How to Balance Your Career and Your Health

14 June

How to Balance Your Career and Your Health

For Jamie (not his real name), long hours and a lot of pressure from the boss is the norm. With two young girls, he knows he needs to put in the hours to get them the education and life they need.

But Jamie is making a sacrifice to do it. Yes, the money is great. Yes the benefits are good.

But physically and mentally, Jamie is slowly fading away; a shadow of what he used to be in his 20’s.

He is willing and able to make a change. He even has inspiration.

You see, Jamie follows the NFL closely. He is obsessed in fact. And seeing those athletes perform miracles each week is getting him motivated.

The problem? It’s been so long since the last time he trained, getting into the local Gridiron team is unlikely, well in the short term anyway.

Jamie does what he needs to for his family, but has it come at the cost of his own dreams.

Will he start to resent his family?

Luckily, Jamie is going to take action...

For a lot of people, the story of commiting all their energy and time into their work is the norm. There’s nothing wrong with being successful in your career.

But what sacrifice do you make to have that?

The above story is more common than you would think.

It’s the story of one of our clients who is changing his life. But more on how he’s doing that later…

How ironic that we earn all that money in the youngest and most vibrant years of our life, to cure the issues we likely wouldn’t have had if we were a little more proactive...

It probably wouldn’t be a surprise to you if I said most people want to be healthy.

They know they should try and be healthy.

But the internet is a funny thing; it lets you access information on any topic you want to know about, but as a result, leaves you overwhelmed with too much information.

Add that to the fact many people haven’t had great results previously with an exercise or diet routine, and everything gets put into the “too hard basket”.

But looking after our health is something that can’t be put into the too hard basket. It’s pretty important. Essential some would say…

How much time are you spending at work? Is it so much that your own health is being compromised?

And have you felt the same before, knowing you need to focus on your health, but just not having the knowledge on how to go about it?

And especially not having the knowledge on how to get long term results…?

I’m lucky; I went through depression which forced me to do something about my health. And led me to understanding that it’s not all about work.

That doesn’t mean that I didn’t spend long hours in the office.

But after (or before) work, I would dedicate time to myself; looking better, feeling better.

It meant I wasn’t too deep into one area of my life at the detriment of others.

For the 12 or so years I’ve been training, I’ve invested thousands of dollars into my health with gym memberships, coaching, programs and information.

The result is I’ve achieved results for myself, but also my current clients.

That investment is now for the benefit of others as well...

The best way to find that balance between your career and your health, is by following the process we use here at PEAK. It’s simple, but not easy.

We always have a focus on the process more so than the end goal. Yes the end goal is important, but for many of my clients, life sometimes gets in the way of achieving “Goal X” by “Date Y”. But by following the process, you achieve the goals no matter what happens.

Part of what we love doing here is teaching people the process.

The process involves consistency though. Repeating the process and principles over and over until they become a habit. But being consistent over a long period of time isn’t easy, especially if you’re not seeing progress like many people. It’s why we focus on the process and principles.

If you can consistently follow a process, it generally leads to habits being formed. Habits put us on auto pilot. Therefore good habits can make it easier for us to stay consistent! This is also why we follow Precision Nutrition's ProCoach coaching program for clients; it's all about habit based nutrition!

Ultimately the principles are those things that work no matter what. So they make up a large portion of the process. If we try to get fancy and follow things that aren't principles or only work for a short time, it makes it harder to be consistent, and habits never get formed.

Katie (not her real name) is a great example of this. She is doing her dream job, working with pets.

But she came to me with a recurring back injury that was starting to take its toll.

Now she says “I would cut my phone before I stop doing this” in regards to her training.

The back injury is gone. The gains are in, and Katy is proud of her results, which she is still getting!

Jess on the other hand, is working the corporate life, but uses her training with PEAK to manage the stress she feels.

Since she trains in the morning, it sets her up for the right frame of mind for her day at work.

Yes, her focus on health helps her be more successful at work. It helped her get her promotion in the last month or so (good work Jess!).

And what about Jamie? Doing things he never though he could do. Aiming for a Spartan Race at the end of the year, and going for next years Combine for the local league.

Jess getting after it during a 6am Group Session

Is it possible to be fit, healthy and look good and have a great career? Of course it is; people do it often, sometimes with incredible success in both. So why can't you do it?

But it’s not easy.

The worry is getting to 50 having worked already 25+ years, and feeling like you’re 70. The next stage in your life will be even harder if that’s the case.

If you’re interested in how you can get that balance between health and career back, click the link below and download the free guide explaining 3 Things You Can Do Today to Feel Healthier. It's three simple principles, that if done consistently, can have a big impact on your life!