We all lead busy lives. I don’t know anybody who can honestly say that they’d have spare hours in a day on a regular basis. There is work, kids to organise / drive around / entertain, a family that needs our time and attention, friendships to nurture, hobbies and interests that keep us sane which may include some form of training and the inevitable household to run. Yep on many days I wish I had an extra couple of hours to fit everything in.
But we all have the same number of hours in a day so we all end up doing the inevitable juggling act. Some people juggle more, some less and here is where there’s a key difference in the outcomes.
So lets look at someone who chooses to juggle less.
Firstly there will be no spare time to exercise. I should also mention that the “P” work plays a big part in this (PRIORITIES). “I cant possibly get up early” or “I’m just too tired at night” or “I cant (insert any one of a number of different activities here) because (insert any one of a number of excuses here).” Subsequently there are many people who do absolutely no exercise … EVER.
Then there is the issue of preparing healthy food in advance. Again, this takes up extra time each day, or one big hit of time on the weekend. Time that isn’t spare so its not given priority. We all know its so much easier to buy lunch each day and maybe have a few take-aways for dinner. Easy peasy, and it frees up some precious time.
Hmmm good habits???? Or not????
On the other hand we can get organised and choose a time when we will fit in some exercise. If you’re doing nothing now, even 30 minutes a day is a good start. After that, well its up to the individual. For me that means getting up at 5am. Yeah its not always pleasant but when my alarm goes off I don’t negotiate with myself about whether I want to do it or not. Its feet to the floor and JUST DO IT. The reward is that I always feel so much better after. Its my way of doing something good for me.
On the food front I admit that devoting the extra time to preparing healthy lunches to take to work and planning healthy dinners night after night, sometimes makes me grumpy. I wish the Fitness Fairy would wave her magic wand and poof it was all done for me but alas … I dream. The reality is that the time invested in preparing and planning those meals is critical to me and my family eating well. And there’s no denying it ….When I eat well, I feel good. When I eat crap, I feel like … yep you guessed it.
For me the outcomes are absolutely clear. If I choose to juggle less in the short term my health, fitness and happiness will suffer in the long term. Personally I need to invest the time up front to reap the benefit in the end. I’m sure it’s the same for most others, whether they choose to see it or not.
As for balancing, well it flows on from the juggling. We juggle. Some times we keep the balls in the air, sometimes we don’t. Mastering the balance is what I work towards.
Have you mastered your juggling and balancing or are you like me, a work in progress?
The next instalment is: LEARNING TO LIVE IN THE GREY.
The next instalment is: LEARNING TO LIVE IN THE GREY.
Definitely a work in progress. There are times when a ball or two get dropped, but I always pick them up again and start juggling away. I've also learned to get some help. Hubs cooks most nights and I've hired a cleaner. You know how the song goes, "I get by with a little help from my friends." :o)
ReplyDeleteGreat post
Lucky you Michelle. I'd kill for a cleaner but unless someone I know well can recommend one, its not going to happen. At least Peter chips in and does his bit without fail every week.
ReplyDeleteAfter working my full time stint last month (10 + hour days plus travel) I am in awe of you girls who work full time and manage to train and eat well at the same time. If I hadn't had the issue of having to turn up for my classes I would have had a woeful showing indeed :)
ReplyDeletePS - At the very least, every working woman deserves a cleaner :)
Hahahaha its tough Liz but you get used to it. We leave for out of school hours care and then work at 7.30ish every day. Peter and I both finish around 4.45ish on most days. We get a lot of help from my mum and dad but its a VERY full day regardless. Yep juggling is an skill I really need to master.
ReplyDeleteHi Magda,
ReplyDeleteI totally hear you on that and consider myself a work in progress. What I have managed so far this year is to get my 'cut off' point down regarding weight. Up until mid 2008 my cut off point was 90kg. I only once saw the 90's and it terrified me but I'd seen 88 or 89.something on several occasions after letting myself go before I braved the metal monsters. A month after mid 2008 I decided to try to see if my cut off point can be 85, and succeeded with that the rest of the year and all of 2009. Jan 1 2010 I weighed in at 78.8 so made myself a challenge not to see the 80's this year and to date have been successful. If I survive the next 3 months this will be the first time I've managed this feat since 1999. (75.8kg this morning after cracking down a couple of weeks ago seeing 77.4 and knew 80 was looming). So that's my different method. I've still been fluctating but not so much. I seem to be better at balancing and still improving. Good post!
Thats great Pip. If you look at each hurdle and each achievement individually then they might not seem like much but put them all together and you can see that you've made a HUGE improvement. Keep chipping away. Leannness is not that far out of your reach.
ReplyDeleteMagda