Meredith Clark’s day begins around 4:30 every morning before the mother of three wakes up her family and gets started on a busy schedule. By 5 or 5:30 a.m. she is getting in her workout — either teaching group exercise classes at Lexington Athletic Club, where she serves as the group exercise director, or going for a run.
In my opinion, Clark is a perfect example of why excuses to skip getting healthy simply don’t hold water. As a group exercise instructor, health writer and fitness enthusiast who is always trying to encourage my friends and loved ones to take care of themselves, the No. 1 excuse I hear from people is that they do not have time to exercise. Clark has heard that before, too.
But when someone like Clark can do it, so can you. Not only is she a devoted wife and mother of three children (ages 8, 11 and 13), she home-schools her kids several days a week, carts them to Latin School and extracurricular activities, and works part-time as a dental hygienist. She is the group exercise director at LAC and teaches multiple classes a week at the gym. Oh, and she is a runner.
“Sometimes laundry and cooking are falling behind,” she joked.
And to put the icing on the no-excuses cake, part of the reason Clark got into fitness 20 years ago was because she suffered from the painful Temporomandibular Dysfunction and needed pain management solutions.
So now, there are no excuses ... What are your reasons to skip out on exercise? After all, study after study after study prove that exercise actually adds years to your life and greatly improves your quality of life. So, “saving time” by skimping on exercise will actually cost you time later.
But a long life is only part of the benefits. For me, exercise also is about improving the quality of my life. My mood improves, my energy levels increase and I feel better about myself when I exercise.
Clark said she enjoys the alone time in her morning running workouts. She said that for her, it’s a great time to “pray and do some soul searching” and that she is refreshed when her workout is over.
If you are just starting out an exercise regimen, however, I know that the word “refreshed” might not be the first thing that comes to mind. “Miserable” might more accurately describe the experience. Stick with it, it will get easier. I have so many people who come to my classes and really struggle the first few times. But with a little encouragement and accountability in a group setting, they are on their feet in no time.
Group setting not your thing? Then find a workout buddy.
And if time management during the day is truly a problem, get moving early. If you just aren’t a morning workout person (I struggle with this and love lunch hour workouts), closely examine how you spend the rest of your day.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans in 2010 spent nearly three hours of their daily leisure time watching television. Significantly less time was spent in recreation, sports or exercise. While downtime is necessary, it sounds like we do have time on our hands.
“Is watching TV going to make me a healthier person, mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually?” Clark asked rhetorically.
So now that you hopefully realize you do in fact have time to exercise and that most excuses don’t hold up, take some pressure off yourself and start small. Even squeezing in a 20-minute jog or a brisk walk with the dog or a romp in the backyard with the kids is better than nothing.
For me, one successful workout, even if it is short, leads to stronger motivation (thanks to those lovely endorphins) for yet another workout. It is a domino effect, so I encourage you to examine your schedule, priorities and goals and start with a manageable regimen. There are plenty of people like Meredith Clark and me at the gym just waiting to encourage you.