Time, it’s a funny thing. Similar to money we never seem to have enough of it.
Though there are 24 long hours in every day, somehow we get so stressed over time that what is a long 24 now turns into “we only have 24 hours each” day.
And you have to pack everything into those hours hours, work, school, food, exercise, entertainment, yoga, meditation, more work, more school, housework, homework, sleep, play. It’s just all too much.
No wonder that the number one reason why people claim they don’t exercise is because they have no time.
I do understand that. Exercise, when done right, takes at least an hour out of your day, at least that’s how it used to be. Now of course we have shorter workouts that pack a bigger punch, if you know which gym or bootcamp to go to.
But even a yoga class is usually an hour long or even more. By the time you drive to class, find a parking spot, get changed, settle in, do your class, get changed again, drive home, well, you are probably taking two productive hours out of your day,
And I want to congratulate you on that! I wish everyone would do it.
I often hear from clients how they can’t take care of themselves and follow a healthy eating, exercise or self care plan because they don’t have time.
Ive heard claims that going to bed earlier at night takes too much time (ignoring the uncomfortable fact that going to bed early should be followed up by rising earlier as well, which would then free up more time in the mroning).
Eating right takes too much time. Meditating takes too much time. Yet when you talk to people who meditate every day for a minimum of half an hour, their days are longer, it seems as though time expands in a way that allows them to be more productive, get more done with laser focused attention. They accomplish whatever they set out to do in spite of allowing half an hour or more out of their every day to sit and meditate.
The point of all this is not to make you feel as though you have bad time management. I want to show you ways to free up the time to do exactly what you want to do and get healthier on the way.
Here is how you can free up the time to get your health or fitness goals taken care of.
How To Create More Time In Your Day
1. Take Measured Breaks
A technique that’s been brought to my awareness by Dream Life Coach Alicia Eccles, is the Pomodoro technique. Use it for maximum accomplishment and maximum rest.
The technique is a simple 25 minute on, 5 minute off cycle. You work for 25 minutes, then you take a five minute break. Repeat four times for a block of two hours. Easy to do, super productive. AND, guess what you can do in your five minute off periods? Exactly, sneak in some push-ups, squats, lunges or maybe even better, some gentle stretches. You could do 4 Sun Salutation in five minutes and still have a minute or more to spare.
If you do two blocks of Pomodoros each day that will give you forty minutes of exercise time. And you didn’t even have to try hard!
2. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier
Fifteen minutes sounds big, but it isn’t really. How hard can it be to go to bed fifteen minutes earlier, and set your alarm for fifteen minutes earlier in the morning.
This may take you some getting used too, you may want to start with baby steps and make it five minutes each.
However, imagine what you can do in the morning with fifteen minutes extra you didn’t have before? Before your kids get up, or your spouse wants your attention, because they will still be sleeping?
Here is an idea: go for a super early morning walk and get some fresh air into your lungs after a night of stuffed-up-ness under the sheets.
Maybe even better, do a few cycles of Sun Salutations. Take your time with them, give your body some love by savouring the stretch and strength building in your muscles.
Step them up and make them faster for a cardio effect. You can easily work up a sweat in fifteen minutes of Surya Namaskara.
In my opinion there is no better way to start the day. Beats sleeping in and rising groggy every day!
3. Cut your To-do list in half
My dear friend Lucy Quinn of Coaching Couture showed me this technique and it’s turned out to be a lifesaver for my over achieving and over active and sometimes scattered Vata mind:
Take your long To-do list. Place it in front of you, the writing facing up. Fold it in half away from you.
Now take the lower half and again fold it in half, this time toward you.
Here is your new todo list. Somewhat shortened and much sweeter. Do the things that you see now first. If you still have time and gumption when your are done with your remarkably shorter list, unfold it and jab away at the rest.
Give it a shot, I’m willing to bet it will help un-stress a little. And free up more self care time during your day.
So here we go, you just created an extra half an hour to an hour easily each day you now have free to use in which ever way you wish.
I hope you will use a minute of that freed up time to leave a comment below and let me know what you are planning on doing with an extra fifteen minutes each day!
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Claudia Richey
Claudia Richey is a Victoria, B.C. based Personal Trainer and Ayurvedic Practitioner. She is passionate about sharing her unique approach of training and eating according to ones Body-Mind Constitution with other health professionals as well as using it on an ongoing basis with her own clients to help them reach their goals!
