I feel like there’s an assumption that if you own a fitness studio you’ve always been into health and fitness. You may not know this, but I worked in corporate America most of my career before opening Board30 ABQ in 2021. I worked long hours and put work and other things ahead of myself, just like you may be doing. I probably even had less competing priorities than you may have since I wasn’t sandwiched between taking care of kids and elderly parents.

Executives at the companies I worked for would come into town and I always wondered how they always seemed so calm and grounded. Here I was, several levels lower than them feeling stressed and anxious all the time. What I learned is that they made time to focus on themselves and made their well-being a priority. They blocked out time on their calendars for exercise and made healthy meal choices when at home and on the road. They made time for their own personal growth, whether reading, meditating or listening to podcasts. By doing so, they knew they would be better leaders, parents and caregivers to others.

This eventually started sinking in for me and I began shifting my priorities and taking better care of myself. Just because I was traveling on an expense account didn’t mean I had to eat and drink like it was my last meal. I started doing fitness classes (and discovered Board30!) in addition to the outdoor activities I enjoyed because I realized building muscle was important too.

So no, I wasn’t always into fitness and didn’t always put my health first. I made excuses and often put work or ANYTHING ahead of working out. If this is where you are, I urge you to start taking control of one small thing that will improve your mental or physical well-being… whether it’s eating breakfast, moving your body for 20 minutes or taking a walk in nature. Leave the excuses behind and prioritize it in your life!

There are always going to be competing priorities and things to get done. If not now, when?