Balancing Act

When life gets crazy and hectic my food choices and exercise habits suffer.  As I have mentioned before, I firmly believe in the 80/20 rule.  As long as I am making healthy, wise choices 80% of the time, the other 20% isn't really an issue.  I am not obsessed with making sure that my diet and exercise regimen is perfect 100% of the time. However, that doesn't mean that I'm not aware of my choices all the time.  I know what it takes to be physically and emotionally healthy, and for me that includes a diet of whole foods and regular exercise.  When I don't get enough of either, I start to feel it.

For some reason, the past few weeks have not been as full of good choices as they usually are.  I have been eating more sugar and junk than I normally do, drinking more wine than I like to, and exercising less than I usually do.  Compared to the "standard" person, I'm still getting more healthy food and exercise than most, but not enough for me.  I'm starting to feel sluggish and bloated, and just not as much like "me" as I like to feel.  So, I know that it's time for the pendulum to swing the other direction.

Since I work at a college, the beginning of the semester feels like a fresh start for me.  So, I'm going to take this as an opportunity to get back on track and be more mindful of my food and exercise choices.  I'm contemplating another Clean Food Challenge, and I'm going to get my exercise back up to 5 or 6 days a week.  In addition to running and cross training (elliptical, swimming and biking), I'm going to add some yoga and strength training to my routine.  I might be in pretty good shape, but I'm still in need of some toning. 

So, I guess the end of summer is approaching and it's time to get back into school/work mode.  I need to get back on track and remember why I adopted these healthy habits in the first place.  After all, I have a busy year ahead of me, and I want to be able to keep up.  Plus, I have a late spring marathon to prepare for.

Here's to a happy, healthy fall!