Must. Keep. Swimming. My mantra for several weeks now. Since August came and went, I've literally been a fish out of water. Or a chicken with my head cut off. Or just ridiculously, almost painfully busy. But I'm on a streak of what I like to call "fireworks in the butt". I'm not really running on fumes yet, and if I'm lucky I won't have to. I promised myself this year that I would do everything in my power to maintain that fantastic BALANCE in my life---even if my life is crazy. I know this is absolutely necessary because last year at this time, I was in the same position. Only I wasn't in balance check. And I got sick. (See http://gutsygirlsadventures.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-i-spent-my-christmas-vacation-or.html)
So, I've turned health maintenance into a sort of game. (Yeah, just like me to turn this into a competition, of sorts.) I envision a nostalgic game of PacMan, where I am Pacman, desperately running from my enemies Pinky, Inky, Blinky and Clyde. If I win, I get a billion extra lives--and make it through the holidays in peak condition, which, let's face it, is a reward all in itself!
And truly, if this really were a game, I think I would have attained the highest score of all time, (yes, I'm bragging). Because, while my colleagues, staff, and athletes were all around me falling prey to the endless stream of illness that were passed back and forth for weeks and weeks--I somehow survived. During one of our winter day camps, 8 out of 15 campers missed the last day of camp due to a nasty stomach flu. Again, somehow, I survived.
How? Well, I talk about BALANCE so much, that I sometimes think this blog should just be called "Balance 101". But seriously, I can't think of anything more important than maintaining a healthy balance in our lives. It's the foundation to everything else--our physical health, our emotional health, our longevity, our happiness, our relationships, our spirituality! So in my mad game of "PacMan", I kept up with my routine. I continued my running/yoga/crossfit regimen, I ate lots of veggies and whole foods (particularly after a bigger meal of holiday goodies and spirits), I took my vitamins, I made sure I got 8 hours of sleep every night and worked and played hard during the day so that the sleep I did get was highest quality.
I am proud of my family members for adopting the same tenacity for maintaining their health and balance too, because it was an extremely busy time for them too. My dad officially opened the doors to Anytime Fitness right after Thanksgiving and has been working like a dog every single day, building a place that demonstrates and offers everyone an opportunity to experience the kind of health they deserve. I love that even amidst the stress of opening a new business, my dad and mom both took time for themselves to keep their health in balance and made it a priority to get out of town for a couple of days during the holidays. It was the first time, in a while, that every single family member was in town for Christmas and together. And because everyone was healthy, we were able to really enjoy each other and our time together.
This is not something to take for granted, for sure! It takes hard work for twelve people to keep themselves healthy, especially during the busiest time of the year. So I am grateful that my family understands the importance of making it a priority for themselves and also doing it for each other. Truthfully, it's the greatest gift any of us could ever receive. It's something that takes diligence and perseverance and can obviously be very difficult at times. But the rewards far outweigh the hard parts. I mean, who doesn't want a billion extra lives, right? Aaahh...PacMan. Anyone wanna play?
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| Part of the Anytime Fitness Gang at a Healthiest Town In America Event |
