Too Busy…

When I hear people say, “I’m too busy.” I always cringe.  After all, it is a matter of priorities, isn’t it?  Stay with me here.  You go to work because you need to make money to live.  Even if there were 25 loads of dirty laundry to do, a sink full of dirty dishes, a PTA meeting, etc. you would still go to work.  If you found a lump in your breast, would you miss your scheduled doctors appointment?  No, probably not.  Why, because it becomes a priority.  Work is a priority.  Well, I propose to you that your diet and nutrition should be a priority too.  Why should the food that actually nourishes and fuels you body be put at the end of the priority list?  It’s not that you don’t have time, it’s that you don’t make time.

Everyone in this day and age is busy, lets face it, we are all stressed and pressed for time but are we willing to sacrifice our health for a convenient diet instead of a nourishing one?  Have you ever noticed that the most successful people you know are also the busiest?  These people are masters at prioritizing and organizing.  They are able to draw solid yellow lines (no passing zone) around the segments of their lives.  This allows them to accomplish their objectives and does not compromise their priorities.  I heard someone say once that if you want something done and done right, give it to a busy person.  We can all find time for the things that are important to us.  It is just a matter of defining what those things are.

So, back to nutrition.  If you decide to make it a priority, guess what, it will be!  If you know you will be at work until 7PM every night next week, plan accordingly.  Break out the crockpot and throw ingredients in before you leave, make 5 meals on Sunday, make some no-cook meals, etc.  You get the idea.  It can be done.  If you know you are going to have the kids on the road all day, pack a lunch, pack snacks, see if there is a Whole Foods on your route, etc.  If it is a priority, it will happen.  However, without a plan failure is guaranteed.  Then you can pull out that handy excuse of “I don’t have time.” 

Just like exercise, you don’t have to spend hours on end preparing and planning meals.  You can cook a full course dinner in under 30 minutes.  By the time you would decide where to go out to eat, get in the car, drive there, wait to be served, eat, wait for the bill, and drive home you could have cooked at home, relaxed, and had the kitchen clean.  Think about it this way, you have to go to the grocery store anyway.  You are now just going to buy different things.  Some of the items can even be purchased online.  You don’t even have to leave home or your desk.

Please realized that “too busy” is just an excuse.  Excuses are very destructive.  They have the ability to corrupt our minds, to talk us into believing things that aren’t true, to justify our bad behaviors, and to keep us stuck in the same ruts.  Isn’t it time to break down our excuses?  E need to ask ourselves, “what are we busy doing?”

Here are some examples.  Yes, some of them are radical, yes, some of them require work and commitment. 

Excuse                                                Catalyst for change

“I work such long hours”                       Maybe it’s time for a career change

“I have 3 kids”

Whatever you do, don’t’ let excuses prevent you from eating a healthy diet, your body deserves the fuel it desires.  After all, if you abuse it, you lose it.  Will all of the long hours, soccer practices, watching tv, patronizing restaurants, etc be worth it when you lose your health?  Time is not the enemy, it is how you manage your time that is the enemy.  By the way, buying an organizer/planner that you can plug tasks into is not the answer.  It is the bigger picture that you must start with.  Decide what your priorities are (nutrition better be one of them) and no one or nothing should be able to derail your commitment to that.  It should be right up there with quality family time, exercise, and spiritual connection.  You can do it!

Happy planning!