Healthy Living for Women who have No Time Podcast Episode 168

One of the big obstacles to making changes is "I don't have time!"

Today I have good news and bad news!

The good news is once you've made changes and put in systems, habits and routines, you find you actually have more available time. (Hello habit fairy.)

The bad news? Well, it's a bit of tough love..

Transcription of Podcast

Please note this transcription is generated by software. There may be some errors. I hope you find it useful.

Hello? Hello. Hello. Welcome to fit and fabulous with me, Dr. Orlena, I hope that you are feeling amazing and fabulous. Okay. Today, I want to talk to you about time. Tori. If you are listening, this podcast is dedicated to you. So just a little backstory over the last few weeks, I have been asking people, what is it that you want me to talk about on the podcast? What are the problems that you are facing?

I’m Too Busy to Make Changes!

And Tori said to me, you know what, it's time. I just don't have enough time to implement changes to do things I'm busy working and I'm busy being a mum. And I said to her, it sounds like you're doing too much work. And she said, no, no, it's not that I just, I've got so many other things to do.

Implementing Habits Helps You Have More Available Time

So I have good news. And I have bad news and I'm not sure which you would like to hear first. The good news is when you make healthy changes, when you create a healthy life that works for you, you, I actually generate more time and you may be saying, Hey, what an earth? You talking about? Generate more time.

Hello Habit Fairy

Yes. I know everybody has 24 hours in the day, but here's the thing. when you are busy doing all of those other things. And you've got that sort of nagging going on in the back of your mind. And that nagging may look like, oh my goodness, what should I cook for dinner tonight? Or, oh my goodness. I wish I ate a little bit more health, but I just haven't quite worked it out or, oh my goodness.

Stop the Energy Drain with Systems, Habits and Routines

I wish I didn't turn to food for come. I know I do. And every time I find myself eating. Whatever it is you eat. I feel guilty. I don't actually really enjoy it as much as I think I should. And then I feel even more guilty and beat myself up about it. So any of that, that is going on that drain that drip, drip, drip of drain that I ought to, I should do something.

I should lead a healthier life. I want the results, but I'm just gonna carry on as I am. When you make the change. To healthy living and incorporating the changes when you've walked through the rickety bridge. And you're on the other side, you don't think about any of that because it magically disappears.

So when you fixed your relationship with food, you aren't constantly feeling guilty about what you are eating. And when you have a system that works for you for cooking dinner, You aren't constantly thinking, what am I gonna cook for dinner? I tell you what, when I first moved to Spain and this was, oh, I can't remember 10 years ago or so had four young kids.

My main thought that drained my day. Well, there were lots of them, but this was a recurring one was what am I gonna cook for dinner? And the kids aren't gonna eat it. Anyhow. And now I have a system that works for me now. I am more than happy to share my system with you, but it's not about my system. It's about the fact that it works for me and finding something that works for you.

And now I. Hardly think about dinner. There are some days when I think, oh my goodness, I actually haven't prepared or thought about anything for me. The big thing is knowing what to cook. Once I know what to cook, I don't really have to think about it. I've got a slot in my midday and that's normally when I do the cooking today is Wednesday.

It's when I call my crush day. When the kids have, have so many different afterschool activities, it's all. Hi pig on Wednesday. I always do a vegetable chili in the slow cooker. And it was cooked or on not cooked, but in the slow cooker by quarter past eight this morning. And I don't even have to think about it and I might do some rice later on.

I might do some cabbage, but if I do I do. And if I don't, I don't, it's not a big deal. So I can just sit back and relax and do anything that I want to do today without that drain. So it doesn't matter what your drain is. Once you have created the systems and habits and routines that work for you and your family, then you just get on with living life and doing amazing things.

Healthy Habits Allow Me to Spend Time Doing the Things I Love

So for me, that's swimming in the sea and going, cycling and chatting to you. all of those amazing things that you want to do you get on with living your life. So that is the good news. The good news is if you actually. Prioritize this and make those changes. You actually buy yourself time. Clearly not actual time.

We all just have 24 hours in the day, but what you're doing is taking all those bits that aren't working and just turning it into a system, a habit so that you don't have to think about it. And then being able to use the time that is left, to do whatever you want. And I see this with so many of my clients.

In fact, I'm gonna say all of my clients. So when I look back at my clients, They all have different things that they liked. Alexis wanted to run marathons and read books and Leah plays tennis. I'm just thinking off the top of my head. Other people do other things like dancing and yoga, and, but they just suddenly find that they have time to do other things, to do those things that they want to do.

