dedicate yourself to a balanced schedule!

"Ring the bells
that can still ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."
-Leonard Cohen


ok, so regardless of how long it's been since the last post-i can assure you i've been crazy busy. luckily i'm getting a better grip on my schedule so the days just fly by with ease! to give you a mini preview of my daily tasks i'll give you my schedule from tuesday!

6:30am-AWAKE :)
9:30-10am-class (left early to get to school on time!)
10:15am-11:45- taught reading at the elementary school.
12-lunch date with my gorgeous man! (side note: he spent the rest of his day off on his bike enjoying the beautiful weather, can i say jealous?)
130-230pm- BACK at the elementary school observing science lessons.
230-330pm- quick errands
4-630pm- back and bi's and 40min cardio at the gym.
7pm on- nothing but lesson plans, assignments, planning, scheduling, non stop until NOW! and it's 1030pm as i'm typing this. (this is exactly why i have generalized anxiety disorder-because i never stop worrying or stressing! haha)

i'm by NO means saying i'm the busiest person alive, but daily thats what my life looks like back and forth, back and forth, and sometimes i just want to sit and say i have nothing i actually need to be doing. because that NEVER happens, there is always something i need to do, always some deadline i'm approaching way too fast.

in order to balance all these things, you must have an organized well balanced schedule. i know the night before when i go to sleep, what time i need to wake up and what exactly i'm going to be doing at all moments of the day. for example: if i'm exceptionally busy one day, i split my cardio and training up into two different sessions. so the night before i know to set my alarm clock early so i can be doing my cardio at 6:30am and then it's done for the day and the only other thing i have to worry about is squeezing an hour in to lift later on! i also the night before always know what time i have to be at places by, what deadlines i have for the day, i have an exact to do list and i literally check things off as i go along the day. this allows me to schedule meals, training time, appointments/meetings, planning time, and DOWN time (which is rarely anything other than laying in bed at the end of the day with my man trying to sort through everything!)

i mentioned meal planning in my last blurb, and that is also something i plan for the night before. i try to eat every 2-3 hours, but lately it's been every 3, since i just don't have time to get it all in. generally i eat at 730am 11am 2pm 5pm 8pm but sometimes i have appoitments or things that conflict those times, so i push things around or plan for things to be with me on the go! i think that the greatest thing to learn when you choose an active healthy lifestyle is to find a schedule and stick to it. sticky notes, planners, and diet trackers are your best friend! if you are one of those people that can just remember things in their head-then my hat goes off to you, because most of us are not. while your lying in bed at night make sure you have a list of things to accomplish for the next day (i definitely inherited this to do list making trait from my mother) that way you know everything that needs to get done and it's not the next night and your thinking about how many things you didn't do! i write the silliest things down on my to do list, because i literally am so scatterbrained that i have to write every little detail down! some people have tasks typed on their phone, some people sticky note in the car, etc. whatever works for you, but STAY focused, on track and accountable for your actions.

i see too many people tell me that they don't have time to eat that many times a day or train that much, but thats a lie. you can always find time for the things that are important to you, and if you cant then this isn't something that is truly a passion for you. if you sit down and write all the things you do in the day and look back on it you'll be amazed how much time you waste and how much time isn't accounted for. this is simply time management skills, and all i'm telling you to do is to apply this to your daily life while incorporating health and fitness :)

RANDOM THOUGHTS, RANDOM THOUGHTS! (i know this is your favorite part)
1. does anyone else do a little mini victory dance when they finish their cardio? if you know me you know i STRUGGLE through cardio (btw my cardio was just upped today, so i'll be whining about that for the next few weeks) so when i successfully make it to the end of my scheduled time, i'm more than happy (about as happy as tennessee would be if collins would throw more complete passes-but thats a thought for another moment!) so if do a little dance it makes me feel accomplished! try it :)
2. why why why do girls think that big hoop earrings are suitable for the gym. let me just break it down for you-you look like a fool. i wear stud earrings at all times-so i'm nto being a hypocrite just a realist. i always take off my "decorative jewelry" to work out in, b ecause it gets in the way. it's not a fashion show or a dating location (though many would argue that!), people come in their in ripped up dirty clothes all sweaty, you don't need designer clothes and jewelry...just do what you came to do and then go get all glammed up.
3. i got the kabosh on moving to boston from my better half, he apparantly will not shovel snow, blah blah blah...so we are moving on to different places(until i can convince him back to boston!)...if anyone has any i'd be more than open to listen! i'm refusing the west coast and florida..so let's leave those out of the conversation.

well i do believe that is all for my ranting and raving tonight. have a fabulous and WELL SCHEDULED day ...the possibilities are endless, and you truly can do anything you have a passion for, you are the only one that can make them happen. the biggest loser contestants will attest to that i'm sure! :)