Today’s guest post is by Pamela Hernandez. Pamela is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and an ACE Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach. Today, Pamela writes about why there is no better time to change your life than now. Pamela is the owner of Thrive Personal Fitness. Follow her healthy weight loss and fitness tips on twitter: @thrivefit. She is ThriveFit on DailyBurn.

In my previous life I sat through a lot of training.

 
Not exercise training, but corporate training. Leadership training, sales training, time management training, all sorts of training. Sometimes it was boring and redundant. Other times I would have an engaging coach who would share something that would really resonate with me and stick with me for months, even years, to come.
One of those sessions that stuck with me was a discussion about Someday Isle. Perhaps you’ve heard of Someday Isle?
 

• Someday I’ll……give up smoking.
• Someday I’ll ….start exercising.
• Someday I’ll…..find time to cook healthy meals for me and my family.

How many times have you heard yourself refer to Someday Isle?

 
It’s time to face the fact that the perfect time to get healthy and fit is never going to magically appear.
In fact when I started my own journey I was working full time, going to school part time (which shortly became full time), was active in student organizations on campus and I had just started dating the man who is now my husband. It would have been very easy for me say I don’t have time to exercise. It would have been easy to say I don’t have time to pack my meals; I’ll just grab something on campus or hit the drive thru on the way to work.

But I didn’t.

 
I was so miserable, so uncomfortable in my own skin, that not doing anything was no longer an option. I would like to say the time magically appeared when I made the decision to get healthy and fit, but it didn’t. I simply realized we all have the same 24 hours in the day. I had to make the conscious choice on how I was going to utilize them in a way that supported my goals, particularly the goal of leading a healthier life.

If you’re at that point where something has to change, but still waiting for Someday Isle to appear, let me give some things to think about:

1. Picture yourself in 5 or 10 years if you don’t do anything. Life doesn’t get any easier as we get older. If you’re in your 20s with no energy and sick all the time, imagine how you’re going to feel in your 30s or 40s.
2. Try tracking your time and see how you are really spending your 24 hours. How much time do you spend online or in front of the TV? I bet at least 30 minutes a day, time that could easily be diverted for exercise.
3. Now that you’ve tracked your time, make a commitment to scheduling time for your health. Make sure those workouts, meals, and prep time are scheduled in your calendar just like a meeting at work or a doctor appointment.
4. Make it easy for yourself. Buy equipment so you can workout at home. You can build a great home gym for under $100 by purchasing a stability ball, exercise bands, a jump rope and couple of sets of dumbbells. Or join a gym that you pass every day that is open hours that meet your needs. For example, when I started my journey I joined a gym that was open 24 hours a day so I could hit the gym late after my last night class.
5. Ask for help. Tell your spouse or significant other your plans. Be clear about your goals and ask for help with meals, shopping or the time you need to exercise. Ask co-workers to walk with you at lunch instead of going out to eat. Schedule a few sessions with a personal trainer to design an efficient but effective workout program.

 
If you’re still waiting for the perfect time to start your journey, I’m here to tell you that it’s never going to come. Just like your favorite vacation spot, Someday Isle is a destination you have to make the time and the choice to reach.
Who do you choose to be today? What direction do you choose to take?