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Ten years ago, it seems like I had all the time in the world. I worked full-time, adventure raced all over the world, trained daily and still had time to spend with my husband and friends. Two kids, two ankle surgeries, and a few more grey hairs later, and life feels a lot more hectic. These days I work full-time in addition to shuttling the kids to activities, coaching a Nordic program, and doing endless, endless loads of laundry. Nonetheless, it’s still a priority to make time to workout most days and I race when it feels right. Here’s a few key tips that have helped me fit it all in.
Focus on quality over quantity.
I now try to make the most of every minute of my time. Key words being “my time”. I need my me time, even though I still feel a twinge of guilt over leaving the family at home while I train and race. Riding my bike, running, Nordic skiing and skinning uphill are my sanctuary. So I plan my workouts to focus on quality over quantity to make the most of limited time that I have.
But how do I fit training into my busy schedule?
When I plan my day I’m always thinking about the best time for me to get out that will impact everyone else’s schedules as little as possible. Sometimes that means early morning sessions, other times I’ll head out on a lunch break. When the kids were younger I would load them up in the Chariot while I ran, biked and skied. It was an easy way for me to get out and the kids would often nap. They’re too big for that now but sometimes I can get them to ride their bikes with me while I run. It’s a great way for the kids to get some exercise, chat about what’s going on at school and do water bottle hand-ups.
It’s okay to skip exercising some days.
It’s taken a long time for me to figure it out, but I now know that a few missed training sessions won’t make or break me. There will be days when it just isn’t feasible to make time for training – the kids are sick or have an event I didn’t want to miss, I have an important work meeting, house guests or I’m just too darn tired. I’ve finally accepted this happens and it is OK. I enjoy the rest knowing that I’ll get back to training when life settles down.
Time is more precious these days, and sometimes my needs take a backseat, but it makes it all the more sweet when I do get out and get after it!
Sari Anderson is a SHREDLY ambassador, ripping mountain biker, and mom of two, learn more about her here.
