Consistency with Balancing Family Time

When you think about "going to the gym" you may experience a sense of selfishness because it is time away from your family. But, there are a couple ways you can redirect this mindset and find balance between family time and self-care.

Plan and Acknowledge Time

Create a gym schedule so your family knows and can anticipate when you will be at the gym. This can help mitigate any confusion with calendars and avoid spontaneous changes that may interfere or overlap with activities. Especially with wacky work schedules, delayed sports practices or surprise dinner invites.

By having consistency with your gym time, your family can plan considerately around your designated self-care time and not feel reluctant to create plans that could hinder your me time. Everyone will be on the same page or close enough to prevent any hurt feelings or misscommunications.

From here, you can weigh your options for any events that may take precedence over gym time. Yes, self-care is important but family time is too! I believe where we can grow in understanding this balance for ourselves is by being aware of how much gym/self-care time YOU need to obtain or maintain health and how much time YOUR family needs from you to know your love for them and to fill their cup. There is no magic formula for this, it's going to take communication, grace, self advocacy and consideration of all family members.

Include Them

Adopting a healthy lifestyle does not have to be a solo mission. If going to the gym is not in the cards because you have a sick kid, you're a solo parent for the week or you have to babysit your younger brother, - whatever it may be, you can include them! Take the dog for a walk around the block, go to the park, play pickle ball, be outside moving your body!

The gym is not the only way you can get activity. Take moments like this to broaden your mind and get creative. Nature is your playground! Plus, including your family is a great way to set the example of healthy living and keeping everyone active!

Manage Your Mindset

Your self-care is in your hands, no one else can do it for you. If you don't prioritize gym time/self-care then it won't happen because everyone else will always need you. And that is the exact reason why we should set boundaries for getting that time in. The people in your life need the best version of you! Sometimes that means sacrificing a little bit of quantity time with them to head to the gym to come back with the capacity for better quality time! Will they remember you always sitting on the couch or going and doing the things together?

Remember to communicate and evaluate what works best for you and your family! Your needs are just as important as theirs, you are a team!

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