Like I said in my last post – I am tired. After the long day I had today dragging my stuff around Washington D.C. I am even more tired, if that is possible. But I must press on and see and do more things! As far as the Couch To 5K I am starting this week… the others did it today but I’m waiting until Tuesday. I just got to the apartment I’m staying at and had to do laundry before I could run and by the time laundry is done it will be dark and I’m in an unfamiliar place where I’m not sure about the safety. Yeah, I’ll wait until the morning.
As far as everything else goes, I feel like my finances and my health are both spiraling out of control on this trip. In D.C. food costs much more than I expected. The cheapest solutions are always the least healthy and I’ve resorted to those unhealthy choices several times in order to stay relatively on budget. When I must spend a ton of extra money on the healthy kinds of food I can barely justify the extra expense. But I do justify it sometimes. I tell myself that I have to balance out the unhealthy stuff I’ve eaten with the good things I want to eat. If I ate a “bad” breakfast I make sure my lunch is a healthy one. If my lunch is bad for me I make sure I eat a low calorie healthy dinner. I justify the extra expense because I need to create a balance that will not undo all the hard work I’ve already done.
This trip is all about learning how to balance… just like everything else in life. Balance is something that we should be striving for in our lives. A lot of sources (diets, gurus, etc.) will tell you that one thing is causing you to be fat or stressed and if you get rid of that you will immediately lose all the weight and find success. That is not true. Sure you might eliminate something for a while and find success, that part is true. But there is never just one thing that causes a problem like being overweight. And for most of us a strict, almost ascetic lifestyle cannot be sustained. The more we eliminate and drastically change our lives the higher likelihood we will fail. The long term success rates of most diets suck for exactly that reason – they focus on elimination for quick weight loss instead of balance for long term successful weight loss.
So I continue to seek balance while I am traveling. I am not eating perfectly, but I am not throwing in the towel. I am eating a mix of good and bad, expensive and cheap, delicious and necessary. I’m trying to achieve a balance that is acceptable and healthy. I’m trying to get away from the mindset that I must eliminate all the fast/bad/sweet food forever, or else I will just keep gaining weight. Instead I am trying to focus on the balance between eating some of that and also eating the salads and other healthy, unprocessed foods.
My own attempts to find balance in my eating on this trip have forced me to think about it in other areas of my life as well as in others. I spent the night at a friend’s house who works until 9 p.m. on weekdays and then does work or studies for work while at home. That lifestyle which is so focused on work seems out of balance since it leave so little time for play. It’s important to enjoy our work but also balance that with other activities. You can’t fully eliminate play and expect to enjoy life, just like you can’t fully eliminate everything you enjoy eating and expect to joyfully keep weight off.
What about you? Do you struggle with the balancing act? Eating wise? Job wise? Otherwise? Have any tips for how to keep things in check?
Don’t stress too much about it. Sometimes the best you can do is the best you can do. Have fun out there.
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@Jack
I’m not really worried about anything but the money part of it. :)
Balancing is my least favorite activity to do. I wish There was just a right answer, a blinking sign telling us which way to go. Eh, nada. So, in the absense of this blinking sign, you are right, we must just figure out how to balance everything. Being healthy is not just about eating the right food. It’s SO MUCH MORE. Which is why there isn’t just one diet or one program that works and why everyone must figure it out for themselves.
I look forward to hearing more about your reflection while your in DC!
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Oh man do I ever struggle with the balance. I’m constantly readjusting what I’m doing to try to find that balance. As far as the food costs go, I suggest buying frozen fruits and veggies, cause you can usually find them for cheap and making a lot of your food at home, if you have time.
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There are lots of people with high paying jobs and no time to enjoy the money cuz theyre always working. That’s why i don’t mind earning less and getting to leave my job at work. Your friends schedule seems too long. Eating on vacations is always expensive and especially in cities. Good luck! :)
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Balance is so hard, I was glad to leave a job that expected me to be on call for them all night. ugh! DC is so expensive. Eating out all the time is so difficult too! Good Luck and keep up the walking it will all balance out!
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I’m on vacation for 2 weeks and all of my healthy habits and routines are out of whack. But let me pause for some squats and push ups, right….NOW!
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a balancing act sharp turns into a juggling act huh? but you’re on a trip so theres mega allowances/excuses to be had. as long as you’re enjoying yourself right? its not like its a new permanent routine or anything….
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Ah the balancing act. So tricky!
When it comes to eating healthy but saving money, I really do my research. I scout out which stores have the cheapest foods and I’ll spend a day walking from one grocery store to another to save money (and get in extra walking!). For healthy food, though, I don’t skimp out. That’s one thing that I’m willing to shell out my money for. Good health is worth some extra cash.
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Such an insightful post! Balance is key but so hard to attain at times! I have struggled with it my whole life. When I was working, I still did exercise but that is it beyond work & errands because I worked so many hours… no fun in there like you mentioned…. yes, here & there but mostly work, exercise, errands.
Same with food. I used to restrict.. now I have learned how to eat really well but also have room for things I want to treat myself with too. Again, a balancing act.
Like you, I struggle with finding work that will not make me go back to that working too much stage which I tend to do. I also want to really enjoy it vs. a job that sucks the life out of you. So, yes, money, work, pay the bills & how to balance it all right.
I really admire you for putting it all out there! I guess for me, the one thing I did not give up was my exercise & that has helped.
It’s hard to keep balanced (active, well fed, well rested, hydrated, etc) when traveling. It always throws my body for a bit of a loop. I’m glad to see you’re managing it ok :)
Balance is definitely a tough one for me. I tend to focus on one area and perfect it while the rest of my life goes to hell! its good that you can begin to identify the balance that you want in your life because becoming aware of it is a good step in the right direction.
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The fact that you’re even trying to balance is a very good thing. At least that’s what I always tell myself. :) Balancing and prioritizing are two things I’m constantly working on. I have so many things I want to do and it’s hard to know which is the best thing for the moment. Definitely a work in progress!
Safe travels!
Its really not so easy to manage the Balancing but i know you will manage it. Well done.
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