We are busy people.  Schedules jammed packed with work responsibilities, family commitments and social events can leave us feeling as if there are not enough hours in the day.  As a result, the activities that promise to fulfill us can leave us emotionally and physically depleted.

Being too busy is serious business - with serious consequences.  Being too busy can cause us to trade purpose for prestige.  Being too busy can cause us to choose popularity over passion.  Being too busy can cause us to mistake activity for accomplishment.  Being too busy can also rob us of our health and, ultimately, the life we were designed to live.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of being too busy; I know I have.   In the past, I’ve actually paraded my busyness around as if it were some type of badge of honor.   I made the mistake of thinking that the busier I was, the more good I was doing. Boy, was I wrong.

What about you?  Do you feel like your life is too busy - do you feel like you’re too busy to take care of yourself?  Is your family, job or career more important than taking time for yourself?

“My kids are my priority… My job keeps me so busy I can’t… My career is priority one… There’s not enough hours in the day to…” are all comments I have heard (and frankly have used myself) in the past.  Because of what I do, these comments usually come from individuals explaining why they’ve been unable to fit working out and taking care of themselves into their overworked, busy lives. Truth be told, comments like these can apply to just about any neglected area of your life, not just fitness.

The truth is that comments like these are usually little more than smokescreens used to hide the real reason we fail to make our health and well-being a priority.  What’s the real reason?  I have thought long and hard about the issue and I think it has to do with what we value.  My experience as a personal trainer and physical therapist tells me that we don’t value our health enough - that is, until we lose it. Once again my experience tells me that we’re one bad doctor’s report from changing what we value.

Suddenly, when we get that bad news, business men and women who have been burning the candles at both ends abruptly “see the light” and find time to take care of their health.   Stay-at-home moms who find time for everyone else finally learn how to take time for themselves.  Families who live on drive-thru fast-food find the time to sit down at their dinner table to enjoy a healthy meal prepared at home together.  Priorities change, life slows down and we really start to understand what’s important.

In closing, I have three questions for you to think about.  First, what are the three most important things in your life?  Second, why are they important to you?  Third, what happens to these areas of your life if you’re not healthy?  Take a moment and really think about your answers. They may surprise you.

I’d like to share a quote with you that makes a lot of sense in this context:

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” - John Lennon

It’s true and sometimes, yes, life gets in the way of living.  That’s just a fact of life.  But sometimes we, with our decisions to overload our schedules, are the ones who get in way.  My message for this month’s column is to say let’s not let that happen any longer.  Let’s take time for ourselves and watch what’s really important become crystal clear.

Article by Glenn Beard, PT

Call Glenn at 407-208-0620 and schedule a complimentary fitness consultation to learn how Fitness Together of East Orlando can
help you reach your goals today.

Glenn is the owner/operator of Fitness Together of East Orlando. To learn more about his private one on one personal training
studio visit www.FitnessTogether.com/East-Orlando or call 407-208-0620. The studio is located at 11317 Lake Underhill Rd., Suite 500 (across from Legacy Middle School). You can also email Glenn at glennbeard@fitnesstogether.com.

Visit the Fitness Together of East Orlando YouTube channel with exclusive video content and client testimonials at www.youtube.com/fteastorlando.