Prioritizing

I have been writing this blog for about three years now. I aim to publish on Tuesday each week. Last week was the first time I’ve missed a week! I hate that! I feel like I let my readers down. While I don’t believe all of  you jump out of bed each Tuesday morning and eagerly check your email for my blog, I do feel a sense of responsibility to maintain what I’ve started and keep my commitment to a weekly blog.  I also realize it’s quite possible you didn’t notice I missed a week!

All of this brings me to my topic for today and that’s priorities. With too much on my plate last week, I had to make the decision what to do and what not to do. At one point my choice came down to writing the blog or getting in a run/workout. I knew I was dealing with stress and I knew the run would help me de-stress and make my body feel better. To me – that was the right choice. I felt better after my run and I think I was better able to tackle the rest of my day’s challenges with a clear head and healthy heart. I also think I slept better that night for the cardio earlier in the day.

I have a Pilates student who is also juggling many things including caring for several older relatives. She shared with me that she is having a hard time taking care of her relatives, running her business, working out and so on. One of her friends said to her, “You should just skip Pilates.”  I was pleased to hear her say, “I do Pilates for me – and I need that release to handle the rest of it.”  I think she is right. If we don’t take care of ourselves, how can we take care of others?  Too often the easy choice is not to prioritize ourselves. Too often we forgo what we need to serve everyone else. We become run down, unhealthy, irritated, stressed, and so on when we neglect our own needs.

I believe we need to make our own health and fitness a priority. I often hear comments like, “If I only had time to workout.”  Maybe our priorities are wrong. Maybe we spent time instead catching the latest episode of the Bachelor, looking at Facebook, online shopping, or gossiping. All of these things are fine (except maybe gossiping!) when we have idle time but maybe they need to be lower priorities. (fyi- I also missed the bachelorette this past week ;-)) 

This year as my business has grown and I’ve been busier, I don’t have the time I used to have to take a long run at the park. Adding in driving time to and from – just doesn’t fit my schedule as often. I do, however, have time to run if I adjust my thinking and leave from my front door. If running is my priority -I can make it work!

I certainly don’t advocate being selfish with your time – quite the opposite of that – but I do believe we need to prioritize our health. There is a big difference in choosing selfish pursuits (a manicure instead of spending quality time with the kids, shopping instead of cooking for the family, or reading a magazine while your friend could use a hand) and choosing healthy pursuits that make you a stronger individual.

Sometimes we have to let some things slide a bit to take care of our priorities.  While I hated missing a week, I don’t think anyone really suffered. Had I chosen to write the blog and skip my run, my fitness and well-being would have suffered.  Sometimes it is ok to choose you especially when it means focusing on being healthy!