How are you using your time?

"Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'
Into the future" Steve Miller - Fly Like An Eagle



Some Numbers

A single half hour workout equals 0.3% of your total time for a week,

So…

½ hour of exercise per week = 99.7% of the time you are not exercising

1 hour of exercise per week = 99.4% of your time you are not exercising

2 hours of exercise per week = 98.8% of your time you are not exercising

Even

5 hours of exercise per week = 97% of your time you are not exercising

The point of this blog is not to motivate you to workout more. The point is to show you that the vast vast vast majority of your time is spent outside of the gym. And it’s the choices you make outside of the gym that can make or break your goals.

Two separate scenarios

#1: JIM, A gym rat who works out for an hour a day for 5 days a week.
Unfortunately the rest of his week is filled with eating processed foods, has a desk job, always takes the escalator or elevator, drinks and parties 2-3 times per week, always skips breakfast and lunch sometimes, the only vegetable is the shredded lettuce on his Big Mac, parks as close to the mall as he can, gets only 5 hours of sleep due to stress…you get the picture. I see people like this at the gym everyday

.

#2: SUE, a busy mother who manages to maybe get to the gym 2 times a week for 30-45 minutes each time.

Fortunately Sue is conscious of things she can do outside of the gym to help her fitness level and well being. She eats well balanced meals consisting mainly of fresh vegetables, lean meats/eggs/or fish, avoids processed foods as much as she can, always eats breakfast, takes the stairs and short walks whenever she has the time, doesn’t skip meals, has a positive outlook and doesn’t get overly stressed, she sleeps soundly for 8 hours ever night…

Who do you think is likely healthier and happier and likely even fitter? While Jim works out 5 times more than Sue, without question Sue would be a healthier individual. Jim screws up the 97% of the time he’s not in the gym while Sue makes the most of the 99.4% of the time she’s not in the gym. Never underestimate how little things can add up, like:

1. taking the stairs instead of the elevator
2. substituting the chocolate cake with a bowl of fresh berries
3. Going to bed at a reasonable time
4. Getting up 10 minutes earlier so you have time to make a healthy breakfast
5. Doing 10 minutes of light exercise before going to work everyday
   
6. Taking a little walk during your lunch hour
7. Replacing soda and juices with water
8. Cooking your lunch the night before so you can bring your healthy lunch to work with you tomorrow
9. etc...
   

It might seem strange to have a personal trainer tell you that exercise isn’t that important. And quite honestly it isn’t if you’re going to sabotage your gains by what you do outside of the gym. Exercise is a piece of your wellness puzzle…it just can’t be the only piece.