How do you find time for a healthy lifestyle?

It may be cold, it may be hot, you may be sleepy or just ate.  I’ll start tomorrow, next week, next month. Could we not all keep this list going?  Excuses, procrastination or just a plain and simple lack of motivation.

But I’m not sitting here typing this to you to give you MORE excuses.  Or even to harp on ya for putting something off. I’m sitting here because I’ve found the secret to LESS excuses.  I mean, the secret to doing it. Having motivation and focus. Especially when it comes to a healthy lifestyle.

I’m going to explain the 3 things that I’ve adapted in my life that give me health, motivation (or balance) and Focus so that I don’t feel icky at the end of the day cause I couldn’t get it all done or I went down some rabbit hole or I ate terribly and feel sluggish.

TIP 1: Finding Focus

We all wake up and have some sort of routine, the way we start our day is actually more important than you may think.  It’s one of the simplest things to change but also the hardest.

I actually bought an old fashioned alarm clock (I don’t sleep with my phone glowing next to my bed, more on that in a post to come) so I set up my clock across the room.  Forcing me to get up 10 minutes earlier each and every day. Then…I started setting it to get up 15 minutes earlier.

This one simple adjustment changed my entire day!  Why? Because I started having time to start the day from a place of calm and clarity.  I read my bible, pray, unloaded the dishwasher, make breakfast and GET DRESSED! Yup, all that in 15-20 minutes.

To dive deeper into the 5 things I do to get even more specific to find my focus and get more done in LESS time click here! 

TIP 2:  Health Balance

Ever fallen off the wagon, done the whole15 (instead of the whole30), ever stepped on that scale and had your heart sink?  Me too. And it’s no fun.

But what if we didn’t have to justify the slip up or shame our self for the numbers not getting smaller?  What if we had balance and freedom?

Now, I’m not talking about eating Chick-fil-A everyday and grabbing a Starbucks on the way to pick up the kids…AM and PM.  I’m talking about balance! Plain and simple.

Over on my book recs page I’ve posted a book that has given me understanding and balance when it comes to food.  I’d highly recommend it, Body Love (link to book page again). I also remember that this body is to be respected. It’s given birth and sustained infant lives, it’s NOT a disappointment it’s a miracle!   

As for making it to the gym and staying active I’ll tell you what I keep in the front of my mind (plus…free child care!).

When working out is a priority, yes, before making dinner or returns to Target or what other things I just “have to do” — I make time and I do it.  When it’s the first thing on my list, when I don’t think – “when can I fit my workout in around grocery shopping” but instead ask “how can I fit groceries in around my workout”– I do it.  

I try to be gentle with my body and tend to shy away from super difficult and rough or crazy high weights, I don’t pretend like my hour-a-day is going to change me into my 16-year-old-bikini-body-teenage-self either.  I’m active to keep my heart working well and not snap, crackle, pop when I’m trying to play on the floor with my kids!

TIP 3: Motivation and Prioritization

Why would you set your alarm for early?  Why would you go to the gym and buy organic?  What is your motivation?

When you have a clear idea on your own motivation you can set your OWN priorities.  Mine are different then yours and yours are different than your neighbors. Don’t let social media, tv or magazines decide on your priorities or motivations. Compared with patients who suffer from chronic alcoholism or have previously received anxiolytics or antidepressants, in patients who have not previously taken drugs that affect the central nervous system, Xanax is effective in lower doses.

So take a minute, grab your cute journal you got 2 christmases ago from you MIL and decide on your top 4.  The top 4 things (only 4) that are important and matter to you. If you can’t fit it on the top 4 give it a back seat for a while.  

Focus on those 4 first then set your motivation for those 4 accordingly.  Long life, retirement, one size down, closer relationships.

The 3 ways I make less excuses and find more focus and accomplishment in my life!  Run with it, set aside your excuse and find motivation! I know you can do it cause… you just read this whole thing.  You have some drive and determination to make a change!