Monday, July 28, 2008

Time Time Time

                  

So my blogging has gone a little by the wayside. I'm trying to sync my use of time with my priorities. Isn't that a life-long pursuit? For me it is anyway!

During my vacation, I reflected a lot on my weight. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I was a little too hard on myself and expected to show up svelte and triumphant. But that didn't happen. My self-control doesn't take into account the fact that the future will always come. No lie, people! So I continued to eat more than I should and exercise less than I should. That would be not at all, actually. I haven't been successful with a regular exercise plan for a few years. But I know just as surely as our vacation did, in-fact take place . . . Hawaii is coming! I've got . . . let's see . . . 14 weeks until that plan jumps into my reality and I've gotta face the music. Not because I feel like my husband or friends will judge me while there . . . I just don't want to feel like I did when we went home. Knowing full well that I had the time & the knowledge to feel better physically and I blew it. I didn't do what I planned on doing. 

When I led Weight Watchers meetings, we'd often talk about one of the more common excuses for no exercise. Most people say (and naively believe) that there just aren't enough hours in the day. We talk about what people would do if they were magically given an extra hour in the day. Well . . . needless to say, the majority talk about how they'd go to the gym or use their "clothes-rack" treadmill. EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!!! (That's the sound of a buzzer if you were wondering!) I call them on it every time. So I called myself on it too!

If we were magically given an extra hour in our day - we'd use it just as we use the other 24 we already have. More time doesn't mean a change in lifestyle or habits. You have to change your lifestyle and habits to fit in the time you're given. So I decided upon returning home that I would put a couple things of deep down real priority into a more obvious spot in my day. I wanted to prove to myself that those really are my priorities. No more empty talk about them really mattering - I need to prove that they matter. And plan my time accordingly. I wanted to focus on making those things happen before I did other things that weren't so high on the list.

So my first thing on the agenda was to be more consistent in reading the scriptures. That first week I did great. I was reading while doing my second priority {I'll get to that in a sec} and it felt great. I not only read every day but also was able to read over my primary lesson a handful of times and I was better prepared than ever. This week I'm slacking. I got sucked into the Twilight series again - wanted to read them before book 4 comes out . . . but starting right now - that will not interfere with my reading of the scriptures first and foremost!!! There's plenty of time for the novels after I do my daily scripture reading. I did commit to at least an hour on my second priority every day!

The second {and there really were only 2 things} was to start up an exercise plan. So I began walking on the treadmill. A fabulous couple whom I met while leading WW meetings gave me their older treadmill since they had a new one. I will forever be grateful to them. They are just so sweet and have no idea what that meant to me. So - I walk . . . hard. I'm working up to jogging. But that's a bit hard when I'm also reading at the same time. 

This is the end of the second week and I feel like I have a good handle on both of those priorities, so I'm now adding the other things back in - like blogging.

Whew - that's a long story for such a short, to-the-point intention. No more excuses, no more wishing for more time, no more avoiding and procrastinating. I'm just going to do it. Everything else can fall into place where it may - but if I don't read and work out, my day won't feel right. 

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