8 Tips on How to Lead a Balanced Life and Achieve your Goals | Svelte Belle Blog

Life is all about finding balance. These days, everyone says they are busy and don't have the time to fit anything in, and unfortunately that means health and fitness end up on the back burner. In a world of constant “have it now”, it seems a little bit daunting to do anything without being interrupted. 

Trust me, I feel you. 

I am 38 years old, married for 11+ years, have two young kids (5 and 8 years old), a full -time corporate job as a business development manager, covering 7 states (I am on the road EVERY single week of the year!). My workouts are never missed and I am working on a fitness website to help others.  As you can see it becomes very important to make time to stay healthy while balancing the work on hand. If we aren’t healthy and happy other things around us are more likely to fall out of place. 

I am going to share a few tips that have helped me maintain a healthy balance in my life. Hope they can be of some use to you :)

• Prioritize – If staying healthy is a priority to you than make it one! Get up a little bit earlier in the morning if that’s the only time you have, or squeeze a walk in at lunch.
• Plan ahead – Look at each week in advance and plan what you are going to do; i.e. Monday, Gym, Upper body; Tuesday, Gym, HIIT and lower body. Whatever it is have an idea so you are not going into each week blind.
• Don’t Overcommit – Learn to say no to things. It’s okay to pass on the girls’ night out or to not sign up for something. This will free up your time.  
• Self-care – Take care of your body. Take a hot bath once a week to decompress. Get a massage. Put a face mask on. Whatever it is that you like to do, taking care of yourself will replenish your energy to take on your life with more enthusiasm.
• Get Your Rest – Sleep is one of the most overlooked ways to take care of yourself. With less sleep our muscles can’t recover, and when we make poor food choices, our cortisol (stress) levels rise which increases our weight gain. I know it’s hard to do, but aim for 8 hours of quality sleep each night. (And for those of us that have kids, make this part of their schedule too – sleep is super important!!).
• Set short-term goals – Set short-term goals. Keep it simple, such as this week I am going to get to the gym/workout 5 days this week, and have 64 oz of water every day this week. Long-term goals are good, but sometimes we make these so long and unattainable that we end up giving up on the goal entirely. 
• Keep your meals simple – I like to make things in bulk such as chicken breasts and ground turkey – you can do this 1-2 times a week and use it in a variety of different ways. Don’t try to make crazy recipes during the week – when your food is ready to go, it allows you to spend your time on other things. 
• Adopt mindfulness – Set aside a little time each day to breathe and connect to the task at hand. I once read a mindfulness book that suggested putting little star stickers all over the house to remind me to be mindful and bring me back to now – we allow our brains to go every which way. Now I have little star stickers all over my house :)

Start somewhere – I know the list above can be a lot to focus on. Pick 2 to focus on and add on each week –this is a balance blog! Once you find your rhythm it becomes a habit. I always say it takes 21 days to start a habit.  

And remember, why start tomorrow when we can start today!

Come say hi to me on my Instagram @totallyfitwithkris