How to Find Fitness Work Life Balance

Finding that fitness work life balance is extremely hard. Every time you take one step forward in one area, another seems to suffer. Why can’t everything just work together? It’s not like you can give one of these area up. It is impossible to let yourself go and be happy. You can’t ditch your family. You can’t give up your work, especially if you love it. The area of fitness, work, and life are essential to each of us, albeit in different ways. Let’s learn how to find that fitness work life balance so you can finally feel good.

Fitness

I put fitness first in the fitness work life balance for a couple of different reasons. First of all, fitness is the area that tends to suffer the most. Second,

fitness is the area that needs the least of your time. Third, it directly effects your success in the categories of work and life. Let me explain.

When we are looking for more time in our day, we tend to drop our workouts or our meal prep. Sounds reasonable because these things don’t seem essential to your day. The kids have soccer practice? Guess I’m not getting my workout in today. Boss is ordering lunch for the office? Might as well order what I want. These things happen all the time, and we let them. 9/10 times your fitness and health is suffering because you are allowing it to suffer. Click To Tweet

Out of the three, fitness requires the least amount of your time. Most experts recommend that you get 150 minutes of exercise per week. That is less than 3 hours per week. However, I firmly believe that you can get by with three intense 20-30 minute workouts per week if you stay active the rest of the time. Active meaning going for hikes on the weekends, playing with your kids in the yard, going for walks on your lunch break, etc. If you buckle down and give 100% for 60-90 minute per week, you will see and feel results. Check out my HIIT Cardio challenge for some quick, crazy workouts!

If you feel horrible, both physically and mentally, you will struggle to perform in work and life. When you fail to take care of yourself, you can’t give 100% to others around you. If you want excel in all areas of your life, make taking care of yourself a priority. When we feel good and look good, life is good.

Work

Ughh, that work grind. Whether you have a 9-5 job, are a homemaker, or have a less traditional career you are working. I firmly believe that there are many varieties of work and not all of them are related to the typical 9-5, but don’t get me started on that 😉

Most of us spend a significant amount of our day sitting, whether that be at a computer or some other device. When we sit and stare at a screen all day, our brain becomes less than sharp. This means that when the workday has come to a close we are tired, sluggish, and unmotivated. Many times

we drag work home with us, whether that be truly or figuratively. When this happens, we can’t give our all to our fitness and life.

First of all, I want you to take a look at your work. Is it fulfilling? Do you love what you do? Is it just a job? What are your goals? If you hate the answer to any of these questions, then it is time to make a change. The change can be gradual. I know that I struggle at times with wanting things to happen now. Patience. The best things in life take time. Find work that fulfills and challenges you. Once you are happy with your work, your fitness and life will be free from the chains of the unfulfilling work day.

Life

And the one, the only, life. Life takes up A LOT of our time if we do it right. Travel, family, experiences, eating, laughing, loving, and everything in between. We don’t want to miss anything. The goal is to be involved in life and not let it pass you by. Life should definitely be the top of your list of things to focus on and enjoy.

We struggle with life at times. Everyone does. Family emergencies, scandals, sickness, etc. Everything can change in the snap of a finger. How can we make it so we can move through life, enjoying the good while accepting and pushing through the bad?

Being present in your own life, making things happen, enjoying experiences is key. When you live thoroughly and fully through the good times the bad won’t be so bad. Give yourself permission to truly enjoy life. This is not an excuse for making bad decisions and creating bad habits. This is encouragement for enjoying that family barbecue fully, for truly cheering at a little league game, for pulling your head out of your phone. Amanda Bucci created a hashtag that I believe is excellent. #lookup is encouragement to live in the moment and pull your head out of your phone.

Take pictures with your family, eat an ice cream with your kids. Focus on creating memories. Once your smartphone has been replaced by the newest model, make sure the memories in your head are clear and strong. Focus on life while you are living it.

Balance

We have talked about fitness, work, and life. How do you find that fitness work life balance? Just to be clear, this will be a constant work in process. You will have to revisit this idea throughout your life as circumstances change. Just focus on your goals for now and base your decisions off these goals.

The first piece of advice that I will give on finding balance is to focus on what you are doing at that time. Are you lifting? Focus fully on that workout.

Perhaps you are pushing through a grueling work meeting. Focus only on the meeting. Having coffee with your grandma? Focus on that precious time. By focusing your energies on what you are doing in that moment, you will get so much more out of it. Those less pleasant tasks will take less time because you won’t be distracted.

The second piece of advice I will give is to set out your goals. Is your goal to be ripped? Place more focus on fitness. Are you looking to be the next CEO? Focus on work. Want to connect fully with your family and see the world? Focus on life.

Just remember that everything is connected. If you don’t nourish your body, your work and life will suffer. If you don’t feel satisfied in your work your fitness and life will suffer. Feel inadequate in your life? Your fitness and your work will suffer. Have peripheral vision. Focus on your goal while maintaining an eye on the other areas. The fitness work life balance will constantly evolve. Nourish each branch.

Accountability

One of the hardest things about finding that fitness work life balance is accountability. In the area of work, your boss will provide accountability for you. In life, your kids or spouse will provide accountability for you. When it comes to fitness, you may not have anyone that keeps you accountable. When do you reach your goals at work? Usually when you have a deadline or a boss’s expectations to meet. When do you succeed in life? Usually when a challenge or opportunity is presented to you by a loved one. In this sense, it is easy for work and life to shove fitness into the background. It is even easy for work to shove life into the background.

When it comes to life, talk with a loved one. Ask them to keep you accountable by pulling your head out of your phone or helping you come up with fun adventures to do.

When it comes to fitness, it may be time for you to find a person to give you some accountability. This could be a friend of a loved one. However, sometimes you need someone who isn’t afraid to tell you that you are not making progress. Someone that can help you find a plan that fits YOUR life. Creating a plan specifically for you is the key to building a sustainable fitness plan. That is my job. If you feel that you are ready to start meshing fitness with your busy life, please fill out my contact me page with your goals and struggles. Part of finding that fitness work life balance is stepping onto uncharted territory and taking scary steps. I know what it is life to have a full and busy life. I know what it is like to try fitness routines that are not built for YOU.