Life in Balance

Holidays are over and you've probably have settled in on a routine to achieve your goals. For most of you that initial enthusiasm has probably waned. That luster of whatever goal you set has probably collected a little dust and you might not be quite so motivated.

But maybe, you've gotten after these past 3 weeks. Hitting every workout hard, making sure you're eating the right stuff and maybe seeing some early results.

Whichever best describes you, a lot of mistakes I see people make is that they don't keep things in perspective. If you're in the not so motivated group, you might be thinking about giving up. Thinking that the goal you set, be it a physical/athletic goal, was too hard or takes too much work. Or maybe you've given it everything you got and you just can't seem to make any progress.


Or if you're in the super motivated group, you might be getting tunnel visioned. The thrill of putting in the work to see quantifiable progress has got you hooked and you want to work more to see more progress.


Either way it's easy to get caught in a cycle that reinforces itself. If you're struggling, it's easy to say, "Well this isn't working." If you're motivated it's easy to say, "BRING IT ON!"

A key component of my training are my rest days. These are days that I have completely to myself. During these days off, I won't even think about training at all. If I had a good or bad block of practices leading up to it, it doesn't matter. I'll wake up late (or at least as late as someone used to being up at 5AM can wake up), make a large breakfast and just relax all day. Usually with a movie or TV show and a beer. I'll spend time with my girlfriend/friends who I might not be able to hang out with as much because of workouts. In general, I'll do all the things that I want to do. The next day, I'll be mentally and physically rested and feeling much more optimistic about my workouts.

If you're reading this, I'm guessing you are not JUST an athlete, or businessman/woman. You might also be a husband, friend, girlfriend, father, daughter. Maybe you like movies, or fashion, or brewing beer. Ultimately, it's a mistake to look back on your progress and think that is all you have going for you. My point is, maybe life is not all about the swim, bike, run, cross-fit, etc. It's important from time to time to allow ourselves to enjoy living in the moment and not be so stress on our perceived progress (or lack thereof) towards a goal.