I have discussed my involvement with South Dakota Team Beef in previous posts and my passion for promoting lean beef and physical activity. After the Beef and Eggs 5k race I had the opportunity to visit with Bruce Falk, editor for the Tri-State Neighbor. He is also a member of SD Team Beef and shares similar interests. He was interested in learning more about my job as a dietitian and being in a producer family in the beef industry. One of his questions inquired about my husband’s activity…which brought us to the very popular limitation for exercise: TIME! As a farmer and rancher, Adam spends most of the time when the sun is out working, which means in the summer the days start early and end later. Whether you’re a farmer, rancher, or a business man, we all have one thing in common: everyone is busy! When we’re busy, it’s easy to push off the exercise until you have more time.
Time management is key to success with health and wellness. First off, it’s important to make a commitment to exercising. Next, you’ll want to focus on ways to add exercise into your routine. I suggest looking at your calendar for each week and plan it into your daily schedule. If you think of it like a work meeting you have to attend, you’ll be less likely to skip it and it will eventually become second nature or a habit to do it. Most importantly, you want to schedule it into your day when it’s convenient for you. If you are not a morning person, setting your alarm to work out at 5am will not be ideal for you! You also want to consider engaging in an activity that you enjoy. I am not big into swimming (despite knowing how), so if I had to swim daily, I would dread every minute of it! Whereas my preferred activities are biking and running as I enjoy them. One other aspect to consider is if you like to exercise with a buddy or alone. Some may enjoy going alone as it can be a quiet time for them, but others may prefer a buddy to help them stay motivated. The key is finding a solution that works best for you!
Setting goals is a good tool to help with accountability. This is something we will do in our first lecture with STRIVE 2 Survive on September 4th.
Another concept we discuss regularly in my house and with my patients is the difference between being “busy” and aerobic activity…stay tuned to tomorrow’s post to learn more!
If you want to read more about the article I am featured in click the link below:
-Kelsey
