A couple of weeks ago I walked about six blocks to a meeting in the city and felt like I was going to pass out. My much fitter colleague basically power walked there in her high heels. When we reached the foyer of the building I had to take a seat while she wasn’t in any noticeable pain.
I have never prioritised my fitness or health. There have been a couple of times over the years when I have signed up for an annual fitness club membership, only to waste ninety percent of it as I could rarely get to the gym before or after work. I have also tried yoga, which I prefer to the gym. A few years ago I attended a couple of months of lunchtime yoga classes, but meetings or travel broke the rhythm of my routine. Once I got out of the habit I found it difficult to get back into it.
When your schedule is full with career, children, partner, parents, friends, the one thing that can be lost is the time for personal health and fitness.
But the closer you get to 50 the more you realise that the priority table needs to be turned on its head. My husband took up swimming a few years ago and he does this a few times a week, regardless of the weather. In the past year he has participated in a few ocean swims, such is his level of fitness now. Meanwhile I have been convincing myself that the walk up the hill from the carpark to the office will improve my fitness.
A couple of months ago my husband convinced me to go with him to the park to take our dog for a run. Thanks to our local council the park has new built-in fitness equipment. While our dog ran to the end of the park and back, we tried out the rowing machine and did the step-ups on different sized blocks. My husband did chin-ups and I tried out a piece of equipment designed to strengthen the upper body. The added bonus was that it felt like it was unlocking the stiffness in my shoulder. I also gained incidental fitness by running short distances with the dog.
My body ached for days after but we went back to the park that next weekend. I went straight to the same equipment and felt a wonderful sense of release in my shoulders. We have been back every weekend since and I actually look forward to it now.
The best part about fitness at the park is that it feels incidental for me. I started going there to spend time with my husband, who I rarely see during the week due to our work schedules. At the same time we give our dog an opportunity to run his heart out. It is classic multi-tasking.
I find it easy to talk myself out of any fitness activity if the main point is fitness. But when there are so many other benefits tied to the activity it becomes more difficult to stop. And that’s the perfect way for a person like me to find time for fitness in my crazy schedule. I am feeling healthier already.
How do you prioritise fitness in your busy week?