Hi! Welcome back to Falling In Love With Fitness! This is the first official blog & I’m so excited to talk all about how I balance race training and my college life!
Learning how to find balance in your life is crucial to having success in anything. This life skill is something that you will be able to use forever, so it is important to learn early. Mastering balance will look different for everyone, but I’ve found some tricks along the way that completely changed the game. I hope my top 5 tips for balance will help y’all create your own sense of balance!
Before I jump into my balance tips, I want y’all to know why you should take my advice! I am currently a junior studying Music Business and Marketing at Belmont University. On campus, I’m a Resident Assistant, a Bruin Recruiter, and a member of Belmont Service Corps, Grammy U, and Alpha Sigma Tau. I am also interning at the Country Music Association (CMA) in Live Events. While doing all of this, I’m training to run the Rock n Roll Nashville Half Marathon in April, and I just ran the Skechers Hot Chocolate Run 10k over the weekend! Being busy is definitely not a foreign concept to me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Learning how to manage all of my varying interests through life balance has allowed me to do it all. So let’s get into my top 5 tips!
Top 5 Tips for Balance
Tip #1: Pick a Time & Stick to It
Since I am a college student, finding a time that I am consistently free is hard to do. I have class and work from 8 AM to 5 PM every weekday. After that, I have club meetings, events, and homework, so evenings don’t work either. Within the hours of my campus gym and my schedule, I have found that 6 AM is my go-to time. I am a big morning person, so going to the gym in the mornings doesn’t bother me. But the biggest part of picking a time is actually sticking to it. I have made my gym time a non-negotiable for myself. I will never schedule anything over my morning workout, and if something comes up, I work around it. You have to be willing to put in the work if you want to see results!
Tip #2: Follow a Training Plan
As someone completely new to running, a training plan is crucial. Before I started training for my half-marathon, I researched so many different training plans that would eliminate the guesswork. Being able to look at my phone and know exactly what I am doing in the gym each day cuts the time in half. I am personally using the Nike Run Club App right now, and I LOVE IT! They have so many different programs to choose from, so there is something for everyone. If there are any other training plans you are curious about, fill out This Form, and I’ll give my honest thoughts!
Tip #3: Make it a Routine
After you have found your ideal workout time and a plan you want to follow, add it to your daily routine. Every morning, I am moving my body in some form. Adding my training plan to my mornings has made it a constant in my life, which has been pivotal to my success. It also gives me something to look forward to every day, because I know that no matter what my day looks like, I will always complete my morning workout. Staying consistent is the key!
Tip #4: Saying No is Okay
Even though it’s hard to always put yourself first, you need to realize that it’s okay! I love hanging out with my friends and going on adventures, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices. On multiple occasions, I’ve turned down plans to make sure I still have time to get all of my priorities completed every day. Remember, you are never the bad guy for saying no. If that event is just going to make your day more stressful, it’s not worth it.
Tip #5: Being Flexible
While it’s more than okay to turn down plans and say no to prioritize your goal, you are allowed to change it up sometimes! As a college student who normally hates last-minute plans, I have learned that being spontaneous can be necessary. I LOVE my routine, but I also do not want to get burnt out. Going with the flow more this year has given me a new appreciation for the constants in my life. My training plan will always be the backbone of my morning, and the rest of the day has room to shift and change to keep life fun!
I hope you enjoyed my Top 5 Tips for balancing race training with a busy schedule. If you liked this blog, click HERE to catch up on my past blogs and click HERE to follow my page!
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Thank you for reading this week’s blog and following my journey. I will see y’all soon ♥
