Make it so you have it
By Stephanie LaSota
Why is it so much easier to eat pizza and watch a movie instead of popping in a Yoga tape or DVD and uniting mind, body and spirit? Why is it easier to sleep an extra hour instead of waking up to go to the gym? We tend to try our best (hopefully) when at work or taking care of our family or listening to friends, but why is it so much more difficult to care for ourselves?
Maybe we think the extra hour of sleep is a gift we are giving ourselves, when, in fact, it is just another excuse to delay exercise. It's something everyone should be making time for, but unfortunately, it seems to fall to the bottom of the to-do list for many people. Why isn't our personal health a priority? We can't take care of anything else if we're not well. Despite all the logic and common sense of our current civilized society, we still find excuses and erect obstacles on our personal paths toward better health. Time is an issue; energy is an issue and money are issues people say are in their way to a healthier lifestyle.
Sometimes I hear language tricks and integrate them into my life. Kind of like how all those hippy positive affirmations in self-help books are supposed to make you feel warm and alive. But I really think this is a good one and it has to do with time. It goes like this; No one has time. They make time.
It's really amazing how empowering changing a phrase in your vocabulary can be. Now if a friend and I are talking and they ask me with good intentions if I worked out like I said I was going to (and I actually didn't) I can say, "No, I didn't make the time" instead of "No, I didn't have time."
It comes down to this; what we do is our choice. And life is a series of choices. You make the choice. You make the time. That word puts the responsibility and the accountability back in your lap.
I actually did make time to exercise today. I woke up extra early and finally found the McGeever Community Center, 943 Fairmount Ave., Pottsville. I was still a little late for the morning hours, which are 5:15 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. I showed up at 7:30 a.m., I think. So I went home to the Yoga tape instead. All's well that ends well, I guess. I'll try again another day.