Finding Balance..

While on my vacation I learned the power of just taking a break.  This can relate to any aspect of your life really and maybe one of the hardest things to actually commit to doing. How often do you allow yourself enough sleep, enough time with your family and friends or enough time to simply unplug?  I can say I'm very guilty of making excuses as to why I can't do these things.  The good thing is it doesn't have to be that way.  I don't have to be a victim of my situation because at any time I can change it and work towards making my life the way I want it to be.

I know I'm supposed to talk about fitness and things to help you with your exercise endeavors but I've come to realize that letting your body rest properly and refresh can have the same positive effects on your life as working out and eating right does.  Just imagine how you'd feel if you had all of those things...time to relax, a consistent workout schedule and healthy food choices.  I have, for the most part, two of the three of these things and my new goal is to work on the missing piece to the puzzle.

There are a few ways I'm going to work towards this goal and I'd like to share them with you.  I always tell my clients that when people give you advice you always have the option to use what works for you and let go of the rest.  I encourage you to do the same.  Things that work for me may not work for everyone but hopefully you can always take something away from it.

1. Plan ahead.  If I don't do this, I will more than likely back out of it because I'll find reasons why I shouldn't.  So my next vacation is already in the works and I plan on getting it arranged by mid summer so I have something to look forward to in the fall.  It will give me the time I need to save money for it properly. I will also be able to let everyone that is effected by me leaving know in advance so they can plan accordingly.  It will also give me something to look forward to on the days where my motivation level is low.  I have learned that at the end of the day, work will be there when I get back and everyone understands the importance of some R&R and I will come back feeling refreshed and ready for reality.

2. Balance is the key to all around happiness.  I always want to keep the truly important things in focus.  Sometimes when I get consumed in my busy life, I find myself always working and not having time for much else.  I am lucky that no matter how busy I get, I can at the very least always find time to workout and stay healthy since I work at the gym.  The downside to this is my work to life balance is completely out of whack.  My family, friends and their health as well as mine is the above all the most important things in my life.  Money is just money and my job doesn't define me.  I want to love what I do but I want to spend my time with the things more important than work as much as I can.  I want to continue to work on this balance as I think everyone should.  As the saying goes, the best things in life aren't things.

3. Sleep.  I think most of the world needs to get more sleep.  Allowing your body the proper amount of time each night to rest and rejuvenate for the next day has so many benefits.  It helps to keep your immune system working properly, improves your ability to focus as well as it helps to relieve stress.  There are many other aspects that sleep helps with as I just named a few.  My new goal is to try to get to bed earlier each night even if it is 15 minutes a night.  In four days I'll be going to bed an hour earlier and slowly but surely I'll be going to bed at my goal time.  It's realistic to say for me that between 9:30 and 10 is a good start.  That would mean on average I would be getting about eight hours of sleep a night.  How many hours of sleep do you get a night?  If it's not more than 7, I strongly suggest committing to a goal similar to mine.

So sit down and think about the changes you want to make in your life.  These are habits that will not change overnight but in time with focus and dedication you can do anything.  There is nothing better than getting the time you need to refocus yourself.  Vacation is something everyone should be able to enjoy with proper planning.  You work hard and deserve that time for yourself as a reward.  In the mean time think about what the most important aspects of your life are and see if they're getting the proper attention.  If not, find ways to work towards fixing that.  Lastly, get that sleep...your body will only thank you when you wake up feeling ready to take on the day rather than just getting through it.  Happy relaxing everyone!

Outdoor Workouts Are Finally Back.

Hey everyone! I'm back from my vacation in Florida and feeling nice and refreshed from the daily dose of sunshine and warm air as well as from the amazing time I had with my family.  I am so happy I took the time out of my busy lifestyle here at home to just relax, have no agenda and not set an alarm for a week.  I actually should've done it sooner.  I always forget the importance of getting away and taking some time for myself.  I get caught up in the go go go and forget to slow it down.  At the end of vacation, work is always going to be there and everyone will survive without me and I get to recharge my body.  Let's face it, a lot of us end up running on fumes and never stop for countless reasons.  My new goal is to stop and relax and give myself the time I deserve from working so hard. 

I knew on vacation that the one form of exercise I could count on would be going for a run.  Other than that I wasn't sure what else I would have access to.  We went swimming and played some pickleball but there was no weight room and no boxing gym.  Well, that right there put me out of my workout comfort zone.  I was happy to get outside and just get to run in the sun though even if it was a bit of a struggle at times as I need to get back into working on my  longer distance endurance.  I would've enjoyed going to the weight room with my mom but since that wasn't an option I had to make do with what I had...my body and my ipod. 

This workout is a good one to get yourself back into some outdoor workouts.  It requires nothing but yourself and watch if you have one.  Find a good path and go for it.  I want to incorporate some intervals with body weight exercises to give you a well rounded 30-40 minute full body workout.

There will be four sets of intervals and five exercises to complete.  Make sure you start off with a couple minutes of just warming up your body whether that entails walking or a slow jog. 

Run:
30 second run followed by 30 second jog or walk.  The run should be faster than your normal pace and the jog/walk is just a quick recovery before you have to run again.  Repeat these one minute intervals of 30 second run and 30 second jog five times.

Exercises:
Push Ups
Squats
Bicycle Abs
Burpees
Lunge Walks

Each exercise you will perform 50 repetitions at your own pace except for burpees which will be 25 repetitions.  Since you are only doing one set of each exercise, the rep count can be a little higher.  Listen to your body and do the best you can.  Breaks are okay as long as you jump back into the exercise as soon as you can.  I have explained all these exercises in previous posts so if you're questioning proper form, please refer back to those posts before you start your workout.  It is extremely important to use the proper form when performing these exercises. 

Once you are done with your exercise, you will have a one minute break before you begin your second set of running intervals. After you're done running your second set, jump into the next exercise on the list.  Repeat this until you end with the last set of exercises.

The pace in which you complete your exercises will determine the length of your workout.  Since you will be running for 20 minutes, you will have enough time to finish all the exercises in a timely manner.  If you're in a time crunch, eliminate a set and get as much done as you can. Since you're outside, find a fun safe place to run where you will have room to stop and complete your exercise before continuing on.  If the weather is crummy, you can always complete it on the treadmill too.

Next week, I will diving into what I was talking about at the beginning of this post...the power of recharging and taking some time off.

Happy workouts everyone!