Finding a balance between work and working out

    So I'm a teacher and I've had off from school for the last 3 months. We went back 2 weeks ago and I realized today that training has become such a regular part of my daily life this summer that when it came time to go back to work for the new school year I was having a hard time getting into the right mindset for work. I mean, who would want to go back to work after 3 months off?? Seriously.  In my mind going back to work was an interruption of my new focus on healthy living. In reality, what I need to do is adjust to a schedule that includes work and training while making time for healthy eating. The first couple weeks were tough for me; getting up early, driving 40 minutes to work and having to write lesson plans again. And although every day I looked forward to going to the gym after work to train or do cardio, being back to work still feels a little surreal. Surreal because I am such a different person since the last time I sat in my classroom last spring. And to mix things up a little bit today the teachers in my district went on strike after almost three years of negotiations and no agreement. This morning it was raining, damp and cold. 2 hours on the strike line in the rain and I came home soaked with a stiff neck and a migraine. But in the 2 hours we walked 5 miles. I reached my step goal by 10am. But this interruption of the school year coupled with my lack of enthusiasm to begin with is just making it harder to find a balance between my training goals and everything else in my life.

    I started training in June right before the end of the school year. And even though it has only been a few months I am a completely different person because of it. And training was such a focus for me during the summer that I pretty much spent my summer in workout clothes and at the gym. In the past I looked forward to going back to school and a regular schedule because summers always got me out of sync as far as a schedule goes; sleeping in late, staying up late, eating at all hours. Going back to work meant going to bed earlier, getting up at an ungodly hour but getting done with work by early afternoon, and eating on a regular schedule. All those things I used to look at as benefits to my health just seem like a nuisance to my new focus on a healthy lifestyle and my time at the gym. In the first two weeks of school I barely slept 5 hours each night because I have been training in the evening and get to bed late. Part of me wishes I could change careers right now so that I could make my own schedule, go to the gym when I want and get enough sleep at night. But I'm not quite ready to give up my career in teaching. Not yet.

   So during this hopefully short interruption to the school year I will get my mind wrapped around a new focused schedule. A schedule where I find the balance I've been trying to achieve and make time for work, family, training, meal prep and healthy eating without going crazy. Or even worse getting overwhelmed and going off plan. I think that would be the worst. To come this far and then let a little stress and a busy schedule get me off track with eating right or let fatigue cause me to slack at the gym. Good thing I have a trainer that keeps me focused as far as that goes. And now with the Transformation Challenge underway I have even more reason to get focused. I can't lose site of my goals now. Balance starts with a goals and a plan. So today I sat down and decided what my goals are for training, nutrition, work, home and rest. I made a plan for each goal and a checklist to help me achieve that plan. I am hoping this helps me stay on track and have balance.