The number one reason or excuse most people give to the, why they don’t workout question is: “I just don’t have the time.” Now does that sound familiar? Maybe you’ve repeatedly said it yourself or have heard it from others. As undeniably valid as that statement might seem to you, I’m here to tell you, hands down, it is a lie that people often times tell themselves in order to justify and not feel guilt over not working out. We all have busy lives, whether that’s going to work full time while raising a family, going to school and work full time while still maybe raising a family. Whatever your ‘busyness’ looks like for you, your reason for not working out simply is not because you don’t have the time, but because you don’t see fitness as a priority.

Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I really want to work out and eat healthily and be better at this, but I just don’t have the time to do it.” What you have to first realize is that, you’re putting everything else above working out and/or managing your eating habits. If you take a few moments to evaluate your day or ‘to do list,’ I’m positive you’ll find that you can rearrange, squeeze in, or replace something you currently do, to then fit in that workout and meal prep. Let’s say you enjoy reading or watching your television shows, well every single day while I’m at the gym I spend 15-20 minutes on the stair master and I do my reading. Maybe that’s not conventional for you, but it works for me, and hey! I’m killing two birds with one stone. Do the same with that show you just love to watch and the best part is that cardio session will fly by while you’re preoccupied.

Maybe you find yourself struggling to get to the gym because you’re tired from working all day long. I one hundred percent get it! Working full time is exhausting, but for me, adding the stress of not working out because of work was not an option because fitness is also my priority. So how do we tackle this obstacle? Take gym clothes with you in your car, bring a pre-gym snack and don’t even think about it, just head straight to the gym after work. The key thing to remember, don’t feel like you need to spend countless hours in the gym, just get in there and do something for whatever amount of time works for you. Do 30-60 minutes of some cardio and/or lifting and then get out of there and head home. Just do something, feel good and proud of yourself for that workout and plan ahead for the next workout tomorrow by preparing your gym bag that night.

If you can’t afford or make it to the gym because you have kids to watch and take care of, well make time at home to workout. Whether that’s going for morning or evening walks. Play your WiiFit every night before bed, (with your kids). Do in home workouts you can find on youtube, fitness videos from the store, or maybe you have a treadmill at home. If you really desire to work out, then there’s no excuse not to get a quick at home workout in, unless it’s not your priority. Fitness is 100% mindset. If you want to get fit, then you must train your mind to make it a priority. Think positively about working out. Stop clouding your mind with negative thoughts, like I’m too tired, too busy, it’s too cold, I’m on my monthly, I have other things to do. But tell yourself positive things like: I can do it, I’m going to crush this workout, I feel great today, I’m so proud of myself, every day is another day of progress toward my goals! Just stay positive and your whole day and life will be better because of it! Remember, it takes 21 days to form a habit, so it might be hard at first, but keep at it and soon working out and eating healthy will just come naturally to you!