One month ago I posted on social media about the need to find some work/life balance. I talked about how the past three years have seen a decline in my physical fitness level and that I missed being able to crush workouts the way that I had before my career with the brewery began. I also posted a cheesecake recipe a few days later that garnered me a bunch of crap from people not realizing balance means in all things…including indulgences. Regardless, I thought it would be a good idea to recap what the past 30 days have been like, the changes I’ve made, some realizations about my lifestyle and just how much balance I’m finding currently.
I love my job, anyone that knows me knows that I love the challenges every day bring me at work. It’s a place I get to flex my problem solving muscles, it’s a place I get to help people in our community, it’s a place I get to educate and socialize with others, its a place where I get to work with some of the smartest, most talented people I have ever met. More than anything though, it’s a place where I get to learn every day of every week of every year. These past 30 days have been no exception. I’ve learned that the people I have hired to do things are more than capable of doing the things they were hired to do…and that when I work on finding the balance between my work and personal life, they’re given the freedom to show me just how much they can excel. While it’s difficult for me to not know every single thing that’s happening within the brewery, I hate when people ask me about something and I don’t have the immediate answer, it’s easier for me to leave at a decent hour to go to the gym or go home and cook when I leave the every day responsibilities where they belong; with the people hired to do them. And not only do they meet their expectations, but they so often exceed them. Makes it easier to continue to empower them to do what they do best…succeed!
In the past month, I have only brought my laptop home for business reasons twice. 2 out of 30…not bad! Yes, I may still respond to an email here or there by my phone, but I can’t get into involved issues without my computer. And speaking of my phone, if you send me an email after 7pm, don’t expect an answer until the next day unless it’s urgent. I see them, but unless there’s an immediate need for me to respond, I don’t. This is such a huge change for me, it was almost like I couldn’t let an email sit overnight, regardless of how mundane or harmless. Nights when my boyfriend and I haven’t seen each other for a few days, I’ll even turn it on airplane mode so people can’t text me either. I’m reclaiming my evenings…well, unless I have a business or board meeting.
Enough of what I’m no longer doing, there are lots of things I AM doing. I am back at the gym a minimum of 5 times a week. No less and I’m often times working out 8 or 9 times a week. I do cardio 5 days a week (spinning and running) and weight training/bootcamps 3 or 4 times a week. I’ve missed the push, I’ve missed feeling like I have physically given every ounce of effort I possibly could. And you know what? I’m beginning to feel like I used to; like I can provide some of the intensity I used to, that I can do the types of workouts I used to do. I’m not there yet…5 and a half years ago I ran the Spartan Beast, am I ready to do that yet? Not quite…but I’m approaching my workouts with the same determination that I used to. Doing two classes back to back still take it out of me, but working through them without losing intensity is now possible. Workouts are now as much as a priority as my business and charity board meetings. If I have to miss one, I reschedule it rather than forgetting it. I sometimes have to remind myself that it’s just as important to me as my work is.
I began following my 90/10 eating habits again. This has always worked for me in the past. I’m not the kind of person that does well when I don’t get to indulge from time to time. However, if I make myself eat healthy, raw and lean 90% of the time, I’ll be much more successful than when I try to eliminate things from my diet. Nothing makes me resist more than telling me I can’t do something, that includes my diet. I’m not always perfect – sometimes it’s closer to 80/20, other times closer to 99/1. I am now tracking again, putting it down on paper (or the app in my phone) what I’m taking in and what I’m expending in calories makes it so much easier for me to make the right choices. Is it time consuming? Not hugely, but it does take some discipline to remember to do it several times a day. But, the way I see it is that it’s as time consuming as checking my email or posting on social media. If I make the time for that, why wouldn’t I want to take the time to make my life healthier. And if it has helped me to be successful in the past, it makes no sense to not use the same tools again.
I also need to be cognizant of what I’m eating and why I’m eating it. I’m an emotional eater, however, it’s not tied to one emotion over another. If I’m pissed, I eat; if I’m sad, I eat; happy, yep, I eat. Some people that get stressed out lose weight…I get stressed and find comfort in food. Being in a conscious state of mind when I put something in my mouth, and why I’m putting it there, are things I need to do when I eat. Sometimes I think I’m hungry and am just thirsty, other times, I’m just bored. Knowing what my emotional state is helps me to determine if I really am hungry.
I’m working to make my time, my time. Rather than hanging around the brewery when I don’t need to be there, I leave. I still enjoy going when not working from time to time, to see the regulars I enjoy seeing, to hear the different musical groups, to meet new people and people there for the first time, to just get out. What I want to avoid though is using work as an excuse for me to be at the brewery every evening, which leads to having a beer or two or three. I love the beer that we make, we make really good friggin beer, but I need to not use the excuse that it’s for work and overdo it.
So, what’s the outcome? I’ve lost some weight, although that’s not my main focus, it doesn’t suck. I feel better in my own skin, and that alone is worth the efforts I’ve undertaken. Physically, I’m keeping up with workouts I haven’t been able to for a few years. I’m physically able to push myself harder each week and know that when the Beast hits in September, I’ll not only complete it, but I’ll know that I put the work in. I’m sleeping so much better now. I’m that person that when they eat crap and don’t workout, they don’t sleep. I’ll wake up at 2am and not be able to go back to sleep for hours…and have no real reason why. When I’m not eating processed crap and I’m getting a good sweat, I sleep like the dead; 7 hours of good, hard sleep. All of these things help to contribute to a more even keeled, emotionally healthy individual. Handling stress isn’t as difficult, I can take care of business without losing my shit. (Well, maybe not 100% of the time, but I’m a work in progress.)
I’ll never be a professional athlete (totally fine with that) and I’ll never be a Victoria’s Secret Model (I’m ok with that too). I will, however, succeed at meeting my goals of the VT Unplugged half in April, the Spartan Beast in September, and a bunch of other smaller goals along the way. The biggest goal is finding that balance between succeeding at work while still succeeding at life. Enjoying the growth in my career AND enjoying the growth in my personal life…no need to settle for one over the other.
I Rise ~ Andrea