I have had a post on this before but I REALLY struggle with finding balance in my life. I cannot seem to accomplish everything that I want to each day. I have been brainstorming alot lately on how to find time to get it all done so that I can feel good when I go to bed at night. It seems like lately I get in bed exhausted only to lay there thinking of all the things I didn't get done and areas of my life that need improving.
SO...
I have come up with ONE solution. Unless I feel good about myself and take care of myself, I have nothing left to offer to my husband, daughters or friends. This means that I will be stepping back from so much social. I seems like lately I have things in the morning and evening all the time which means there is no time for working out. I will have to make choices AROUND getting my personal things accomplished. So if there is playgroup in the morning and nothing in the evening, I will attend and workout at night. If I have something in the evening, workouts will have to be done in the morning. I will schedule my workouts FIRST and see where there is extra time for socializing. I know for me socializing is an important part of who I am so it will still have to be incorporated.
Plan for today:
*I have two social events planned for today (I have something tonight and playgroup this morning). I have decided that since playgroup is within walking distance (I usually drive) that I will load the girls up in the stroller and head out. I am aware that sometimes, I will be not get in the "traditional" workout but my goal is to be more active so this would qualify.
*Depending on how my girls are doing when we get home from playgroup, I will be doing a workout DVD as my "last chance workout" before weigh-in tomorrow morning.
*I plan to drink AT LEAST 84 ounces of water today!!! (16 down, 68 to go)
*Pay attention to what I eat and make healthy choices!
When reading other blogs, I really enjoy posts that include a question to the reader. I know that I don't have TONS of people that follow my blog (yet) but I am still gonna post a question to you all at the end of my posts.
??? How do you find balance so that you have time to workout?
4 comments:
I tend to procrastinate working out if I wait to work out until later in the day. Something always comes up that seems more important... washing dishes, cleaning, etc. I know that if I do it first thing in the morning, it'll get done every time. I feel guilty going to the gym and dropping esley off at the day care. I enjoy myself (and my workout) so much more when I bring him with me. We go hiking a lot. Ill put him in the bjorn and just go after we are both up and fed. I also love to put him in the jogging stroller and run a 4 mile loop we've mapped out around our house. It's good for him (and me) to get out and use up some energy. He's grown used to our routine and he gets anxious if it's 9:00 and we haven't left yet. (We usually try to get out of the house by 7:30 or 8). By the time we get home, he's tired enough that he'll go right to sleep and I have time to jump in the shower. We try to walk everywhere we can as well. We live a 1/2-3/4 mile away from a park and a duck pond. We walk there everyday.. no matter what. I understand what you mean with social events. You've got to have some sanity too. A friend of mine goes at 6 am running everyday bc she knows she can leave her daughter with her husband for 40 minutes and then come home and enjoy her day knowing that she did something for herself.
As far as eating better... I always know that if I eat something unhealthy that it not only cancels out all of my hard work, it doesn't feed my body and give me energy. Have you seen Food Inc? I swear, you'll never touch a processed food again after you see that. I also try to eat by color... red, green, purple, yellow, orange.. and get as many in throughout the day that I can. We've also made small changes in our grains. We no longer buy or eat white rice. We always get brown and we buy whole wheat pasta. A friend of mine made similar changes in her daughters diet. Her daughter is sooo much more calm and content than she used to be. Teaching your daughters how to eat healthy now will affect their futures drastically.
I don't "follow" you but I have you on my reader and I always read your blog. Keep up the great work! I love to read about your accomplishments and difficulties. It's hard, I know.
Okay Ang, balance for me has been a hard thing to find. I feel like I'm always putting off housework to go to the gym or go do something social. Here's what I have found, for me anyway. The workout has to be a part of my day, period. I'm a better mom, wife, everything if I get a good sweat in each day. I just know every morning after I take Danielle to school I'll be at the gym for and hour or hour and a half. It makes a world of difference for me. Any physical activity I do the rest of the day is gravy. I would love to get you a guest pass at my gym and just come for a week with me and see how you like it. Then you can figure out your own workouts and do what you like to do. If you can keep your workouts interesting they will become a priority, I promise. When your workout becomes routine and redundant you won't want to do it!
As far as food goes, it may sound nuts, but you have to cut yourself some slack, seriously! Know that you are not going to eat perfectly, it's just not realistic. If your working out regularly, then you can cut yourself some slack. I make meals really simple, especially breakfast and lunch. I try and watch my carbs and not buy any white or refined products (White flour, sugar, bread, pasta). Sugar is a hard one for me, but I just can't buy it or I will eat it. I try and eat salads most everyday for lunch, and I make a home made red wine vinaigrette for dressing. The best thing about salads is you can totally customize it and they can be so filling! Come over for lunch one these days! I love that you are so open about your struggles! We all have them! Let me know if I can do anything to help! I'm serious about the gym, come with me, we don't have to do any classes or anything. Love you, your awesome!
i really just make it a priority. i make time for things that are really important. even if i am super busy, i still go to work, take a shower, brush my teeth, etc....it's non-negotiable. and that's how i have to be with my workouts. when i go to sleep at night, if i have stayed on plan and worked out, it's a victory. when you make sure of the most important things, everything else falls into place!
I'm the same way. It is hard. I find that if I stay on top of house work, it's easier to find time to work out and play. If I get behind, then it takes more time to catch up.
You're doing a great job, it takes time to figure this all out. Good work!
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