It's been one of those weeks. A packed work schedule and doctors' appointments galore - most of them over an hour's drive away. Between my working, driving and waiting, little time remained to exercise and eat right. Splintered workout sessions and meals-on-the-run were this past week's themes. Not good. And you know what? I made excuses. Well, I'm not excused.
This past week took a toll on my fitness and eating rituals because I didn't plan ahead. Nope. I decided to wing it. I didn't review my schedule, nor did I plan my exercise and meals ahead of time. Winging it. Now there's a concept. Wing is defined as a "device of flight." My exercise and eating plans took flight alright. Nowhere to be found. Why? Because I didn't plan ahead. S-u-r-e I would hop on the treadmill when I got home. S-u-r-e I would find a nutritious meal near the doctor's office I'd never been to before. Nope. It all took flight. And so did my energy.
So how could I have bypassed my schedule obstacles and fit in my exercise and healthy eating? Let's look at just one of those packed days. On Wednesday, I was training a client by 7am. Normal commitment for me. Eight training hours later, I was on the road to the doc's office and hungry enough to make a sandwich out of my road maps. I allowed extra travel time in case traffic was heavy. Turns out, it was smooth sailing, and I had forty-five minutes to spare. It was a gloriously sunny day - perfect for walking. But I was starving. I didn't pack a lunch, and I didn't know the area. So I visited the nearest fast food joint. Besides using their restrooms, I'd not seen the inside of one of these establishments in years. Now I know why.
As I stared up at the enhanced photos of chicken breasts in various cooked forms, I was stuck. The teen behind the counter smiled. "It all looks so good, doesn't it?" she said. Her skin's sheen was not from soap. I politely agreed, but my smile was strained as I was thinking it all looked so bad.
I pulled my sweatshirt over the "CERTIFIED TRAINER" printed on my t-shirt as I carried the tray to my booth. The grilled chicken breast was unrecognizable amidst the "sides" of beige and beige-brown whatever. I had twenty minutes left to eat the edible twenty percent on my plate. There. I could have packed my own sandwich - five minutes of prep time max - and I would have been able to fit in a walk instead of picking through a picnic of heat lamp-warmed whatever.
The doctor was running forty-five minutes behind schedule. More time without a plan. My stomach gurgled and swirled fiercely as I thumbed through a 2009 Entertainment Weekly. I should walk, I thought. But I was too tired and nauseous. Glossy photos of celebrity thighs and their stay-slim salads stared back at me. I vowed to get on my treadmill that night.
My vow to myself evaporated after the long drive home. My body's gas tank was empty. I didn't plan ahead and "winging it" failed. So when my clients tell me their stories of crammed schedules and missed opportunities to exercise and eat healthfully, I empathize. But I know - and they know - that a plan gives intention to our actions. By making our health a priority, we can create time slots for exercise, no matter how small, and for preparing healthy meals. We make our schedules based upon our priorities. Our bodies are a priority. I should have remembered that.
So make it a point to plan a simple schedule review at the outset of your week. Look for time pockets - brief intervals in a busy schedule - for short cardio sessions, weight training and packing healthy meals and snacks. It's all cumulative. The little pockets add up to one big satchel of accomplishment by the week's end. Remember, if you "wing it" like I did, it doesn't happen. Shame on me. Now, let's look at this coming week's schedule ...
No comments:
Post a Comment