people do not exercise. But what if you could see results in 30 minutes? The average individual sleeps for about 8 hours a day, works for another 8, leaving us with 8 hours to ourselves to embrace the monotony of our daily choices. That typically consists of screen time, spending time and taking care of our family members, traveling to/from work, and appointments, cooking, cleaning, some sort of personal hobby, and everything in between. If you do the math, we have 33% of our day available for us to make personal choices.

Balancing Time and Personal Health

Don’t get me wrong, I understand how difficult it can be to juggle work/home/ personal life. Time is a big inhibitor for me to exercise longer. I work 10 hour days, sometimes longer, and have a family that I come home to every night. I have certain tasks that I need to accomplish daily, while trying to maintain comfort and security at home.

But I also know that for me to help my family and those who need my support, I need to make time for myself in order to be my best and for all to receive my best. I accomplish this by structuring my schedule in certain time blocks. At this time, I need to complete these things. If I have time left over, I can finish what is needed in the next time block. It’s a matter of working smarter not harder, and understanding where I can free up some time in my routine.

By adding fluctuation into my schedule, I know I can make time for my physical and mental health. If I am able to free up 30 minutes a day and use that time for exercise, I know I will be able to see results and better serve those around me. 30 minutes may seem like a lot of time that you can’t afford to spend, but if you look at the bigger picture, it only accounts for 2% of your day. We all deserve to spend 2% of our day on something that will “better” us as individuals- it all comes down to desire for change, commitment to ourselves, and being flexible in our routine.

Achieving Health and Fitness in Just 30 Minutes

Research shows that even if we walk for 20 minutes per day, there are physiological changes in our body: our mental health improves, our body burns more calories, we can achieve better full-body circulation, we can feel more energised and less fatigued, we can experience less muscle aches and pains (especially the mid/lower back), and fresh air always feels good on the body. Studies also showed that performing static stretching, has similar effects to that of walking. Lifting weights is a great outlet as well to alleviate the daily stressors you tolerate. Who doesn’t like the opportunity to throw an object around (like a basketball) to burn off some steam?

Here is a tip, especially if you have family members: They are your support system, believe it or not. Children like to replicate what they see their parents doing. So if you have children, it might be a fun idea to inform them: “hey lets go for a walk outside, lets take a break from tv and get some fresh air, lets see who can do as many air squats as possible during the next commercial break, etc.” This is a fun way to get them on board with what you want to achieve with exercise.

At the end of the day, you deserve these results and it only takes 30 minutes. Your body will thank you for it later. Do not let time be the reason you neglect your body or your fitness. It needs to be a “non-negotiable” priority that you create for yourself, and maybe even those around you. Yes, change will be extremely difficult. Once activity becomes habitual, and you commit to your health, you will be satisfied with your decision.

Raether Fitness