I work fulltime as the Program Manager for a busy government program and commute about 3 hours every day to get to and from my job.
I teach a 4 hour nursing theory class on Tuesday nights and all week peck away at teaching the same course online. I assign too many assignments which means seemingly endless marking but I care deeply about my students and their learning so it's worthwhile.
I am training for a half marathon - getting up at 5 am to tackle hill repeats (which I love - strangely enough) and tempo runs and spending Sunday mornings logging 16-19 km with all the related warm up and cool down and stretching time factored in. I crosstrain with an active, vibrant yoga practice and swim laps in my pool.
I have a husband. We have friends. My grown daughters are launched or are launching - but my year old grandson needs a periodic visit involving multiple flights to Savannah for long but oh so very short weekends and the youngest needs reassurance that she won't get lost at U of T in the fall.
Planning a get together with another couple requires the services of an event planner and 4 Blackberries. Committing to a family get together at the cottage means a complete overhaul of a month's worth of "to do" items. Forget that crown I need - there is no time to call the dentist to make an appointment let alone time to attend it.
In the meantime, there are books piling up on my bedside table begging to be enjoyed. And emails from people awaiting my witty reply. There is an empty refrigerator and an overfull laundry basket and sometimes I can barely muster the strength to suck back the needed dose of Flovent before tumbling into bed at 9 pm.
It is a full life. I am BUSY. Everyone I know is busy! And everyone uses it as an excuse for something.
My girlfriend is too busy to exercise. She gave up her nightly walks when her work started following her home like a scruffy, persistent dog. The 22 lbs she's gained since Christmas are starting to show and she is finding less energy to get through her work during the day meaning even more is tracking her home.
My colleague is too busy to prepare meals. She no longer packs a nutritious lunch and generally picks up something from a fast food joint on the way home from the office for dinner. She complains about the toll it's taking on her wallet but doesn't admit to any worry about what it's doing to her or her family's health.
Another is too busy to carry on with her French classes - she's been studying for a couple of years and even dated a fellow student for a time - she loves to tell of their trip to Paris where she mangled enough verbs to start another revolution and felt completely bilingual despite her lack of fluency. She, too, is simply too busy at work to take any personal time at all anymore and her French is limited to our occasional fractured conversations.
All of them are too busy to diet. "I haven't time to attend Weight Watcher's meetings anymore" says one - "I'm going to have to take a break."
I understand that something has to give - there are, after all, only so many hours in the day. But in the grand priority of life - nutrition and exercise have to come first. Just like there is no "taking a vacation" from proper nutrition, there is no "too busy" for it either. Too busy to feed and nurture yourself? Too busy to ensure your body is getting what it needs to keep moving forward? Too busy to care about your spirit or your mind? Too busy to prevent disease? Too busy to love yourself?
Yes, some things have to go but surely active involvement in loving ourself fits in somewhere? In order to make sure I still have time for the activities I need to be healthy, I've given some things up this summer:
- I've given up time on the WW boards and facebook until I get through this too busy period.
- I've given up TV using it twice a week for my yoga practice and little more. I can get the news while I'm commuting - usually 6 times over!
- I've given up reading for pleasure.
- I've given up cooking - we're eating raw and straight from the fridge most days.
- I've given up my blog - this is the first time I've written in 3 weeks and only because the last appointment of my day didn't show!
- I've given up shopping - I can do without a trip to the mall more than I can do without an hour of weight training.
- I've given up house work - well, not completely -but let's just say my standard has slipped substantially and people should call before they drop by!
But I haven't given up on me and what I need to be healthy - I am still logging my food intake. I am still eating healthfully 95% of the time. I am diligent about exercising. I am committed to these lifestyle changes I have made.
And when the load lightens - I'm not teaching ANYTHING in September! - I'll be grateful that I stayed on track as I'm sitting on the couch watching TV and chatting with the wonderful people on the 40s board.
See you in the fall :)
