Sometimes It’s Okay To Let Life Get In The Way of Fitness

by tinareale on May 22, 2013

I like to workout. It’s a mental release for me. I view it as my quality time with myself. It truly makes me not only a healthier person, but a better person.

I’m also a fitness professional. Staying in shape is important because I want to set a good example. I don’t want or need to be the fittest out there, but I do hope to display the positives a commitment to fitness can provide. It’s part of my work to regularly run through the Best Body Bootcamp workouts to ensure they are reasonable, fun, effective workouts before I provide them to you.

I like working out. It’s something I do. It’s part of who I am. Working out an hour or so a day 5 to 6 days out of the week has never been a struggle for me. In fact, I can struggle with trying to fit in and do too much more easily than not having enough motivation to get to the gym.

I heart The Gym

When the past few months hit and I suddenly found myself with a LOT less time than normal, I fought giving up my workout time. I knew it helped me disperse some of the stress piling on top of me. Over the weeks, that time gradually got shorter and shorter and shorter. I just didn’t have the time (or the energy with multiple nights of only 4 hours of sleep) to put in my typical effort in the gym. I would even say it did more harm than good to try to push through.

The past few weeks my workouts have been 3 to 4 days per week, 20 to 45 minutes per session (most often around 30 minutes each workout). I started off feeling like a fraud or a slacker. Even though I knew better, I feared that I would lose hard earned progress.

But I have to remember. This is one season of my life. And thankfully one that I trust the good Lord is bringing to a close. This is not forever. Sometimes life gets in the way of our fitness goals. When it happens, it’s okay. We must keep our priorities in line. I must remember mine and align my time each day to them – my relationship with my wonderful, Heavenly Father. My kids. The very few, short moments I can steal with my husband these days. Sleep when I can get it.

That isn’t to say that when life happens we give up completely. It’s still important to care for our bodies and treat them well. Movement is treating them well. It may just take a little more planning and innovation, plus a lot less grip on control and expectations. The goal shifts from getting that PR or losing X pounds to keeping my body healthy. Plain and simple. It’s okay to not care so much about all of that from time to time and simply to care to just get a workout in for the day.

That’s for sure been my focus lately. My favorite options:

  • a short run of 3-4 miles (about all I could manage the past two weeks and this coming week too)
  • DVDs – my favorite shorter ones are Insanity, anything Jillian Michaels, and Cathe premix options
  • 30 minutes of online yoga – once again Reflexion Yoga has been a lifesaver in a pinch
  • quick strength circuit – something like my Full Body Tabata circuit
  • even running around the park with the kids – any movement can count in times like these

So if you find yourself in an overwhelmed state with literally zero time, take a hard look at what you can fit into your week, plan ahead, and do it. But don’t feel bad about letting bigger goals go or for not doing all the training so and so does or anything like that. Life happens…and it’s okay. Take care of yourself and give your best. If you give your best, how can you be disappointed with that? Happy training!

Give Your Best

Have you ever faced a time when you truly did not have time for fitness? What options do you use when really short on time? How do you make sure to still fit in something to care for your body?

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