LOSE THE SELF-CARE GUILT

MARSHA ROHWEDER YOUR FITNESS CAIRNS

CLUB MANAGER

: 0450 927 837 : marsha@yourfitness.net.au : www.yourfitness.net.au

I was talking to a friend last week who said she wanted to start salsa dancing classes. This statement was then jokingly followed by “but I will have to wait until my kids turn 18 so I can have the time”. This got me thinking, why do we feel guilty about taking care of ourselves? “Self-care” guilt can range from apologising for taking time for yourself, feeling like you are being selfish but, most commonly, it comes in the form of putting off exercising because we have more important things to do.

Now ask yourself “how valuable is your health to you?” You invest in your financial future, work hard, provide for your family and live the lifestyle you wish to lead, yet, without your health none of this is possible.

Making your health a priority needs to be at the top of your “to do” list. When you are in good physical shape, you experience lower stress levels, your self-esteem is boosted, you are able to be less reactive with your loved ones and you generally just feel better about yourself. We only have one body and it is necessary to give it the exercise it needs to maintain mobility and strength to perform at its best.

Once you’ve made the decision to lose the self-care guilt, one of the biggest challenges can be fitting exercise into your hectic lifestyle. With time being more precious than gold the good news is working out does need to be another chore you add to your already overflowing list.

FIVE TIPS TO FITTING EXERCISE INTO YOUR BUSY LIFE (AND NOT FEELING GUILTY ABOUT IT)

HAVE A FITNESS PLAN

It doesn’t matter if you are a “planner” and need to know exactly what you are doing and when or a “fly by the seat of your pants” and prefer to be more flexible, if time really is of the essence then make a fitness plan. Schedule every day of the week and it will help you focus on when you can work out. Writing out a plan makes it more formal and you will be more likely to commit and stick to it.

TAKE A TIME STOCKTAKE

Very few of us are actually “busy” for every one of the 16 hours we are awake every day so identifying “time wasting” behaviours can help you find 30 mins a day to move your body. Perhaps scrolling through social media for 15 mins in the morning or sitting in the car reading emails at our child’s football or dance practice could be better spent taking a walk or run.

CATER TO YOUR LIKES AND DISLIKES

Hate running and getting sweaty … that is okay. You need to be realistic and know yourself. You will NEVER commit to something you hate. One person’s running is another person’s pilates, strength training or dancing. Exercise becomes a lot easier when you choose a form of exercise that fits your lifestyle and personality. Not sure what you like? Don’t be scared to try different forms of exercise until you find something you like.

HIRE A PERSONAL TRAINER (and don’t feel guilty about it)

Yes, it costs money, but there are plenty of reasons to hire a PT and it is a great investment. Apart from the accountability of having to “show up” to a weekly session if you end up with an exercise habit and long-term health benefits it is a pretty good pay off.

BECOME A WEEKEND WARRIOR

If the thought of trying to fit exercise into your MondayFriday routine is just too overwhelming use the weekend to regain your exercise mojo. Hike a mountain, swim in a creek, run along the beach or just play tag with the kids in the backyard.

There Will Never Be A Better Time To Invest In Your Health. Like putting money in the bank the sooner we start the more benefit we will gain over time.