Planning and organization

There are a number of reasons why people don’t finish what they’ve started and I’ve heard some really good ones. The number one reason why people don’t reach their goals or finish what they started is TIME. Why don’t we have time?  I’m too busy, it’s too wet, too cold, too dark, because of the kids, because of work, the list goes on. I must admit I have used some of these to my advantage once or twice before, but it didn’t help my cause.  Reality check - “it’s not really a time issue it’s a priority issue”. What we need to do is improve or work around a problem or situation. This is sometimes referred to as planning or organizing. God forbid! Did I say planning and organizing in the same sentence?

Having made that statement, I want to talk about why most people don’t succeed in their quest to change their body shape or reach their goals. Most people don’t have a plan when they start a fitness routine, they don’t think about how they are going to approach the new regime. Often we are so keen to get going that we forget to plan for the journey and the problems that may lie ahead. Whenever someone starts a health or fitness campaign they are usually quite motivated and believe this time it’s going to work, only to get a few weeks into the program and those same excuses start creeping in. They are genuine reasons and not excuses I hear you say! And I wish I could agree, but I’m not going to!

There are 168 hours in a week; on average most people spend an astonishing 19 hours plus in front of the TV a week. Lets go out on a limb here, say for example if you planned a training program of 30 minutes a day for four days of the week (Total of 2 hours) you could still watch your favourite shows and here’s a bonus, be well on your way to a better body (imagine that)!

I know some of you may not watch that much TV and are genuinely busy. What I am saying here is that, if you have a plan and are consistent you will get the results you have perpetually wished for. Too often people will have different reasons (excuses) that they feel justifies why they had a bad week with food or didn’t get their training in.  Then six months down the track they will ask why haven’t I lost any weight?  All you are doing is kidding yourself and justifying that it’s not your fault, be accountable!! The fact is if you plan your time and put health a little higher on your priority list you will see results, we aren’t talking about a rocket science here, its plain and simple time management, planning and organization, it’s not that hard!!!

If you are struggling to find time here are a few tips to help you organize your training program:

1. Split your exercise up so you do 10-15 minutes in the morning and then 10-15 minutes again in the evening. (Just as affective as 30 minutes non-stop both methods burn calories)
2. Hire or buy an exercise bike, rower or treadmill, put it in front of the TV and get on it while watching your favourite shows or reading a book (it still burns calories.
3. Organize your training on days when you have more time. Eg. Slower days, the weekend or days off.
4. Plan exercise with the kids. Eg. Kicking the footy, riding the bike, playing active games.
5. When the kids are doing their training why not organize yours in the same time slot eg. When at swimming classes why not do some laps yourself, at footy jog some laps, just be more active.
6. Find the stairs at work and on your walk, jog or run up them a few times it’s a super calorie burner and you don’t have to be soaked in sweat to get the benefits of this one.

To finish off with a positive, how good will you feel, when you have yourself organized, are sticking to the plan consistently. Before long you will start to see your body shape change to how you have always hope for and make others envious. Believe me this is very achievable the only price you have to pay is some organizational skills, consistency and of course some time. NO MORE EXCUSES!!!