Making Fitness A Priority

Making Fitness A Priority

By Tina Haupert

A few years ago I had the opportunity to talk to Bob Greene, Oprah Winfrey’s friend and fitness guru. He was hosting a conference call with a group of health and fitness bloggers, and I was asked if I wanted to participate. Of course, I jumped at the chance!

When it was time for the call, I dialed in, introduced myself to the group, and waited patiently to speak with Bob. I was nervous, but excited to talk to him. Bob soon introduced himself and said hello to the group. The rest of the call was a roundtable conversation, and each participant asked Bob a question about anything they’d like. I didn’t want to waste my opportunity, so I asked a question that I hoped would provide me with a really useful answer. At the time, my life was crazy-busy, and I struggled to fit exercise into my daily routine, so I asked Bob for his ideas for how I could squeeze more exercise into my life.

Well, Bob’s reply completely caught me by surprise. I thought he’d give me a whole bunch of quick-and-easy ideas to fit more exercise into my day, but instead he flat-out said I needed to change my perspective about exercise.

Bob explained that exercise shouldn’t be something that I squeeze into my life. Instead, it should be a priority -- something I do every day, almost like eating breakfast or brushing my teeth. He said, basically, fitness should be something that I make time for no matter what happens in my day. Being fit is necessary for a happy and healthy life, so why not make exercise an important part of my regular routine? My conversation with Bob was definitely an “aha!” moment for me!

Bob’s advice has really helped me stay on track with my workouts. I now schedule my exercise for the day and then fit all my other obligations around it. When I changed my perspective about fitness, it helped me re-prioritize what is most important with regard to my health. I now rarely go more than a day or two without some sort of exercise, which makes me feel great and has helped me maintain my Feel Great Weight.

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