I love working out, mostly outdoors but I enjoy strength training in the gym as well. I began exercising consistently at the age of 17 and in the prior years, I kept physically active with netball, basketball, and dance.
I’m sure that when you read “I love working out”, you probably created a mental image of someone excitedly getting dressed in their fancy workout gear and then skipping into the gym 6 days per week.
That would be the exact opposite of my reality and most of the time it is an intense battle to convince myself to exercise. Everything from work, chores, relationships, children and traffic consume our days and at the end of it, sometimes there is barely enough time left to take a decent shower. Lol!!!!
However, after many years of disciplining myself to make my health a priority and being fully convinced about the physiological, self-confidence, and other benefits, I do what I must, regardless of how I feel.
Last year I ‘muscled’ through months of bed rest to bring my beautiful little boy into the world, and during those challenging months, I was sure that my muscles would dissolve, and I’d never get back to doing what I love. Thankfully, a few months of bedrest could not eradicate the character that germinated from my ingrained commitment to my health. Now I am back to doing what I love, even better than pre-pregnancy.
By now, you must realize where I am going with this article … if it is important enough you will make space for it.
It doesn’t matter how busy life gets; what you prioritise, gets done.
You must always make space to do what you love. Don't wait until you feel as though you have everything figured out, or the perfect set of circumstances exists, but determine that regardless of what is happening to you or around you (and as far as you can control it), you will do what you need to.
"The things we love to do, are not easy or convenient,
just because we like it or are called to do it."
If you are honest with yourself, you can tell when you’ve deprioritised something. You begin to make excuses or proffer very valid reasons why you can no longer meet your commitment. You continue to say the right things about what you should be doing, but you just can’t seem to motivate yourself to get up and do what your mind urges and what your mouth professes.
Recently, I’ve been chastising myself for not prioritising my intimate time with God. Yes, it is still a struggle sometimes to make space for God because, to be honest, I feel as though God will understand when life gets busy. I can give him a little bit of distracted time while I’m hurriedly getting dressed to leave the house, packing away toys, or putting away clothes. Single-life devotional time was much easier but when my circumstances with work and family changed, my habits did not change adequately to give priority to my number one priority.
I had to be honest with myself to stop excusing the inexcusable. If God is truly important and paramount in my life, then my actions ought to reflect that… habitually. It’s one thing to say it, but it’s another level of discipline and commitment to act in a manner that demonstrates this ultimate love.
We are just at the start of September so there are basically four more months left in the year to commit or recommit to making space for what you love. It may be your children, time with your family, your physical health, that long-abandoned hobby, or your career. Make a short list of your priorities by day, week, and month, and then make space in your routine for them.
Above everything else though, make space to cultivate a rich relationship with God through Jesus, who is your source, strength, and sustainer.
I modified my exercise life and instead of working out very early in the morning, which is my preference, I do it whenever I can get it in. Regardless of how busy or tired I am, I committed to making space for exercise in my week.
It goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway; making space for the things you love means moving out and away from unimportant things that consume your time. Social media is the number one culprit of our generation and there are others unique to you that you need to address in your quest to make space for what really matters.
What you love and who you love, is what and who you will prioritise.
Don’t make excuses, make space!
Love Ya!
Krystal Baynes-Hoseinee
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