Guiding Principles - Evaluate Priorities

One of the most common excuses that I have used over the years to not get in shape is that I just didn't have the time. Looking back, that was extremely laughable. With 2 kids, a full time job and now a hunting property to take care of, I have never been busier. Even with my current schedule, I have been able to carve out plenty of time to train and exercise.

The key to finding the time is to evaluate the priorities that I place on the different parts of my life. I would be lying if I told you that I was able to accomplish everything that I have without giving up a single thing. Of course not everything is created equal, and some things are harder to move down in priority then others. Below is a list of ways that I have shifted priorities to allow time to train and improve myself.

• Instead of spending the time after my girls go to bed each night sitting in front of the TV, I try to spend most nights in the gym. Better yet, with the use of my Chromecast, I am still able to watch a lot of movies and shows while I work out
• I get out of bed about 20 minutes earlier then I used to each morning to take my dog, Hunter, on a walk.
• On the weekends (or other days at home), I often spend the time that the girls take a nap in the afternoon either out running or down in the gym
• I used to go out to lunch with coworkers several days each week. Instead, I have been heading to the pool to swim 2 days a week.
• One of the harder things that I have given up is the extra time that I used to spend with my daughters after work each day. Several days each week I leave the girls at daycare for my wife to pick up and I take advantage of that time to get a run or bike ride in. 
• I used to leave home on Friday night on weekends that I spend working at the cabin and return home late Sunday night. Over the past year, I have started to leave Saturday morning and return home earlier on Sunday. This gives me a chance to get my long training run in before I go on Saturday and to complete another workout on my return Sunday evening. 
• As a family, we try to schedule our weekend trips and other travel around my training schedule. At the same time, I have structured the schedule to aid in this by making Fridays a "rest day" (although I don't have a true rest day). I also try to find opportunities when we are away from home to fit in exercise. Last year I ran my first half marathon in the Quad Cities, where my in-laws live, and this year I am going to run the Bix 7 there. This allows for us to pair our visits to family with race weekends, meaning there is time for more of both

Of course these are just a few examples, but I have learned just how possible it is to fit in a couple of hours of exercise per day by just shifting some things around, finding lost time in the day, or making small sacrifices.