Why don't we all live healthy?

What is the hardest part about living healthy? Why don’t we all do it? There are many challenges to living healthy. Over the years, I have heard countless reasons (and excuses) for setbacks. The reasons and excuses tend to pile up, especially during this time of year. So, what are some reasons? Time, work, kids and the weather seem to be at the top of the list for most people. But why are these things a challenge? Why do people struggle to overcome these obstacles?

People find that time, work, kids and the weather are a challenge because they don’t use them to their advantage. It is that simple. If someone says they don’t have time for exercise, they simply don’t want to make time for exercise. They will argue that they really don’t have time because they have this or that to do as they run down the list of daily tasks.

The problem I have with that argument is that it is subjective. Not enough to one person could be too much to another. The terms that we use so frequently to describe our routines (or lack of) don’t mean much to the person next to us. In fact, that is part of the problem. I can’t truly understand what you mean by too much or not enough when I have a completely different sense of the words.

What does not enough time mean? Bob has 24 hours in a day. How many hours do you have in your day? Bob have meetings, emails, phone calls, presentations, coaching sessions, errands, deadlines, etc. You name it, Bob has to deal with it. So, why can Bob get his exercise in and Steve can’t? Does Steve have less to do than Bob does? No, but Steve has not taken charge of his schedule in order to use it to his advantage.

The question now is why? Why doesn’t Steve take advantage of his schedule? Why doesn’t Steve get as much exercise as Bob even though they have the same amount of time as Bob? The possible answers:

1. He doesn’t want to
2. He doesn’t know how
3. He doesn’t think he can

I am using exercise in this example because it is something that most of us should be spending more time doing. Not only should be we spending more time on exercise. We should be making more time for ourselves so we can exercise. We all know what the benefits are. We all know how much better we feel when we do it. We even know the consequences of not doing it. In fact, the results we want are the exact opposite of what we are getting now.

So how do we change this? Well, as I just said, we all know how to change it. Do it. If you do it, you will get the result you are looking for. Most people that are not getting their desired results are in this situation because they don’t want to change, don’t know how to change or don’t think they can change.

As your coach, I help find out which of these categories you fall into. If you don’t want to change, why don’t you and what can we do to change your mind. I can’t make you change, so clearly you have to make the decision for yourself. If you want to change, but don’t know how, I can help you figure out the best way for you to change and make it happen. If you don’t think you can change, I can help you find the motivation to overcome that thought and move forward despite not being confident about it now.