You Don’t Have Time

I know we all feel caught up in a balancing act. We each have oligations and feel like we’re constantly playing catch-up.

When I started Bjorn Fitness I always felt behind. Other business owners seemed like they were doing so much better than I was. I felt like I had too much to do.

And, I ended up losing 12 lbs in my first year as a business owner.

But as time went on I learned something that surprised me.

Almost every one of my clients, competitors, and mentors were doggy-paddling in the ocean on empty stomachs and five hours of sleep.

I met sixty year olds who couldn’t describe how their body worked. I met gym owners who were considering selling their gyms because they had no money.

I even spoke with my competitors and found that their success was a complete illusion.

The same is true for fitness.

We live in a wonderful world where we can have anything at our fingertips. The most educated in almost every field have full access to exactly the same information as you or me.

The richest people only have speed and quality advantages over us. That is, they can get things faster than everyone else, or get better versions.

This wealth comes at a cost: our attention. And that currency flows wild.

You open YouTube or Facebook and you are bombarded with information or images that suck you in.

But from the eyes of those who love an need us, nothing has changed. Your boss still needs you to get things done. Your spouse and kids and pets still need quality time with you. That total time hasn’t changed at all.

In our hope to stay connected with the world, we have allowed our tools to become members of our closest circle. They take from us what we used to give to our familes and friends.

I am no stranger to this. My screen time on my devices betrays a hidden full-time job spent on useless media.

And I see this and think “no wonder so many people feel like they don’t have the time to exercise!”

Truth: When you say yes to one thing you are always saying no to something else.

The price you pay for these “yeses” is always a loss of your most precious commodity.

And when we say yes to streaming binges, doom scrolling, or games

We say no more and more to the things that truly matter to us.

And then we run out of time.

We choose temporary comfort over long term joy and accomplishment.

When you choose not to exercise you are choosing to stay comfortable today at the expense of your health.

It takes 10 years for us to notice how bad it’s gotten. Suddenly, it seems, we can’t walk across a room without being out of breath.

Want it to get even scarier?

If you skip workouts enough before your fourties you could lose about 20-30% of your muscle mass.

This is why people in their thirties suddenly notice joint pains. This is why thirty and fourty year-olds complain that there is just a point where your body tells you “no”.

Unfortunately this is more annoying to people so young than it is a genuine problem.

Let’s make it even scarier and say you gained weight the whole time.

That extra weight wears on your joints and organs. You begin to age faster. You become less able and more dependent.

And if all this compounds to retirement age you’ll no longer be able to:

  • remember things as well

  • understand basic instructions

  • get in and out of chairs

  • get off the toilet

  • get out of bath tubs

  • play with your grandkids

  • act quickly in emergencies

  • go on hikes and walks

And that only scratches the surface of the problems that arise.

So what life would you want? One where you live an independent life and die quickly with dignity at an old age, or to go out unable to even pick yourself off the floor?

I know what I want.

But being healthy too comes with the same cost of time. And for some it is a hard choice because they are too committed to other things in their life.

For me it comes at the cost of time spent watching YouTube or doomscrolling. So it’s an easy trade. Because I am already quite healthy I can afford to refuse to allow a workout to get in the way of time spent with family, friends, or work.

For many of our clients this just isn’t the case. Workouts for them come at the cost of sporting events, changing their sleep schedule, or saying no to a boss.

For you it might mean telling your kids you can’t take them to games anymore so they’ll need to hitch a ride. Or it may mean that you have to stop going to the bar every evening so you can workout with energy in the morning.

The trade is always there. I make it every day and so do you.

So how can we make this easier?

  1. Lift heavy weights 2-3 times a week for 30-60 minutes

  2. Do intense cardio 2-3 times a week for 20-45 minutes

  3. Walk instead of drive whenever you can

  4. Eat mostly whole and unprocessed foods

That is enough for most people’s goals. It won’t turn you into a bodybuilder. It won’t make you an athelete. It will make you healthy enough to have the energy to spend time with your family. It will make you healthy enough to have the energy to get work done and enjoy your day. It will afford you the food freedom and motion freedom to live a truly comfortable life. It will allow you to die old and quickly when the time comes.

Now go spend time with your family and ask yourself “do I love them enough to get healthy for them?”

See you next time.

–Alexander