Sunday, September 25, 2011

Monday Morning

The more time I spend around people that don't workout at all I start to vaguely remember what it was like to fill my day with all kinds of other things to do, and you know what? The list of other things you can do is endless. Sometimes I wonder if I spend too much time, too much of my life, focused on food and exercise. But I always come to the conculsion that if I wanted to do other things there are plenty of hours in the day, and it all comes down to prioritizing and organization. My priorities are not the problem but I do admit I lack organization. Some of the other things I think I'd like to do fall victim to "not enough time", but what I really mean is "I don't make enough time"! If you don't plan to succeed then you plan to fail.

It's easy to fill my day with the two things I love to do, food prep and training, but there are many other things I love to do and people I'd love to do them with, but not at the sacrifice of myself. I now know the difference of what it feels to be healthy, strong, and fit, and if I'm not healthy and feeling good about myself then all the other stuff is just "filler". I don't have to chose, I have enough time for it all. But not everyone feels like they do.

What are the things you do in your life, the things you fill your day with that are not supporting getting healthier? Your job takes too much time? Family obligations, or your kids and their activites take up too much time...I can understand....here's the thing.... If you surround yourself with others that don't prioritize health....let's not even include fitness, although they go together....then it's near impossible to make it a priority for yourself. I really do not understand how unsupportive most people are to good health. If you want to spend time with other people "unhealthy and unfit" rules.

There are only so many hours in the day and if you chose to spend some of those hours with other people then you are more than likely going to spend them eating junk and/or sitting around. Let's take the obvious like throwing a party or going to a party. Who says you have to serve junk foods, or enormous unlimited portions? It would be almost freaky for a host to say that there's only one serving per person! Usually everybody encourages of 2nd's, 3rd's and more! "Help yourself! Oh, and take some home too!"

If someone wants to spend time with me they will be going for a walk, get dragged out to the garage for a swing lesson, get a lesson in cooking and/or food prep, eating good foods, or invited to a yoga class!

Before you think that I'm uncaring and not understanding of what it's like for most people let me remind you that I used to be "most people". Just because I'm in the minority now doesn't mean that I forgot what it was like. What I'm starting to recognize is that "like attracts like". The more unhealthy people you hang around the more likely you are one of them. The more healthy people you hang around with the more likely you are, want to be healthier.

Mark told me the other day that the number of overweight people in the world out numbers straving people! There are more overweight people in this world than there are people starving....sorry, I had to repeat it.


Although I started this post yesterday morning, it's now Monday morning and I'll be off to yoga early. The weekend is past and the "slate" is clean....it's not too late to start over...even if you start tomorrow, on a Tuesday! If not now, when?


18 comments:

Haley said...

How true is this!?? I have been noticing the exact same thing lately. "I don't have time to workout" is such an easy excuse, but when you look at how those people are spending their time, you really see how much of it is a choice. How can you not have time to train if you have time to watch 4 hrs of tv every evening? Being healthy is a choice (excluding a medical condition that is not associated with obesity, etc) and people forget that. Excellent post. I'm going to link to it from my new blog! (project-lean.com)

Diana said...

I'm not even going to get into (again) how disgusted I am at the amount of obesity I see on a daily basis at work. I'm more disgusted in the fact that we are forced to "cater" to these individuals because they are our "customers" and we need them to give us a great satisfaction survey on their hospital stay. Our hospital is funded by us getting good customer scores. This country is so f'd up-we should be grabbing our balls and letting these people really have it. I'd love to go off (in a nice way of course!) on a patient and beat them upside their heads.
Okay, now I'm just on a never ending rant and we don't want that.
I do want to share this post with you of a very special person who touched my heart for only 5 minutes of her life.
http://marinette-lucyfan.blogspot.com/2011/08/along-comes-helen.html

I hate to say that 3 weeks after this ride I found out she passed away just 1 week after our meeting.

Long story short....people come into our lives for a reason. We have the ability to chose who we wish to "hang" with, but you're 100% right-if you hang with fat, you're gonna be fat.
I can only hope that I inspire before I expire and that my new healthy way of living gets at least one person to "think".....

PS/I'd LOVE to hang with you (again)for a day!

Maribel said...

I think I'm the perfect example of "not enough time" and if I can do it, anyone can.

My day begins at 4:45am. Family lunches are prepared and breakfast is served, then time to get ready. Getting kids out of the house by 7:30am is an epic achievement Every. Single. Morning

Work until pick up times and then the afternoon shift of taxi-ing kids to and from activities...in between the taxi job dinner is made and the night shift starts. That's basically the cleanup and prep for next the next day.

Bed time for me is 10-11pm. I know it's not enough rest, but it's what I get and I'll take what I can get.

