In my work as an internal and lifestyle medicine physician, I have many conversations with patients about their health and wellness. It is fascinating to see such a range of patients, from their early 20s all the way up to retirement age, and the unique health issues that present at various times of life. A very common scenario I come across is in people whose health completely falls off the wagon when they are raising families. They are incredibly busy with work and home life, and barely have a minute for themselves. Their weight starts creeping up, they eat more junk food—and before they know it, their baseline health risk has increased significantly—often reflected in their lab values, such as an escalating LDL “bad” cholesterol and HbA1C (marker for pre-diabetes). I see this all the time, and completely empathize with the real-world challenges that so many working people with growing children face.

As I’m reviewing their deteriorating parameters, we often get into a discussion about what lifestyle measures can improve their situation, mainly including diet and physical activity. I am a huge advocate of what I call a: “1-HOUR ME TIME A-DAY” rule. This is not an hour Me Time for watching Netflix or going shopping! It’s a strict hour completely blocked off for daily exercise. It could be cardiovascular activity in the form of going to the gym, a run, or any type of workout regimen. It could be a brisk walk outdoors. Heck, you can even throw in some meditation in that hour too if you like!

It may seem totally impossible for a busy working person to devote an hour a day to this, but it’s important to remember that the benefits of this hour of activity will spill over to other parts of one’s life—including improved concentration, productivity, energy levels and sleep. I advise making it as much a part of anyone’s routine as anything else they do on a daily basis.

One of the most common excuses (okay, “excuses” may be a strong word, but I’ll stick with it for now) that I hear from people who have let things slip is: “My family has to come first, I simply don’t have the time for exercise”. I always have a simple friendly retort: Absolutely nothing comes before your own health. Because if you lose your own health, you are of little use to anyone else—especially if your goal is to help and support them. So no matter who you are, be sure to make your own well-being the number one thing in your life!

Suneel Dhand is a physician, writer, and YouTuber. He is Founder at MedStoic Lifestyle Medicine and DocsDox . Follow him on YouTube and Facebook.