Self-care and fitness can feel like a balancing act in today’s society. We walk a tightrope between our hectic personal and professional lives. No wonder we feel overworked, exhausted, and struggling to find time for ourselves, let alone find time for fitness! According to a CDC study, most Americans are failing to find time for fitness. Luckily, our modern lifestyles don’t have to prevent us from getting healthier, happier, and in better shape.

Read on for some ways to start caring for yourself as much as you’ve been caring for your career and those around you, and advice for how you can bring balance to your fitness and self-care routines:

Reduce Stress

Stress reduction is important for everyone. It balances our mental health. Stress also plays a role in addiction so it is especially important for those in addiction recovery to seek out stress reduction techniques. Some of these stress relief methods might include yoga, mindfulness meditation, or even gentle breath-work.

Multitasking

Those experts who claim multitasking is actually counterproductive probably haven’t gotten very creative with their workout routines. If you lead a busy life, which seems to be the norm these days, it can be difficult balance your job, home life, and all of your other responsibilities. How are you supposed to find five minutes for yourself, let alone a whole thirty minutes to an hour to work out?

This is where multitasking can come into play. With some creativity, you can blend multiple activities into one. For instance, if you are a pet owner, you could take your dog for a jog on a leash or a run through the dog park. This is a fun, bonding activity that also allows you both to enjoy the fresh air, time in nature, and some physical exercise. Additionally, spending time with your dog is good for your physical health in other ways, as Harvard studies have shown it might reduce your blood pressure. See, this type of multitasking is a win-win!

Cheer for Yourself

Whether you’re trying to get in better shape or simply trying to squeeze five minutes of self care into your day, it’s important to get into the right mindset. Part of your success involves cheering yourself on, at least according to Health Magazine. Try not to be too hard on yourself for tasks that you’re unable to do (yet). Everyone starts somewhere and everyone has some imperfection that he or she is still working on, even if it’s not immediately obvious to you.

Rather than comparing yourself to others, focus on celebrating what you’re doing. Even if you only have a minute or two for self-care and fitness today, that’s a good start and is better than nothing at all! Besides, you can always increase your YOU time from there…

Listen to Your Body

Now that you have a few different ideas for bringing more self-care and fitness into your daily routine, here’s a word of advice: listen to your body. Don’t overdo it and injure yourself. Although competitiveness can be a motivational factor for some people, health and fitness are not about ego. The focus should be on becoming healthier and happier. If you’re new to fitness or need help establishing a daily self-care routine, talk to a licensed professional who works in the industry. From health coaches to personal trainers to fitness instructors, there are many qualified people out there who would be happy to help you safely and successfully bring more fitness and self-care into your life.

About the Author

Sheila Olson has been a personal trainer for five years. She believes the best way to achieve physical fitness and good health is to set and tackle small goals. She encourages her clients to stay positive and incorporates mindfulness and practices for reducing negative talk into her sessions. She created FitSheila.com to spread the word about her fitness philosophy.

Learn more about Sheila Olson by visiting http://fitsheila.com/

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