Saturday, January 15, 2011

Total Wellness Transformation: Hank's Journey - A Balancing Act

The Diary Of A 50lb Weight Loss Journey

It's Hank here - and we're halfway through the first month of 2011! How did that happen?!?

It's been a schedule of long work days trying to get several large projects across the finish line to completion simultaneously. Good thing I love my job more than anyone should. I just need to make sure I'm taking care
of myself so I can keep up with the crazy pace.

I'm the first to admit that I can allow my priorities to shift slightly out of whack. Work almost always takes priority - it's the way I've always been. (I thank my dad for passing on his work ethic.) I love my family and friends, but I love my job and my work family too. I am passionate about my work, I'm lucky to do something I truly love and that fulfills me on many levels, so most of the time it doesn't feel like work.

My friends are wondering why I have "gone off the grid" because I haven't been able to make the social gatherings lately. Well, lately, my life has consisted of getting up early, working out, working into the evening and coming home to eat some dinner before falling into bed...only to get up the next day and do it all over again. What's wrong with this picture?

My coach was talking to me this week and he said "If you keep burning the candle at both ends, sooner or later you're gonna feel the heat." That struck me because I am guilty of doing exactly that.

I'll freely admit that I have been burning the candle at both ends since November, but
I came to a realization this week that I need to make sure to have a little more balance between work and life. I've kept consistent with my workouts and clean eating. But I need to keep consistent in taking "me time" to rest, recover and recharge. Without it, I won't be able to perform at the level I want and need to in order to achieve my goals - both at work and in my quest for improved fitness.

I was speaking with a VP at the office and we were both trying to remember the last time we took any time off or planned a proper vacation. (Hint: When you have to think longer than 30 seconds about the last time you had time off outside of normal company holidays, that's a sign you might need to recalibrate.)

Everyone in my immediate work area has been sick all week, sneezing, coughing and hacking as they suffer through the nasty bug that's going around. Thankfully, I have not caught it yet - and I thank Shakeology for that. I have it every day and would be lost without it. That, and my new lifestyle changes are keeping me healthy and able to stay on track.

So I am going to forge ahead, but I am going to keep
myself in check and ensure that I am striving for more balance between work life and personal life. This is a total wellness transformation, after all. I'll have an update next week and I'll tell you how I'm doing with that.

Speaking of updates, I do have some good news this week. Consistency keeps paying off - I am down another 2.4lbs! And it was only when I was doing the math that I realized that as of today, this brings the total number of pounds lost to...45. That's right, forty-five pounds - gone. I'm not mad at that! Thanks to Carl and all the Team Beachbody Coaches who provide support, inspiration, advice and, most of all, encouragement!

Wishing you plenty of balance until next time,
Hank



1 comment:

Unknown said...

I'm totally relating to your comment about burning the candle at both ends and am looking forward to how you have altered your schedule to fit in the re-balancing of work and life. I am doing the same unbalanced-act at the moment: get up early, work-out, go to work, work 9 hrs or so, go home, have a light dinner, work another hour and fall into bed. Looking forward to your next post!