Healthy Living Means You Have More Energy to be Productive

And another amazing benefit of course, is once you start leading the healthy life, you have so much energy and you're so much more productive. So you get the things done that you need to do. So that's all the good news. Now the bad news is okay. So how do you get there? I'm talking about, you know, I'm making changes as if I had a magic wand.

The Bad News? A Bit of Hard Love

Well, on one level I do, but on another level I don't, and this is the bad news and I'm sorry to be a bit of hard love here, but the reality is this is about prioritization. So it's not about time. It's about saying, is this such an issue in my life that I am going to invest the time, the energy, the money to sort it out?

Or am I just gonna let it roll? And that's a decision that you need to make, but it's not a time thing. It's a priority thing. And when you are saying it's a time thing, essentially what you're doing is making excuses. I know I'm being harsh. I, I am being harsh and I'm being very honest with you, but it's not about time.

Is Healthy Living A Priority for You?

It's about whether this is a priority for you and you get to choose. You might say, do you know what, actually, this isn't a priority for me, in which case, forget about it and go on and live your life and stop wasting the energy. That you're putting into it by feeling guilty about it and thinking I ought to do this and I should do this.

If Healthy Living Isn’t a Priority for You, Go and Focus on Whatever Your Priority is

If it isn't a priority for you, make that decision and do the things that you want to do.

If Healthy Living IS a Priority for You, What are You Waiting For?

And if it is a priority for you, then I refer you back to my podcast that we did a few weeks ago, which is what are you waiting for? If this is a priority for you, what are you waiting for? So, if it is a priority, you've basically got a choice.

You can start to make those changes now. You know where to look, come give me a chat, give me a call. And, and we can chat. I have amazing resources for you. I've got two amazing programs that will support you. So yes, you can changes now. Or you can put off making changes. And what does that, do you carry on feeling guilty?

You carry on feeling like I ought to you carry on doing the same things until you either make the changes or you don't make the changes. But what you're basically saying by putting it off is it's not a priority for me. In which case I refer you back to the first point, is it a priority or isn't it a priority?

Why Aren’t You Making Those Healthy Changes?

Because if it is a priority, then you're saying, yes, I want to make changes now. And so then the question becomes, well, why aren't you making those changes now? And yes, I hear time, but that is an excuse and there's lots of other uses, but this is where you just have to do a little bit of soul searching.

So other excuses money. Yeah. Well actually, if you want support, then yes, you need to pay for support. But if you want to do it by yourself, you can just make that decision. I think another really big one that I see is being. Either afraid of failure or afraid of the change that is going to happen. And that's a really big thing that people don't want to admit to.

Not that you are consciously thinking, I don't want to admit to this, but you don't even admit that this is the problem, not you people. So our brains do not like change and doing something different feels unfamiliar and scary and not pleasant. And the good news is that it is actually amazing if you do it right, and you get the support you need.

And listen to my clients who are always saying, oh wow, I never realized it was going to be so easy. And it is amazing. I feel amazing. I'm doing all these amazing things that I want to do. And yes, I've talked about this before. It's not always plain sailing. There are obstacles, but you can over come them.

So listen, I hope that has cleared up a few little things about time and. Me being a little bit harsh and saying, yeah, you know what. We all have the same amount of time. So when we look at people who are leading a healthy life and people who aren't leading a healthy life, it's not a time issue. It's because those people who are leading a healthy life have got those habits and systems set up, they have got their life set up in a way that works for them.

Want to Chat with Dr Orlena?

Book a call here: https://bookme.name/drorlena/dr-orlena-chat 

And to be perfectly honest, some of that may be accidental or it may be, you know, that's just the way that they've always done things. And in one sense, they are lucky. But it doesn't mean you can't make those changes to, but it's just that change feels difficult and uncomfortable. So listen, go and listen to my video, which is the five steps that I use to help my clients fix their relationship with food.

Lose 10 to 50 pounds naturally and have loads and loads of energy. So it doesn't matter whether your aim is weight loss or just healthy living. The system is the same. The mindset shifts are the same. It is the same thing about, okay. I need to make changes. That video is perfectly free. You can watch that video and it is life transforming.

Watch the video here: https://www.drorlena.com/eliminate-emotional-eating-training 

So go and watch the video. The link is in the show notes and come and tell me what you think. Okay. Have a fabulous day. Bye bye.

Written By Dr Orlena

Dr Orlena Kerek (MBChB from the University of Bristol, UK) trained as a pediatric doctor. She is now a family health coach. She helps busy mums who want to feel amazing by eating healthy food, enjoy a healthy life, get back into their honeymoon shorts and teach their kids healthy habits all without thinking about it.

Want support and help in your weight loss journey?

Book a chat with Dr Orlena: https://bookme.name/drorlena/emotional-eating