Once you graduate, you get a job,
and your time doesn’t belong to you anymore, which is the main reason why
people forget to focus on their body and health. Do you really think “I’ll get
through this first year of work and then I’ll start” is the right way to go
about it?
No! It’s not…
Your health and well-being is
important on top of being completely correlated to your professional workflow
and efficiency. Let's talk about what we can do to bring up our fitness,
happiness, and overall health.
Schedule yourself
Let's be real,
you did it in high school and college, why would adulting be any different?
Yeah you have a job and you might be a little more tired than when you were 18,
but remember how you would rally in the middle of the week to go out and party
even though you knew you had practice at 6am and class at 8am?
First tip:
decide what are your priorities.
Do you want to be active every day? Do you want to run a marathon? Do you want to make heads turn this summer? The reason doesn't matter as long as it's important to you.
Do you want to be active every day? Do you want to run a marathon? Do you want to make heads turn this summer? The reason doesn't matter as long as it's important to you.
Second tip: plan
out your day.
If you know you have to work late, do your workout in the morning. Plus you’ll start your day on a far better note! It has been a fight for me this year to do this because my class schedule changed all the time and didn't always match my teammates’. One day I’m rowing at 6am, another I’m running during my lunch break, or just erging by myself at 8:30pm. This is where your priorities kick in, if you really want it, you’ll do it even if it’s at an unreasonable time. Why do you think they made 24/7 gyms!?
If you know you have to work late, do your workout in the morning. Plus you’ll start your day on a far better note! It has been a fight for me this year to do this because my class schedule changed all the time and didn't always match my teammates’. One day I’m rowing at 6am, another I’m running during my lunch break, or just erging by myself at 8:30pm. This is where your priorities kick in, if you really want it, you’ll do it even if it’s at an unreasonable time. Why do you think they made 24/7 gyms!?
Third tip: set yourself for success.
Ok, so we are getting up super early or going to bed super late, what’s my next step? Sleep and eat accordingly. That’s all you need to do to complete the circle. When I need to get up early, I go to bed earlier. ALWAYS try to get those 8 hours! And if I know I won’t have time to cook or eat during my lunch break, pre-make it so you have it ready once you’re done. Damn, it's so simple, right?!
Ok, so we are getting up super early or going to bed super late, what’s my next step? Sleep and eat accordingly. That’s all you need to do to complete the circle. When I need to get up early, I go to bed earlier. ALWAYS try to get those 8 hours! And if I know I won’t have time to cook or eat during my lunch break, pre-make it so you have it ready once you’re done. Damn, it's so simple, right?!
Commit. It’s a lifestyle.
Once you’ve
started, it just becomes a lifestyle until someone or something starts being an
obstacle. That’s when you have to commit!
First tip: No
obstacles.
This is exactly like trying to quit smoking, don’t let people around you dictate your life. I’m not saying you should push people away, not at all! Actually, surround yourself with people who live this same lifestyle. Occasionally, a girlfriend/boyfriend/friend will try to convince you to do something else instead of working out. They need to understand how important this way of life is to you and what your goals are, but you need to communicate it to them right away. They will most likely accept how you work and might even join. This doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun, but don't cut out your workout.
This is exactly like trying to quit smoking, don’t let people around you dictate your life. I’m not saying you should push people away, not at all! Actually, surround yourself with people who live this same lifestyle. Occasionally, a girlfriend/boyfriend/friend will try to convince you to do something else instead of working out. They need to understand how important this way of life is to you and what your goals are, but you need to communicate it to them right away. They will most likely accept how you work and might even join. This doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun, but don't cut out your workout.
Second tip: surround yourself.
I'll be the first one to tell you it’s miserable to train by yourself. You have to do it sometimes, in the rain, in the cold, against the wind, in the dark, late at night, but if you can be part of a community or just have a training partner, do it! It’s a great way to keep your motivation up as well as having some inner squad competition.
Third tip: Find
an alternative.
I guess most of us follow a training program. If you don’t, this is a good lesson to hear. For some, sticking to a precise plan is important, but it happens to find yourself in a situation where you can’t do what was planned like a lack of equipment. It is alright to switch workouts around, still respecting some rules like no heavy lifting back-to-back. I found myself a few times this year not having enough time for these long lifts we do for rowing at lunchtime, which was super frustrating and enabled me to skip it altogether. If you can fill in that gap with something similar, do it! You’ll gain something instead of just sitting around all day.
I guess most of us follow a training program. If you don’t, this is a good lesson to hear. For some, sticking to a precise plan is important, but it happens to find yourself in a situation where you can’t do what was planned like a lack of equipment. It is alright to switch workouts around, still respecting some rules like no heavy lifting back-to-back. I found myself a few times this year not having enough time for these long lifts we do for rowing at lunchtime, which was super frustrating and enabled me to skip it altogether. If you can fill in that gap with something similar, do it! You’ll gain something instead of just sitting around all day.
Yeah we all do a
lot of stuff during the day, but every time you click “Next Episode” on Netflix
or keep refreshing your Facebook feed, you are surely wasting time you could be
using to treat your body like a temple. We all have to adapt to not having
sports in our schedule anymore and work at including it in our daily life.
Just remember
that when you are complaining about not having enough time, men and women are
going to the Olympics to represent you and your country all while having kids
and a job.
Much love.
