Fitness Opinion

How Well Are You Using Your 168 Hours?

Est. Read Time: 3 mins

There is not a day that goes by that someone does not say to me: “I really want to work out, but I don’t have any time. And healthy eating? That’s too much work!”

Whenever I hear these excuses, I remember a friend asking me: “What did Mother Theresa, Albert Einstein and Michelangelo have in common?” Don’t think too hard. The answer is obvious–they each had 24 hours a day to accomplish what was truly important to them.

The time to make healthy choices is in your hands.

The time needed to make healthy choices is in your hands.

In the course of a week, you have 168 hours at your disposal. If you spend 50 hours working and another 56 sleeping (if you’re lucky), you still have 62 remaining. Even if you use another 20 hours to manage your household, shuttle the kids back and forth, do school work or take care of your family, you still have 42 left.

How are you using those 42 hours? According to the Office of Business Labor Statistics, Americans spend on average six hours a day on leisure activities. What’s shocking is that many people spend the vast majority of their free time with electronic entertainment (TV and Internet).

If improving your health is important, lack of free time clearly is not a good excuse. For you to be the best you can be for those you love, you need to devote some time to doing what’s right for you…and that should include some sort of physical activity and healthy eating.

We all have choices. We can watch the playoffs or toss the ball with the kids, play on Facebook or jog with a friend, watch the FoodNetwork or make a delicious and nutritious meal. A recent study published in a leading medical journal, The Lancet, indicated that a sedentary person can decrease their risk of a premature death by 14 percent by adding 15 minutes of physical activity to their day. Can you find 15 minutes each day to ensure a longer life?

In the end, all it takes is commitment and a little imagination to find time to create a healthier lifestyle. Something as simple as taking the steps instead an elevator, parking a bit further away than usual or adding some nutritious food to your diet can make a big difference in how you look and–more importantly–in how you feel.

In life there are either results or excuses. Don’t let excuses prevent you from leading a healthier life. Each of us has 168 hours each week. How are you going to use yours?

Kevin Branco is a personal trainer and the owner of Kevin Branco Head ShotHe’s a 2004 graduate of Saucon Valley High School–where he lettered in football, track and field and basketball–and a 2008 graduate of Kutztown University, where he was a PSAC scholar-athlete and was awarded four varsity letters. Kevin has been recognized with The Morning Call’s Best of the Valley-Personal Trainer award (2014). He was recently inducted into the Lehigh Valley Sports Hall of Fame.

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About the author

Josh Popichak

Josh Popichak is the owner, publisher and editor of Saucon Source. A Lehigh Valley native, he's covered local news since 2005 and previously worked for Berks-Mont News and AOL/Patch. Contact him at josh@sauconsource.com.

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