Balance.

I have been asked quite a bit recently, “What is the secret to balancing fitness, nutrition, family, etc.?” In other words, how the heck do I get into a routine that includes: clean eating, working out, house cleaning, kid pick-up, meditating and everything else in between?

One key to attaining balance is to ACCEPT IMPERFECTION!

In order to learn to balance, you must first accept that you will, at some point, fall off track in one area or another. You are not perfect or superhuman and that’s OK. Most people can’t complete many different goals at once, successfully. You are far more valuable to yourself, and others, when you focus your attention on one skill or task at a time.

It takes time to build routines. It takes even more time to master them. The best route to take is to work on one at a time. If you bite off more than you can chew, and set unattainable expectations, you might be disappointed by the results.

A common example might be a goal to transform your lifestyle and lose 7 percent body fat. This is certainly a big undertaking.

To do this you walk into a new eight-week challenge at Fit It In Fitness with the motivation to completely overhaul your life. You set five major goals and list 20 action steps. You find the drive to stick to this intricate plan for weeks 1-4. But then, all of a sudden, you find yourself completely overwhelmed, to the point of giving up.

This happens to a lot of people. They decide to completely transform their lifestyle in an unrealistic manner, listing all of the areas they wanted to fix and expected an overnight fix.

A better plan of action for an eight-week challenge is to rank the areas you need to work on and prioritize them –

working on your goals one at a time. That way you don’t lose steam, or give up, and you can more easily determine what needs to change of shift in order to create life balance.

If your nutrition needs to be cleaned up, your fitness could stand to be amped, and your mindset needs a make-over, how can you determine which is the priority? I believe changing to first accept that you will have slip ups, is a priority. However, changing your nutrition is a major contributor in changing your mind. What you eat affects your brain, your hormones, your cravings, and therefore your choices. Good mindset and clean nutrition work best in tandem. From there fitness can slide in as part of your routine and become a habit. Find a good place with a motivating community and it will make all the difference.

The key to a healthy lifestyle is balance, yes. And balance is all about admitting we aren’t perfect, consistently checking in, and re-setting goals. Working for a balanced lifestyle is on-going. There is no “easy fix.” Life is ever-changing and there will always be an obstacle to overcome. To stay in balance you must assess where you are and where you want to be. Certain areas of your life will need more attention than others and those areas will change throughout the year.

At Fit It In, we consistently work on self-assessment using a tool called the 10 Forms of Wealth. This powerful visual aid helps you rank your strengths and weaknesses in all areas of your life: health, financial, career, family, relationships, adventure, spirituality, and mindset. You grade yourself in each area so you can see where you need to focus your attention. You choose the top weakness and set 3 goals to help you improve that area. When you have accomplished those goals, (usually 30 days), you are encouraged to reassess and then repeat. This tool can truly change your life. If you are interested in scheduling a Goals Workshop and receiving this top secret guide for free email: fititinpt@hotmail.com and we’ll get you signed up!

If you prepare your mind for the challenges that lay ahead, set your goals, and consistently check in on yourself (perhaps with a little help!) you can and will achieve a healthy balance in life.

Fit It In runs the fourth Sunday of the month. Danielle Tetreault is a personal trainer and the owner of Fit It In Fitness and is always available for a free fitness assessment. She can be reached at fititinpt@hotmail.com, or visit her website at www.fititintraining.com.

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