Is investing the time, energy, and money in your fitness worth it?

Is being healthy and fit over-rated? 

Does it require more time than it’s worth? 

Isn’t it just better to take the easier route and not worry about it, maybe just settle for walking the dogs?
 

A little story from  a woman who faced some of these questions...

“Eight years ago I had 4 kids under the age of 7.  I was loving every minute of it but I was busy.  Anyone who has any number of children knows the drill, the diapers, making meals, laundry, driving the carpool.  The list goes on and on.  I was so wrapped up in the tasks at hand I didn’t really think about exercising…except for everyday when I got dressed and all of my clothes were too small.  My jeans were so tight I usually left the top button unbuttoned and wore a long shirt to cover it up.  Nutrition?  Forget about that! A healthy lunch was the crust off of one of the kids peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a few spoonsful of mac and cheese. I wasn’t happy with myself but I figured that I didn’t have time to fit exercise into my schedule.  But one day after delivering my 4th baby I woke up and I remembered how important it was for me to stay healthy and fit.  I broke my cycle.  And you can too!”

 

 

1) I don’t have enough time.

Actually, yes you do.  When you say you don’t have enough time it translates to “it’s not a priority for me.”  We make time for the things that are important to us, so let’s be honest – if you think you don’t have time, it’s just not that important to you.  We have successfully gotten TONS of our members tremendous results, and most of them spend 2-4 total hours per week with us.  If you know what you’re doing and you’re efficient about it, there’s always time for exercise and eating healthy food (you’re eating every day anyway, aren’t you!?)  There are no work hours that prevent you from sticking to your goals if it’s important enough to you.  Perhaps you just need to be shown how to make these things convenient for yourself, and that’s what we at Achieve Fitness are here for!

 

2) I can’t afford it.

I get it.  A good health and fitness routine can be seemingly expensive – but expensive compared to what?  Seriously – what is more important than taking care of your body and your health.  If you don’t invest time and money in your health now while it’s PREVENTATIVE care, you better be ready to invest monumentally larger amounts of time and money in the future.  Ask anyone you know with Diabetes what their monthly meds cost or what the medical bills from someone with heart disease look like. 

 

3) I can’t because ______ (insert any life event here).

Life always happens.  The beauty of getting yourself into the habit of exercising and eating well is that it is part of your life just like sleeping and (hopefully) bathing.  Exercise and focus on good food should be a non-negotiable for everyone at every time in your life (with few exceptions).  Also, junk/fast food and lack of movement don’t help us get through tough situations more easily.

 

4) I don’t like vegetables.

Or protein or healthy food or COOKING or anything other than french fries.  You name it, we’ve heard it.  This is where we give tough love.  If you say you don’t like any vegetables, chances are you haven’t tried them all.  Find what you do like to eat and balance your meals with protein, fibrous carbs, and good fats.  Sacrificing the tantalizing pleasure of your taste buds to make yourself healthier isn’t out of the question for grown ups to do - think about it, we try to get our kids to eat healthier!  Take responsibility for your health and what goes into your mouth – you have complete control.

 

5) I hate exercising.

Well, we hope you like aging prematurely, losing muscle mass and bone density, and being less physically capable of daily activities when you get older because that’s what you’re setting yourself up for.  Sometimes in life we have to do things that we don’t like to do.  Obviously, we can’t just not work because we must work to pay bills and survive, but something like exercise seems optional.  You (to a certain extent) can CHOOSE how you age. I never want to be immobile if it’s something I can prevent.  Ever.  But guess what – you can learn to love exercise!  If you find the right thing for you that is fun and effective, you won’t even be able to remember life without it eventually!

 

Or I’ll start Monday or when the situation is X.  No time will ever be perfect to commit to permanent change.  Your health and fitness isn’t something you just “do.”  It’s determining your future quality of life.  Far too many people think that it’s too far in the future and that they have plenty of time, that it’s not an emergency.  But guess what – time passes faster than we can keep up with.  See eating well and taking care of your body is an essential part of the here and now.  And you can‘t do it for a little while, then stop, then do it again, then stop, etc.  You’ll never make real maintainable progress that way!

 

This list could go on much longer, but we're going to stop here.   We hope this gives you enough to think about! If you’re someone who is really into fitness and nutrition – GREAT!  We’re so proud of you!  Please share this with someone you think might need a little inspiration or tough love. 

 

If you’d like to speak with us about your personal goals and getting on track to becoming healthier and more fit this year, just fill out the form below.  We’ll be in touch right away!