There are 24 hours in a day. If we take a step back and break down these 24 hours, the following activities need to be accounted for:
- Sleep: Although this varies from 5 hours to 9 hours a night of required sleep, with most people falling into the 7-8 hours range
- Work: Based on the usual “9-5” schedule, this accounts for 9 hours a day
- Commute (unless teleworking from home): For those making their way back and forth to D.C. this could account for 1-1.5 hours a day
- Obligatory activities for children: After school sports practices, watching their games, helping with homework…these could account for 1-2 hours a day.
- Eating meals: The actual act of eating (as opposed to cooking/food preparation) is probably no more than 30 minutes each meal (total 1.5 hours a day).
- Personal Care: Bathroom usage, showering, dressing: 1 hour a day
So, if we added the above hours up, allowing for 8 hours of sleep, an 8 hour work day, a 1.5 hour commute, etc,, these all add up to 21.5 hours a day. If we subtract this number from 24 hours, that leaves us with 2.5 hours a day. Hmmm…that seems like lots of “down time” that we certainly do not feel/experience every day as we seem to have all of those 24 hours locked up with necessary activities.
Is it possible that most people have more “Me Time” than they think (retirees and people with no work commute would seem to have much more)? If most of us actually have 2.5 hours of “Me Time” every day, we certainly could devote that time to:
- Spending quality time with our spouses/children…watching a show together, playing a board game, etc
- Exercising 30-60 minutes a day
Now, focusing on weight control: As we discuss time and time again, successful long-term weight control requires mindfulness, focus, planning and preparation. How much time does it take to plan out your meals for the next day? Probably less than 15 minutes. If we truly have 2 hours or more a day of “Me Time”, doesn’t it seem reasonable to close your library doors, take out a piece of paper and pen and plan out those meals/snacks?
In the above discussion, notice that I did not account for time spent on:
- Looking at your social media feeds
- Surfing the internet
- Doing other stuff on your smart phone
Managing your time efficiently is a crucial contributing factor for long-term weight control. Please try to eliminate any “wasted” time and divert that to “Me Time” that will enhance your health and happiness.
I bet we all wish we could turn back time to our younger, faster metabolism years…so here is Cher Turning Back Time.
