Whew, we made it! I’m writing to you from our final destination, Frankfurt, Germany. We’ll be back in St. Louis on Thursday, but boy what a trip it has been.
Truth be told, I’ve had a nagging feeling of guilt leaving our kids for almost two weeks, but our lives don’t come to a screeching halt when we have a family and kids. And I see it the same phenomenon with our Crew when it comes to their fitness.
I need to come up with a better name, so the working title I’m using is the “Backseat Fitness Paradox.”
It goes something like this:
We’re one of those selfless people whose needs take a backseat to our family, work, and other important things.
When we do take time to take care of ourselves, we feel guilty about it. We’ll think, why am I spending 45 mins after work at the gym? That time could be better spent on the people who depend on me.
But then again, we know we should be working out. That’s how we stay fit and strong. So, when we don’t train, we feel guilty about that too.
You see the problem here? You can’t win…
Until now.
Yesterday, we talked about starting your fitness journey slowly. Today, we’re going to do the same thing to get you off that hamster wheel of guilt.
Start by giving yourself permission for just 20-minutes per day for your fitness. That’s it.
20 minutes of fitness each day is kinda the introductory number to see substantial progress. No, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s enough to build a daily habit like the Daily Motion, a walk, a quick bike ride, etc…whatever gets you moving.
Don’t let this get out…but, even 20-minutes every other day is enough to get you going.
Now, if you’ve found yourself feeling guilty about taking time for yourself, know one thing: it’s okay.
It’s not selfish at all. In fact, you’re no good to those people as an out of shape, no energy, bad example. Taking care of yourself is the best way to take care of those you love – they’re getting the best version of you.
You know how on a plane they tell you to put on your oxygen mask first so you can help those around you? Same thing.
It ain’t selfish. It’s necessary.
Now, I’m going to go selflessly take care of a few large steins of delicious suds during our last hours in Europe.
You’ve got this!
Your #1 Fan,
Jeff Pelizzaro
PS – No kidding, 20-minutes of exercise per day is plenty to start building that habit. Don’t go too fast, or you’ll never stick with it.
If you’ve already built up to 40-ish minutes, and you haven’t already, then I encourage you to start your free 18STRONG Membership trial.
I don’t know much, but I do know that when my workouts dramatically help me play better on the course, my brain won’t let me quit doing them.