5 Ways to Balance Life & Exercise

My work. My kids. My family. Money. Not enough time. This hurts. That hurts. I’m afraid something is going to hurt.
Excuses. Everyone has them. We hate hearing them; at least I do.
You don’t need to sacrifice anything (except maybe 2-4 hours each week) to start making the changes you need in effort to improve your health.
The truth that people don’t want to hear is this; you will not be able to enjoy your work, your kids, your family, your money or your time if you don’t take care of yourself first. Fitness gives you the freedom to do more things. You know what sucks? When mom can’t play with her kids because she’s winded after walking 50 feet, or when grandpa refuses to get down on the ground to play with his grandchild because he won’t be able to get back up!
So without further adieu, here are five ways to balance life and exercise;

  1. Bring the kids- Kids obesity rates continue to rise. Grab the bikes and ride with the kids. Run around outside with them. Play sports with the kids. Just. MOVE! Don’t make them the reason you do nothing. Be the role model you should be, and show them that exercise is important.
  2. Enjoy the outdoors- Take a hike. Find some hills, trees and trails and enjoy the benefits of nature and being outside. A hike can offer greater intensity to your workout than a stroll on a treadmill. In addition, research shows many health benefits to being outside including; improve metal fatigue, decreased stress, increased brain function and increased vitamin D intake.
  3. Do it first- When you choose to exercise first thing in the morning, it does two important things; it sets the tone for your day and removes any excuses for what unforeseen events may keep you from exercise later in the day. Let’s face it…If waking up 30-60 minutes earlier to exercise is too much to ask of yourself, that’s a YOU problem. You lose the right to complain about your lack of time.
  4. Create your own space- Money cannot be an excuse for not exercising. You’re either going to invest it now in your health, or spend it later battling disease. All it really requires is discipline and some knowledge to get it done. Unfortunately in today’s connected world of social media, everyone will claim to be a professional; however with some due diligence on your part you can find plenty of free sources of exercise programs on the internet. For $100-200 you can also purchase a few pieces of used equipment (pull up bar, dumbbells, etc) that will allow for a greater variety of exercises. Body weight only exercises are also a great, and free option.
  5. Try a local CrossFit affiliate- You’re not surprised, are you? We have way too many business owners, executives, and busy people with families to care for who come to us because it’s a fun, efficient way for them to exercise. In 60 minutes you’ll combine strength training and cardiovascular exercise and then you’ll be ready to attack the rest of your day. The group dynamic and coaches will hold you accountable and increase your likelihood of sticking with a program.

Go. Take the first steps and start moving. Create a habit. 180 minutes each week is less than 2% of your time. Seriously, do the math. Stop making excuses and start moving. If you need some help, email us at info@crossfitsteelecreek@gmail.com and we’ll send you a link of 100 body weight workouts to help you get started.