It IS All About You!

Nicholas J. Perri MA, NASM-PES

Stop! Stop listening to others tell you that you shouldn’t be taking time out for yourself…that it’s selfish. Stop! Stop feeling guilty about the time you spend away from your family, job or significant other to nourish YOU!

If you have a pretty full plate but take the time out to go for a run, get a massage, take a yoga class, WORKOUT WITH YOUR TRAINER…many are quick to judge. You’re even quick to judge yourself. You might think, “I should be spending more time with the kids,” or “work is really crazy right now. I have to stay late.” Those thoughts are normal. Most people would have them. But it’s time to change the mindset. In fact, we are well past the time to change the mindset. Many of you are probably reading this right now thinking, “I don’t have a clue or I haven’t walked in your shoes so who am I to tell you how to live your life or what you should make a priority.” And that’s fair. But I’m here to tell you, it really doesn’t matter what you think. I know it sounds harsh but I can live with that.

Work isn’t going anywhere. Your kids are always going to need you, on some level, no matter how old they are. Basically, people in every part of your life are going to be pulling you in a million different directions on a daily basis. And you keep telling yourself, “I’ll workout tomorrow.” or “I’ll change my eating habits next week.” The problem is, tomorrow never comes. The problem is, next week never comes. It keeps getting pushed back further and further. In the meantime, you’ve gained weight. Your blood pressure is up. Your cholesterol is high. You have joint pain. You can barely get up or down without pain. You have a heart attack. That’s how quickly it happens, and according to the CDC, 610,000 people die of heart disease every year. That’s 1 in every 4 deaths. Think about it.

The antonym to selfish is selfless. To be selfless means to be self-sacrificing or self-denying… But when you are not taking care of yourself, you are only sacrificing your health. You are denying yourself an active, quality lifestyle. And perhaps you will end up denying yourself the opportunity to go to work every morning. To see your children grow up… To see their children grow up…

So give yourself permission to be a little selfish. Let go of the guilt and refuse to accept the stigma that the word “selfish” carries with it. It might just save your life.