how to balance your commitment to fitness and your social life

​Our lives are full of commitments, work, errands, family obligations, deadlines, and more. So, one of the biggest roadblocks people face on their fitness journey is finding a balance.
 
Today, we’ll go over some actionable ways to establish a better balance between fitness and the rest of your life. 
 
Ready? Let’s dive in.

One Huge Misconception About Fitness
 
A huge misconception – and something that hinders a lot of people these days – is that fitness needs to consume our lives.
 
Prevailing wisdom suggests that if we want to achieve great results, we need to live at the gym and follow an overly-restrictive diet.
 
When most people see someone in great shape, their first thoughts are, “Boy, that person must live in the gym and eat nothing but salads.”
 
But, the truth is, fitness is incredible precisely because it’s flexible. Much like water, it can assume many shapes and sizes to fit our preferences and goals best.
 
Sure, if you want to be a world-class athlete, you’ll have to spend a fair amount of time on your training, nutrition, and recovery. But, if you’re an everyday person who wants to get in good shape and feel good, then you can invest far less time and effort.
 
How to Balance Fitness and Social Life
 
Here are three great tactics you can use to balance your fitness and social life better:
 
1. Set Constraints
 
In today’s world, it’s incredibly easy to use the excuse of “I don’t have time for fitness.” But here’s the thing:
 
While this excuse does a great job of keeping us guilt-free for slacking off, it doesn’t do much else.
 
Sure, we are all busy and, sometimes, finding the time for fitness can feel challenging. So, a great way to stay consistent is to set constraints. For example, if you can’t spend more than 40 minutes for a workout, ask yourself, “Assuming I can’t be in the gym for longer than that, how can I maximize my results.”
 
If you have to train at home, ask yourself, “Assuming I have no other option, how can I best train at home?”
 
This might sound simplistic, but it truly pushes you to think of how you can make things more effective.
 
2. Make It a Lifestyle
 
Typically, we think about finding a balance between two or more things if they are inherently different (and sometimes even contradictory) from one another.
 
But, by seeing fitness as a fundamental part of your life and identity, you won’t think of it as, “How do I find a balance?” Instead, you will see it as something that happens every day, much like brushing your teeth – you don’t think about it, you follow through.
 
3. Experiment With Different Workout Times
 
Experimenting with different workout times is a great way to improve your time management and become more consistent with your training.
 
For example, if you find that the second half of your days tends to become hectic, then you might want to consider early morning workouts. They are refreshing, quiet, and an excellent way to start each day.
 
If you’re busier in the earlier part of each day, but you’ve got some downtime in the afternoon or right after work, then utilize that time instead.
 
If your job gives you an hour for lunch every day, why not catch a quick workout, shower, and then have lunch for 15 to 20 minutes?
 
The truth is, you can always find some time for exercise, so long as you make it non-negotiable.