Somewhere in that daily routine I find 20 minutes here, 30 minutes there and squeeze in a kettlebell workout or even a walk.

This weekend my daughter had a tournament that required us being in Santa Cruz by 7am to about 7pm. I missed my usual Saturday morning class and I moped almost all day. At some point, I just got up and took a 40 minute walk around the field where the tournament was. I thought, how lame I was because I had basically given up for the day. Duh!

As you can see. I have quite a bit of obligations and for years I put myself last. Now, I MUST prioritize my exercise. My family is supportive because they see the change in me. I'm a better person when I get this time. Everyone benefits from it.

At some point, you just have to take control and do it...IF you really, really want it.

Mark Reifkind said...

It is truly one of the most amazing thing about the kettlebell swing is that EVERYONE has enough time to get serious benefit from it; EVEN if it's only 5 minutes twice a week.

IF someone were to swing a bell 5 minutes twice a week WITHOUT MISSING, for six months everything about their body would be different

5 total minutes of work per week. Seriously, Five freakin minutes.So there are no real excuses.

But, the bell won't swing itself and one has to want something different for themselves enough to break the inertia.

the key is NEVER MISS. Never miss. That's the true program minimum.

Mark Reifkind said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kellie said...

Now see here Tracy are you living inside my brain? Whenever I am at a low point you seem to address it. I was excited about having a couple of days off work and now they have called and i am working tonight. It feels like I never have enough time anymore. But you are right it is about management of that time. Mark you are right too...it takes less time with a bell than conventional methods so I just have to go all Nike on myself and JUST DO IT! Thank you both for the kick in the pants I needed today to keep me from sinking deeper in the quagmire of an excuses tar pit. Have an awesome day!!

Candice Clem said...

Good thoughts. I like what Mark added... FIVE MINUTES! How awesome is that.

I am chewing on this post more because I find it hard to justify not hanging out with some people because they are not active. But.. I guess it would be a good thing to invite them to move with me if they wanna hang out. Thanks tracy!

Mark Reifkind said...

I like that:

"go all Nike on myself" I'm going to use that!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Haley,

I wonder what it would be like if being healthy wasn't a choice! You know, like PE "used" to be in school. What if part of your job made you put in so many hours a week exercising? funny huh...but it would only be like 3 hours a week, and you would get a bonus if you put in more time....hey I think I'm on to something!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Diana,

Lucky you! Wow, what a story! I love "inspire before I expire ", in fact I'm going to have to steal that one from you...if it yours, that is!

It was great meeting you in person finally a couple of years ago (can you believe it? Good Good time flies), but like I said....what did we end up doing? Training! Swinging to be exact, down in Fawn's basement gym!! I get everybody swinging!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Maribel,

Why do you think I ended up walking 3 hours a day when I was in Hungary? A person can always walk! And didn't you feel better?

Surprised you didn't bring a bell with you, lol!

Tracy Reifkind said...

My love,

I would love to do an experiment just like that....but after a couple of weeks one would want to do more thatn five! It would be impossible to stop them, lol

(kinda like me!)

You are right, that is truly "program minimum"

Tracy Reifkind said...

Kellie,

the first thing I would have done would have been to run out to the garage and get in a swing workout...10 min, 20 min, hopefully at least 30!

Sometimes when we are "on the edge" of "I'm going to workout", and "I don't want to workout", all we need is one little F up and it's all over.

Every once in a while when I don't want to go to yoga I leave late and run into traffic...then I cross my fingers that I don't get there in time....but I always do!

Tracy Reifkind said...

.can,

I'm the biggest "move your ass" cheerleader in my family and circle of friends...seriously!

Last time my sisters and I were visiting my mother in Denver I dragged them all out, one by one to walk....that meant I went on 3 walks back to back! I'd drop one off and pick up another. I had to get my exercise some way.

I'm rarely willing to sit around when there's perfectly good sidewalk outside!

Kellie said...

Tracy I did get my workout in before I left for work today and am glad I did.

Haley said...

Tracy, there is a bank here that offers its employees a bonus quarterly if they go to the company gym so many times. It doesn't require that they do anything once they are there though, they just have to scan in. It is a start though.

Diana said...

Haha, now getting near "old-age", I've been using that "inspire before I expire" alot!
Feel free to "snatch" it, it's a good one!
I'd have to agree with you on that 5 minute experiment-I couldn't stop at 5 minutes-way too much fun to be had!
Tomorrow is a road trip to bike up north and enjoy the fall colors-I know for a fact that one of my bells will also be in the back seat-big decision is which one to take. I don't see working out/training as a chore anymore, it's a part of me......

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