I didn’t become an athlete until my late twenties. Before that, I had no interest in physical activity. In fact, I was a fat kid growing up. But since adopting the identity of an athlete, I’ve run four half marathons and two full marathons, competed in a Spartan Race, and trained in martial arts at some of the world’s top combat sports academies.

All while supporting myself by working full-time as a writer. As a result, I’ve learned a few things about balancing training with work. Anyone can implement these simple ideas, and we’ll get to them in a moment. But first, it’s critical to understand why this matters.

The Importance of Balancing Training With Work

If you’re like me, you probably have a very sedentary job. Most people do. As a writer, I spend most of my time in front of a screen, punching words into my laptop at home, the library, or a coffee shop. The result? I don’t get much physical activity from my work life. For this reason, I have to be deliberate about exercising.

The Consequences of a Sedentary Lifestyle

Balancing training with work is necessary for quality living. I don’t believe you can truly be happy and healthy without doing work you love and having a fit body. Most people, sadly, shelve their health, especially as they age. Bad move. In fact, it’s been proven that failing to strike that balance between your health and work can result in issues like:

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Cardiovascular disease

Lack of physical activity has even been linked to early death. Now, this article isn’t meant to freak you out. Instead, I just want you to recognize the severity of prioritizing your health. It’s not a subject you should take lightly.

The Rewards of Leading an Active Lifestyle

Many believe living a healthy life is more trouble than it’s worth. That’s nothing more than laziness, in my opinion. But more than that, it’s inaccurate to think that you’ll pay more for taking of your health than you will for ignoring it. In fact, leading a healthy lifestyle offers rewards that stretch far beyond the effort you put in, such as:

• Mental clarity
• A strong and fit body
• More self-confidence
• More energy
• Improved memory and focus
• Better sleep quality
• Longer life expectancy, etc.

30 minutes a day of some type of physical activity is all it takes to start enjoying the benefits listed above. So, stop making excuses. A healthy life is easy—it’s worth every dumbbell curl, every deadlift rep, and every running session.

6 Practical Steps to Balance Training With Work

Now that you understand how balancing training with work can benefit you, let’s look at the practical side of the equation. Lucky for you, there are some simple steps you can take to implement this concept. Here are 6 things I’ve done for you to consider:

1. Turn it into a lifestyle

A major reason people fail to stick to their training plans is that they haven’t fully embraced the identity of someone who trains. I guarantee that anything you’ve stuck to long term was because you embodied the identity of someone who does XYZ. So, you need to begin seeing yourself as a person who has a healthy balance between work and training.

And this comes down to lifestyle. How you choose to live is a reflection of your identity. But here’s where it gets interesting… Your identity is also a relfection of how you choose to live. So, lifestyle and identity feed into one another.

But begin with lifestyle—it’s easier. And the more you dial it in, the more your identity will follow suit.

2. Carve out a schedule

I train every day, sometimes twice a day. The time that has worked best for me is in the mornings. Every morning, I wake up and either go for a run or hit the gym to crush a weight training session. A few nights a week, I also train jiu-jitsu in the evenings. I set up this schedule a few years ago, and it’s worked for me.

Now, do you have to train every day? No. That’s not the point; the point is I’ve carved out a definite schedule that I can consistently adhere to. A schedule, written out, gives definiteness to your day. It gives you a concrete blueprint to follow, which increases the likelihood of you actually doing it.

3. Ease into it

I’m a proponent of enthusiasm; I don’t think you can achieve anything great without it.

However, it’s important to be realistic when making any kind of changes to your life, including balancing training with work. So, once you have your schedule sorted, be conservative with what you can adhere to. Starting off with training 5 days a week will be a stretch if you haven’t seen the inside of a gym since high school.

Instead, start small by doing a 5 or 10-minute workout at home.

Once that becomes easy, push it to 30 minutes. Then, once again, up the ante: get a gym membership or maybe even hire a personal trainer. The idea is to slowly ease into things so the change isn’t such a shock to your lifestyle.

4. Commit to the change

There’s a misconception about commitment. Commitment doesn’t mean that you’ll never fail. In fact, you’ll probably fail quite a bit when you try balancing training with work. Commitment means you’ll keep trying until it sticks. That may be two 3 weeks, or it may take 3 months. Everyone’s path will be a little different.

Either way, the aim is to keep fighting for it until it becomes a knit habit with you. Be patient with the process but persistent in your efforts. Over time, the change will become your new normal.

5. Consider obstructions

What are the obstructions that may intrude on your ability to balance training with work? It could be family, friends, work, your own laziness, etc. Think about all the things that could derail your ambition of balancing work with training. This strategy gives you insight so that you know what to expect and, as a result, how to combat it when it rears its ugly head.

It’s like what Aristotle once said, “Those who fail to plan are planning to fail.” This is an important step in the planning process. So, take the time to list all the possible obstructions that may hinder your ability to incorporate a solid training regime into your work life.

6. Acknowledge progress

Any progress—regardless of how minuscule—should be respected and acknowledged. Why? Because it motivates you to keep pushing. So, whether you can lift a little more weight this week than last week or notice a more defined definition in your muscles, acknowledge that progress. This simple act will motivate you to stay the course, balancing training with work.

I’ll tell you this: It’s incredibly encouraging to see the change I’ve made in my body over the years. To go from an overweight and out-of-shape teenager to a hybrid athlete in the best shape of my life is one of my proudest accomplishments.

Conclusion

Balancing training with work can be challenging initially. But like anything else, you will eventually adapt to the change. As a result, you’ll find it will become easier and easier as time progresses. If you need additional self-improvement advice, be sure to sign up for the Motivated And Disciplined Newsletter below.