A new fitness facility has opened up in the concourse level of downtown Toronto. “An hour and a half workout in just 4 minutes!” is the phrase that H.I.T. Fitness screams at the building’s office workers as they rush by to grab a quick lunch.

Who wouldn’t want to save time AND have an effective workout at the same time? I definitely would!

But 4 minutes? Even to the most die-hard “quick fix/magic pill” hunter, surely this must sound absurd.

In today’s world of high efficiency and zero time, we are constantly looking for ways to minimize the amount of time it takes to do just about everything. However, I cannot help but feel that we our short-changing ourselves in this effort to increase efficiency.

We forget what it means to relax. We forget what it is to spend time with family. We forget what it means to spend time with ourselves.

Guilty as charged, I can’t deny that I’ve allowed myself to get caught up in the whirlwind of everyday life. It’s only with great and conscious effort that I have begun to take some time out for myself.

The hour I spend at the gym is not just to physically workout. For me, it is a time to clear my head on the stairclimber, vent my workday frustrations in a kickboxing class, or release pent-up stresses by stretching.

I take this time to exercise not because I feel like I have to do it. I do it because I feel like I deserve it.

Don’t you deserve more than just 4 minutes?