Overachievers are overrated

I've been struggling with finding time to workout. I've got all kinds of excuses, or maybe they're not excuses, but the reality of the situation, of why I am not able to do it...I'm too tired. There's not enough time. I'm too tired. I'm too tired... There's not enough time. I sometimes feel like I'm a broken record.

I've been having a lot of problems with my back recently, a lot of the pain is due to the fact that I don't workout anymore (don't have strong muscles to support my back) and I am back at a desk job. I snuck away for a chiropractor appointment yesterday and boy, did I hear it from him! He's been telling me this for weeks...that I needed to do some physcial activity...walk in the forest (hahahah..NOT), weight training, back training, etc. because I'm in pretty bad shape.

For the life of me, I can't seem to find the energy to do it. I think a part of it is due to going to sleep at 11pm and waking up at 5:30am. Then, I'm go go go for most of the day and when I put Keira to sleep at night, the softness of the bed and the dark, cosiness of the room make me fall alseep for 45 minutes and then when I wake up, I'm definitely not in the mood to work out and it's getting late.

I was lamenting to a friend of mine this weekend about the lack of time and the tiredness that I felt and how I always felt guilty about not doing what I KNOW that I'm supposed to be doing. She said something very smart to me...and I guess I should have figured it out myself. But, being the overachiever that I am, I kind of don't wander down this path...I'm an all or nothing gal. If you can't do it right, then don't do it at all.

She said that this was a stage and that it would change when Keira got older. Instead of focusing on what I used to do (workout 6 days a week), I needed to set a goal like maybe 2-3 times a week and be happy if I manage that. Life is too short for feeling guilty for stuff that I can't help. All mothers go through this and it's not just me.

She has told me this before--about setting goals lower, but that was before I had a child. I used to think that she was a little lazy for saying that she would only work out 2 times a week and she was happy with that. I used myself as a comparison and a Jennifer with no kids, and all the time in the world, could work out 6 times a week.

Well, now the shoe is on the other foot and I truly understand why she set that goal and why she was happy. It certainly beats setting the goals high and never being able to meet them.

So, now, I'm going to try the new way. I will try to work out 3 times a week. If I make that, then I've done great.