Giving up meat has definitely gotten me thinking and reaching more into my spiritual side. I was an avid church go-er during high school and all but stopped when I reached college. It wasn't that I didn't still love church, it was that I was busy with other, less healthy things. I still haven't found my way back to church on a consistent basis, but my love for Christ is no less than the day I found Him. I am thankful for Lent because it gives me reason and guidance back to such an important part of my life. It also has helped me take the time I needed to reflect on areas of my life where I could improve.
Ever since the start of the year, so many things have been fighting for my attention. I don't feel like I've done the best job balancing them. My goals for 2012 have gotten slightly neglected in favor of my training plan. My training plan has been so focused on running that I've neglected to do all the strength training I want and need to do. Giving up meat for Lent has required a lot of my time be devoted to cooking and trying new things in the kitchen, which leaves less time for other important things.
I think for March, I want to focus on finding more balance. I do not want to neglect my training plan in the slightest, but I do want to learn to manage it with my time better. I can incorporate that by focusing back on my goals and getting up earlier in the mornings. That way, I'll have more time for cooking and spending time with family/friends in the evenings. I also want to take more advantage of the time I have on the weekends. Perhaps that can start tonight.
I think the boyman and I are going to have a movie date tonight. Tomorrow, I've got some errands to run, a spin class I want to go to, and I'm planning on having a restful night in to prep for my first 10K race on Sunday! After the race, Traci, our friend Jenna and I are planning to go out for brunch. I am in desperate need of some friend time, so as excited as I am for the race, I'm more excited for the excuse to spend some time with my girls.
I hope you've had a fabulous Friday so far and that your weekend is lovely and everything wonderful!
Tell me...
When training for a race, do you have hard balancing other aspects of your life?
What is the biggest thing that helps you find a good balance between exercise, healthy cooking and spending time on relationships?
Of possible interest-
Previous posts on balance
First of all, you are on a magnificent roll with those vegetarian dinners!! Have you tried tempeh? That could be another protein to add to your mix. I love it marinated in balsamic vinegar and on sandwiches... yummm! And secondly, I LOVE your focus for March. I can tell you first-hand that training for my marathon consumed a LOT of my life at the time, which is why I've opted for a half this year. I know how you mean about finding it difficult to keep a balance, as I've often struggled in the same way when trying to go after things I'm passionate about. I'll save the rest for an email (which I totally owe you!!) and you'll hear from me this weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement girl!! And the tempeh suggestion. I haven't tried it homemade, but definitely want to. It makes me feel better that I'm not the only one who has a difficult time balancing things. I can't wait for your email!
DeleteBalance is so hard... but I have found that you often have to give more focus to things than others. It is a juggling act to keep the other balls in the air, but I don't feel too terrible if I go through a period where I have to spend more time at work or training or whatever else. For me, that's just part of life. (And I think you've been ROCKING it lately!)
ReplyDeleteGood luck this weekend! I can't wait to hear about it!
I think you're definitely right. I have a problem where I always try to please everyone and then start feeling bad when I put other things ahead of other people's feelings. At a point, you have to do things for yourself. I just worry I might hurt someone's feelings in the process.
DeleteI think it's really nice that you are always setting goals for yourself and expressing them. I think that, in itself, helps to make you a better, always evolving person. I really admire that. As far as balance, I actually find that when I am the busiest, I tend to balance work/life and everything in between much better. When you have to find time to do it all, you kind of just have to make the time! While it's true that there is only so many hours in a day, I always say, not exercising or not spending time with friends--anything really--isn't always about a lack of time, it's about not making the time! It seems like you are on the right track =)
ReplyDeleteThanks, B! I am good at setting and expressing, but not always following through. I'm glad I have the blog for accountability. I totally get what you're saying about keeping busy. I do well on a really busy schedule for a few weeks and then get completely burnt out and need two or three days of doing absolutely nothing. You're absolutely right though- it is always about making the time, not about lack of it!
DeleteDamn Carol, why is it that every meal you make looks so incredibly delicious? Every time you cooked in Italy, all I would think is, "I want to eat that!!" I could be a vegetarian if you were my cook. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL Cait you kill me. Come to GA & we will eat everything together!!!
DeleteBalance with training comes with time - it's figuring out when it fits best into your day (early morning, lunch, etc), so that you do have time to do other things. The longer the race, the less "free" time you have, so I also start making my training part of my relationships - meeting a friend for a run, a bike with my hubby, strength training with another friend. That way it's social time + motivation!
ReplyDeleteHave a great race this weekend!
Balance. The thing I'm in a constant struggle in trying to find. And the thing that Jesus gives and brings true joy. Why can't we buy it at Target? LOL
ReplyDeleteAll your meals this week def looked delish!
Wouldn't it be lovely if we could buy it at Target?!
DeleteAbsolutely I think it's hard to find balance when you're training for a race. But I think it's okay to focus on the training more than other things, knowing that after the race, you can shift your priorities once again. Sometimes I feel like trying to balance things during training is harder than just letting the race take priority over everything else, if that makes sense. Basically, the same thing that Laura said.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your race is tomorrow. I actually thought it was today and thought of you guys when I woke up and it was pouring rain!
I was glad we didn't have to run it in the pouring rain too!
DeleteGlad you're having luck being vegetarian!! I stuck with it for about 3 weeks until going back to being pescatarian. It was nice but didn't allow for much variety (at least, not on a broke budget) and I was doing it for all the wrong reasons.
ReplyDeleteYes- I think the variety is one of the hardest things! I've been lucky to find lots of different recipes online that I've wanted to try, so that has helped a lot with variety.
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