A lot of people out there have goals to have what they call a "balanced lifestyle". I am among those people. There are always those moments that I stop and realize that one aspect of my life has taken over my mind and the majority of my thoughts. This is a moment when I realize I have tipped into imbalance. So what does balance mean for me:
-Working (5 days a week, ~40 hours a week. Any more or less feels off).
-Sleep (7-8 hours a night is almost a necessity to me)
-Exercise.
-Time with friends/family
-Me time :)
Something that is not listed there is cooking/eating. Mostly because me time generally means watching TV and cooking my meals for the day. When I dont get me time, that when I start eating out 4-5 times a week and not bringing my meals to work. When that starts happening I realize that something is out of balance and my time is not being well managed.
Exercise is a pretty big part of my life...obviously. Running is one of the best things thats ever happened to me, but now that Ive started really getting into yoga and body pump, Ive become really happy with my exercise routine. Before August, I would run 3-5 times a week and do not much else. I was healthy but I wasn't really getting any healthier or stronger (workout rut much). Now my strength is getting better by the week. My flexibility and balance is definitely getting better and guess what, running is going great! I managed 8 miles yesterday (in about 1:24) but they felt great. Even in the last 2 miles I felt strong and steady.
Friends and family are obviously important to everyone but sometimes I feel like this part of my life sometimes get pushed aside for work/exercise or other things. Its the absolute most important part of my life so I need to start making more solid commitments to see people (including my parents in Dartmouth, who I haven't been to see since I moved to Halifax, and my best friend who I have to take the bus to see).
Thats what balance means to me. My life is never completely balanced...ever! There are always days/weeks/months where I feel like I am dedicating too much of myself to one of those aspects. For the next few months it may be work and exercise due to marathon training (and hoping to step up my responsibilities at work) but in the end, it will all balance itself out :)
Time for body pump and work, and maybe grocery shopping after work. Another busy but wonderful day!
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Hi Allison, I just came across your blog and am so excited to follow your marathon journey! I recently (i.e. last week) started training for my first marathon and will be blogging about it too! I really enjoyed this post about balance; it's something I have a hard time with and it's nice to know I'm not alone. I'm so glad to find someone my age who also requires 7-8 hours of sleep nightly! How on earth do our peers manage on 4-5?!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! I actually just got up from a lovely 9 hour sleep (SO thankful I dont work until 3pm today). My body obviously was in need of it (I usually can't sleep in) so it is so worth the extra time.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the training! It is going to be fun (and a little crazy)