Don't Have Time?

Meal prep, exercise, homework, taxes. These are all things we claim to not have time to do. So let's try an experiment:

If you have an iPhone:

• go to settings > battery > scroll down to battery usage > click the little clock on the right > scroll to your social media apps and see how much time you spend on social media per day or per week.

Yup. It's an embarrassingly high isn't it? We are all guilty of prioritizing time sucks over the things we don't want to do and that's normal. Human nature is to want to do what's easy and deprioritize what's important and/or difficult. We know eating right and exercising is good for you, but lounging on the couch and fast food is easier.

Here's the truth: You DO have time for exercise, you DO have time to meal prep. You just choose not to. 

Why do we end up spending so much time on Netflix, Instagram, Facebook, etc? They are designed without stop cues. Netflix suggests next episodes, Instagram has endless hashtags, Facebook just goes on forever. Movies, book, and songs have stop cues such as ending credits or fade outs. Let's recognize that prioritizing our health should come above all else (even above the next episode of Grey's anatomy).

How can we change?

• Slowly eliminate the time spent in things that just don't add value to your life. Much like a diet cutting if off cold turkey results in a higher likelihood of returning to old habits. Try reducing the time spent by just 30 minutes to 1 hour the first week, then increase as the weeks pass.
• Set stop cues. Set a timer that is out of reach so when the timer goes off you have to physically get up and turn it off. That allows your brain to separate yourself from that rabbit hole.
• Turn off notifications on your phone for the biggest culprits. It's scary, but you can do it!
• Figure out the times when you’re most likely use the platforms and purposefully plan other activities during that time to eliminate temptation. This can be anything from going for a walk, meditating, booking a no-sweat intro ;).

Look, it doesn't have to be CrossFit, it can be any activity. Just find something you enjoy and look up from your screen one in awhile. The world is beautiful.

-Jay & Anne