Balance |

Balancing Act

Some days it feels like I have a million things going on at once. It’s tricky finding the time to balance my passions and obligations without feeling overextended. It seems like one interest always gets sidelined for the sake of another. In an age of multitasking, how do I put my focus on and passions into everything I want to??

I’d love to hear some of your tricks for accomplishing your goals while maintaining the other areas of your life, but one way that I’ve found works for me is to set aside a certain part of each day for those things I need to do and those things I want to do. This is a similar technique for those training for an event such as a 5k or a marathon or a bike ride. If I write down what I want to accomplish for the week on my calendar and refer to it throughout the week, I’m much more likely to follow through on my goals.

Another way I can prioritize and make sure I’m not spending too much time getting distracted or waylaid by things that I don’t want to take precedence (ie. watching a SyFy show instead of writing!) is by going somewhere I’m able to focus and that’s not at home. Usually I’ll go to my local coffee shop, plug in and go to work.

I do think it’s important to be flexible and not beat myself up too much if I fall short of my weekly goals. No one is going to have a perfect week. Stuff happens that is unplanned (like my power going out while I was typing this because of a huge thunderstorm rolling in…) and while it’s great if you can stay on track despite these wrenches, it’s not always possible.

Lastly, one thing I realize I do too often is find goals that I unintentionally let supersede more immediate goals. For example, I’ll see a new and shiny book at the library on Canada and next thing I know I’m setting aside time when I should be working on my book and researching a trip to Canada. I need to check myself when times like these come up and mentally say, “Is this what you want to spend your time on right now?” Probably not. Maybe once I finish the draft I’m working on, I’ll reward myself by planning a fun trip…

Happy writing my friends! 😀

2011: 08/19
CATEGORY: Healthy Living
Traveling
TV
Writing
TAGS: Balance
planning
time
Writing
2 comments

Body Language

Every body is different. Learning your body’s language is integral to becoming a strong, healthy, and balanced runner. The trick is taking notice of how your body reacts to various environments, foods, stresses, etc.

Today I ran my prescribed miles/time indoors on a treadmill that is part of a small community gym within my housing complex. One thing I know about my body is that I sweat a lot when I workout. Most people sweat during strenuous activities, I just sweat more than most. Lovely. I have come to accept this about myself and it’s usually not a big deal. Until, that is, I step off the treadmill after running for an hour and completed 7 miles, and an elderly couple chatting at the back of room stare at me and then politely ask how long I’ve been running. When I tell them, the woman (bless her little heart as my gram would have said) says, “Well, it sure looks like you’ve been running a lot longer than that!” Ah, the blissful bluntness of those past caring what others think. How delightful.

So, yes, I’m a woman and I sweat like I’m going to pass out at any moment. And when it’s really hot and I’ve been really exerting myself, something especially strange happens. I sweat salt. Yes, you read that right. I said salt. I’ve read a little on the subject and it actually happens to quite a few people when they workout as well. We all have amounts of water and sodium in our bodies that is shed during workouts. Because some people sweat more salt it’s important to replenish your supply of sodium through sports drinks that have electrolytes and serve to bring your body back into balance.

Think of your body as a machine. You should figure out what foods will be the best fuel to keep your body operating at its best. And since no two people are alike, one person’s eating rituals are most likely not going to mirror yours. For me my favorite are mid-morning runs. I eat a bagel and have a cup of coffee, wait two hours, and I feel amazing during my run! And, on the reverse side, any kinds of rich foods even if eaten the day before, are certain to mess with my body in not nice ways and make my run a miserable experience.

Learn your body’s language. Are you hurt? Tired? Dehydrated? Figuring out what your body is trying to tell you is one way you can become stronger and live a healthy and balanced life.