on Feb 17th, 2010Please secure your own oxygen mask before assisting others
We have a variety of men and women who come to see us at the start of their journey to fitness and well-being. Many of them are busy executives who are so driven to succeed that they barely get the time to sneak meals in throughout the day. Others are busy moms who put their kids first to ensure those kids get the care, love, and attention they need. This busy-ness and selflessness is admirable, but at the same time, I always ask that they take a step back and re-evaluate whether they are giving the best of what they have to give by putting their own needs last.
I like to use the airplane oxygen mask analogy. “Please secure your own oxygen mask before assisting others.” After all, if you don’t get that mask on in time, you’ll hardly be able to help anyone else around you.
Let’s go back to the moms. They spend so much time making sure the kids have the food they like on the table, that many times they just end up eating the mac n’ cheese or chicken nugget leftovers off their plates. If you think about food as fuel, how on earth is that fuel going to give mom the energy to chase those kids around later when they’re running full speed? It’s not, and many moms end up feeling exhuasted, defeated, and helpless at the end of the day.
So if you’re focusing on fitness in 2010, be a little bit selfish. Be good to yourself, and you’ll find it a lot easier to give your best to others. If you want to make sure it happens, schedule it. Block out time for exercise and meal planning in your calendar and let that time be sacred! I don’t buy the “too busy for exercise and eating well” excuse. It’s never a matter of being too busy, it’s a matter of re-prioritizing. If you truly believe you’re just too busy, try this brain dump exercise:
- List out all of the tasks that you complete in a day and a week
- Evaluate those activities. What is not making you feel good about yourself that can be eliminated? Social networking sites? Driving your kids to school instead of letting them take the bus? Reading magazines full of great headlines that always seem to be full of empty promises or thinly veiled advertising disguised as content?
- What can be delegated? Maybe it’s time to start getting the kids involved in light chores? If you’re a busy exec, can you get help with the trivial tasks like dry cleaning and other errands?
- Where does taking care of yourself fit best in your day? Block that time and don’t touch it!
Look, as a Mom, I get it. We like to put our kids first. We like to be sure they’re happy. But remember, our kids feed off of our emotions, and being happy and feeling good about yourself every bit as important as ensuring their happiness. And just think about what a great role model you’ll be for your kids when you start to adopt new, healthy habits. Don’t be surprised if they want to get in on the new habits, too.