Seems impossible, right? Finding happiness, getting enough sleep, exercising, eating right, enjoying a social life, being a parent, taking classes, improving on your career path -- these are all things that are essential but extremely challenging to find the time to do. It’s not easy. I know that there are many times that I feel overwhelmed and tired, and I self-destruct by eating three times the calories than I’ve burned that day. For me, the key to finding balance is planning and preparing for an effective schedule.

Schedule your week ahead of time. Go to the grocery store so you have what you need to eat healthy, plan your workouts, tape your shows so you can get adequate sleep, book time with your friends, get a massage. Figure out what is not working in your schedule and change things around. If you are oversleeping every time you want to work out than you are not a morning person. Try working out at a different time like during lunch or in the evening. It won’t be easy at first, change never is, but it will get easier over time if you are consistent. “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, after all! It seems like many of the people I train are looking for a quick fix. “Can I train three times a day for the next two weeks, to lose the 30 pounds I gained this year?” If it took you a year to gain them, do you really think you can lose them in a few weeks and keep the weight off? What is healthy about extreme diets and over exercise? How can you find balance unless you are healthy?

I’m no expert on the topic but I continue to try each week to get a little better at obtaining my goals in a way that won’t make me crazy. I know that one or two workouts a week is a lot better than none. I know that if I do not go to the store, I will eat fast food. I know that if I don’t make time with my friends, life gets away from me. I’m learning how to be a mother; I can’t plan for the sleepless nights, but I can try to nap. Being a wife, a mom, a business owner, and maintaining a household are all challenging, but I know without taking care of myself everything falls apart.

Here are a few tips to make things a little easier.

Stay away from processed foods because the sodium count promotes water retention. When you retain water, it doesn’t matter how much cardio you do, you will not lose weight. Keep a large bottle of with you all day so you can track how much you drink. I recommend at least 2 quarts a day. The coolest thing about drinking water; the more you drink the thirstier you become. Added bonus to cutting down on processed foods and drinking more water; food will taste salty!
Always eat breakfast within an hour of waking up so you can get your metabolism revved up for the day. Hungry or not, you have to train your body to be hungry. Once you start eating multiple meals, your body will burn the calories you eat instead of storing them, and you’ll feel hungry more often.
Schedule workout sessions, even brief ones. Once you have gotten into a regular workout routine, exercise will not seem so challenging, your energy levels will improve, and you may even start enjoying the rush you get when you push your body.

So you see, as you train your body to do the right things, all you have to do is listen to your body to keep it moving in the right direction. The struggle to creating balance is just finding the right routine for your life. Make the time for what you want and put yourself first!

* Featured Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash