While everyone talks about the importance of finding balance in our lives, it can be often an elusive goal. In a survey of 1,000 people, Balance Bar Company, makers of Balance Bar energy nutrition bars, found while 98 percent of Americans believe achieving and maintaining balance in their life is important, only 14 percent report that they always feel balanced. In fact, when it comes to health and diet, roughly 2 in 5 Americans think it’s difficult to actually find balance. Balance Bar company has teamed up Gabrielle “Gabby” Reece, a worldwide fitness and wellness role model, entrepreneur, wife, and mother of three, who offers up the following personal insight and tips:
1. Schedule your days to fit your training in. On Sunday evening take a look at your week and pick your windows to get your exercise in. Treat it like every other appointment you have and don't cancel.
2. Plan out your food. During the week try and strategize what you are eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This will help you avoid spontaneous junk food splurges due to a busy weekday schedule, and will leave you a little wiggle room during the weekend. If you know you get hungry between meals, bring a snack or even a shake you add water to from home.
3. When you are not at work be away from work. With technology, our work responsibilities now bleed into our personal lives. I appreciate deadlines or important times professionally that you have to be available, but for the most part we can walk away more than we do.
4. Figure out your priorities and write them down. The small act of re-emphasizing what is important can help you isolate the areas in your life that you really want to put energy into. A lot of the little things that over-load us will naturally fall by the way side.
5. Concentrate on one thing at a time. Studies show that we can accomplish so much more and with less stress when we do one thing at a time. Today's life has us multi-tasking at a pace that is not reasonable or efficient. I always joke that our cave man brain is trying to handle all this technology.
6. Put everything on one calendar. Work, meetings, parties, softball games, dentist appointments etc. Put it all in one place so when you are managing your life, you know all of the commitments you have. It is a great way to avoid stacking the schedule too thick, and can give you a sense of relaxation by knowing what is going on.
7. Schedule one thing you look forward to each day. Coffee with a friend or indulging in a harmless guilty pleasure; something that breaks up your day and is just about you being you. Not you the professional, or partner or parent, just you. This can not only create a fun gap in our day but also help us get more connected to ourselves.
8. Create a system to be successful. It is not about being perfect, it's about creating environments to be successful. Keep missing a workout? Schedule it with a friend so you have to show up. Trying to eat healthier? Then don't buy a bunch of junk food and put it in your house. Feeling tired in the morning? Make a conscious effort to shut off your computer and TV by a set certain time. We need to set ourselves up to be successful with our goals.
The survey is part of an effort to start a dialogue about finding and achieving more balance. For more information about The Balance Project, visit www.project.balance.com
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