Exercise Keeps Me Balanced
Read more about: Featured, Time for Myself, Work-Life Balance
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Maintaining work-life balance is a daily challenge and some days are definitely better than others. So I started paying attention to the days I felt balanced and asked myself . . .
What am I doing on these days that makes me feel balanced?
The answer was exercise.
Mind you, I’m not big into exercise, but understand it is a necessary evil to stay physically healthy. So I do pilates to help with my chronic back pain, run the track these days because I’m training for a mother/daughter 5K, and go on family outings like letterboxing where the primary goal is fun, and exercise is a secondary benefit.
While I knew my body was benefiting from exercising, I wasn’t expecting my mind to improve as well. Yes, I’ve heard of runners getting a high from endorphins, but that has never been my experience. Gasping for breath while trying not to vomit has been more like it. But at my last pilates class, while I focused on my breathing, I felt at peace. While running the track, I felt inner strength. Yesterday while hiking with my daughters and their friends, I felt contentment.
Therefore, I’ve concluded that exercise keeps me balanced because when I exercise . . .
The nagging details that often cause me to feel mentally imbalanced, are quiet.
The ever-present urge to be productive every second, is gone.
The manic multi-tasking is reduced to one singular task . . . be in the moment.
Shannon Hutton draws on her experience working full-time, part-time and from home with three kids to blog about the universal challenge of achieving work-life balance. She also uses her Master's in Education and professional experience as a School Counselor to address parenting and school issues in her weekly 
Here! Here!
I too understand how that feels. Their were many times in my life (some longer than others) where I could not fit any exercising into my life.. and yes I was extremely unbalanced.
Glad to hear you took a step back and made the connection.
Best of luck with your balance management.
Strong Ones last blog post..Under the Influence
i have a dog I walk daily - i fight the gotta-gotta’s of walking her but have to tell you it’s exactly the be in the moment as you described - why do we fight that stuff??
Mother Earths last blog post..Would You Take These Vitamins During Your Pregnancy?
Hello again, The urge to be productive every second,, oh my gosh, you have pinned it! well exercise i am with you, never been my thing, but being outside is the way for me to relax, if i am not inside with the stuff that needs to be done, then i can totally focus on the kids,just going outside or somewhere with the kids totally away from home is when i can truly be in the moment. Thanks again for another great post, Missy
So that’s Letterboxing.
I can’t wait!
I’m so glad you are exercising more.
The summer goes by fast also.
Love DAD