How Do You Manage It All?

A question I’m sure everyone who has ever trained for something is asked at some point.  Recently though, this question has come up more and more.  That and the inevitable WHY do you do it?  I find these two questions are generally the same – very few people ask ‘how’ with the intention of doing it themselves, but some do take a little something away from my answer.  

There are 24hours in the day.  If you sleep for 8 and work for 8 you STILL have 8 hours left!  You get up at 7am, slowly wake up and get ready for work.  You could get up just 30mins earlier, go for a run and get ready that little bit faster.  You could even get up that little bit earlier and go to the gym before work – lots of people do it. 

“Ok but I have to get to and from work” – run! Cycle!  Even walk! It’s all exercise.  Get a lunch break?  What do you do?  Sit in a canteen for an hour, or at your desk for an hour because you can’t really leave?  You’re entitled to a lunch break, it’s law.  Does your work have a gym?  Join it.  Or, just go out for a run.  Grab some fruit and a yoghurt after.

So you’re back home after working, what are you doing?  Watching telly?  Catching up on the latest episode of the most recent must see show?  Record it, go to a class, go to the gym, go for a run, a cycle, a swim.  Get home and then watch it.  Safe in the knowledge you’ve earned that rest.  Instead of sitting watching telly for 2 hours having adverts rot your brain get some exercise for an hour, get home and fast forward those adverts – it’s much more satisfying. 

I just don’t believe people when they say they don’t have the time.  ‘I work all the time’ – you don’t work 24 hours a day.  ‘I’ve got kids’ – I have 3.  ‘I just don’t have the time’ – but you’ve time to watch Eastenders every night?  Or catch up on Facebook for the last 5 hours?  If you want something bad enough you will make yourself find the time to do it.  Time is already there – it’s YOU that makes the choice how you spend it.