Most people understand that exercise and eating healthy are important to overall health. Still, people find every excuse under the sun to justify their unhealthy status quo. Undoubtedly, an athletic department job presents barriers to consistently living healthy. Busy schedules, limited family time, and fatigue are all common issues. But when it comes to your health, you have to work through barriers. Here’s a few ways to beat the common excuses.
“I Don’t Have the Time”
The most common excuse to why people don’t exercise daily is lack of time. It is understandable with the busy work schedule within an athletic department that ironing out time to exercise daily may be difficult. Yet, some find a way to exercise daily and eat well. A great way to beat the “I don’t have the time” excuse is to time block for exercise. Time blocking is the assigning of specific tasks to specific time periods of your day. By prioritizing your daily activities, the “lack of time” excuse becomes less usable. Very often your schedule is filled with items important to others. Give yourself a block of time daily for your health goals.
“Work-Family Conflict”
Families are a blessing, but no doubt make things a little more complicated when dividing up free time. When it comes to carving out a time to exercise, you may feel bad about spending limited free time away from the family. The athletic department job already limits time with the family. The work-family conflict is a real issue and has proven to hinder job performance and negatively affect health. To beat the “work-family conflict” excuse, combine the two. A spouse would be a great training partner. If you have kids and they are young, there are great jogging strollers on the market. If the kids are older, your family can train together for an upcoming event like a 5k. By incorporating your family into your health plans, you can bond and make exercise more enjoyable. Your work life will benefit as well.
“I’m too tired to exercise”
A demanding job will always lead to fatigue, especially when that job is within a highly competitive industry such as collegiate athletics. To beat the “I’m too tired to exercise” excuse, there are several things you can do. Start working out in the morning. If you have trouble working out after work, the morning may be a better time. But this will mean getting to sleep earlier the night before, or the lack of sleep will catch up to you at work. Bring your exercise clothes to work. When you knock off from work, immediately change into your workout clothes. This will mentally get you ready to exercise, and allow you to handle any small changes in your schedule. If an afternoon meeting runs late, your only issue is changing clothes. Use on-campus facilities. A university’s physical resources are plentiful. By using them, you can cut out any travel to a local gym. You would be amazed how often a 10-minute ride keeps people from exercising. Ultimately, it is imperative that you get over the thought that you will need to feel at optimal physical level to workout. Every day will challenge you differently. Be ready for how you will feel, and set yourself up to succeed.
To move past excuses, health needs to become a priority. When it becomes a priority, you will make time to exercise, enjoy your health with your family, and not let fatigue be a determining factor of why you did not exercise that day. Remember, you control most aspects of your life. Control them.
About Walter Whitfield
Walter Whitfield is an employee wellness consultant and founder of Lavoro Workplace Wellness where he helps businesses improve their workplace through employee wellness strategies. He has worked with corporations like Chevron, BP, and Seadrill. Walter is a former college athlete for Louisiana’s Ragin Cajuns where he competed in cross country and track, winning Sunbelt conference titles in the 3k Steeplechase and 5k. He is married, has 3 kids, and loves all things New Orleans Saints and Louisiana’s Ragin Cajuns.
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