Stop SayingThis Now.
What I hear people say:
I don’t have time to exercise
I don't’ have time to eat healthy
The translation of this is:
I don’t want to exercise.
I don’t want to eat healthy.
The amount of time that I am capable of wasting is criminal. I don’t even look at TikTok. It’s not because I am better than anyone, it’s because I know I will like it too much. This is similar to my approach to smoking cigarettes, and hard drugs. I won’t try them because I know I will fall in love. I already have an addiction to The Real Housewives franchise and simply cannot take anything else on at this time.
We have to call a spade a spade. What happens when we say, “I don't have time.”? We believe it! Then we double down, poor me I just don’t have time for this thing that I’m dying to do. I would be fit and healthy if I only had more time. That darn time is the only thing holding me back from being healthy.
NO GURL.
That is NOT it. You are not fit and healthy because YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE . If you want to get onto Instagram, you make time. If you want to go for a drink with a friend you make time. If you want to binge watch 90 Day Fiance you make time, I know I do…
We make time for what we want, and the more honest we are the closer we can get to realizing if we actually deep down want to lose weight or eat well. What am I willing to make time for? I make time for my children against my will on a daily basis.
I think we all look away when our phones send us that message letting us know that our screen time was up that week by 10000%. I believe it gives a full report. I can hardly look at it as I am too afraid. How about we click that little notification together? Maybe we can begin to come to terms with the fact that we spend too much time on that thing and maybe we need to address this fact?
This isn’t to feel bad, it's to be aware and informed of how we are choosing to use our time. This would be much nicer than going through the horror of seeing that you spend three hours a day playing Candy Crush. I know in your mind it was only 30 minutes. It was not.
We have to be realistic and look to see if how we use our time aligns with what we want, otherwise we are actively working against ourselves. This may be harsh to say but, you can’t say you don't have time to exercise when your weekly screen report outed you as actually having several hours a day.
I am not going to say that what you do on your device is a waste of time. How you spend your time is up to you. What I may deem a waste of time, you use to relax and vice versa. That’s not what this is about. This is about being honest about how we spend our time so as to not give the excuse “I don’t have time to exercise” I cannot hear this reason any longer.
It’s not the easiest thing to do but we have to acknowledge what we are avoiding that causes us to get on TikTok or Instagram or Temu instead of livin’ life.
If we are finding eating healthy a daunting task, we just go on social media and watch others do it. Just so we are clear, watching others eat well doesn’t count. Watching other people exercise doesn’t count. I think people get a sense of accomplishment watching others do things, and it’s quite the phenomenon!
They are living, you’re watching, you haven’t done a thing. Don’t play yourself. You are gleaning some dopamine hit from someone else doing what you are not.
We can be nice to ourselves here and just notice how we decide to spend our time or what our tendencies are. Upon investigating we can be informed and maybe decide if we do in fact want to exercise. If you don't, that's okay, just stop saying it’s because you don’t have time. That way you are in control and empowered with how you use your time and quite frankly you’re being honest with yourself.
I use the word chose because it is a choice. We are not a victim or our life and its demands. There is nothing to blame here, it is what it is. Accept this, and control what you can. What we can do is plan accordingly to prioritize our time in the manner in which we like.
Not all of us have this privilege or have access. What I have written is not directed at anyone who has circumstances outside of their control. This post does assume privilege in certain aspects of life and I may sound a bit tone deaf on that front.