Balancing life activities

[Ana]

I don't ride recreationally as much as I'd like, although I do commute a short 2.4 miles roundtrip each day. I do not consider my commute a substantial enough ride to qualify as "real exercise" even though it helps keep my waist trim

I like to do so many things, including cycling, cooking, baking, socializing, reading, etc. (not to mention household responsibilities like cleaning, laundry, dishes, etc). Honestly, by the time I get home from work I'm usually so tired that I cook a meal, do one or two household chores, read and head to bed. I wish I felt like going on a ride but I don't really feel like battling the rush hour traffic, plus the days are getting shorter.

I do try to ride primarily on weekends but I also find that my riding time competes with errands and other commitments I have.

How do you balance it all? I know prioritization is involved but I don't want to sacrifice home-cooked meals from scratch or leisurely bike rides.

[shootingstar]

Is it at all possible to add on some extra miles 2-3 times per wk. for each of your commuting rides?

Ever since I returned to cycling, I hardly do any sewing and only bake 1-2 types of desserts, um...about once a month or less.

I no longer am interested in much fashion shopping or alot of window shopping. I catch up on such activity every 3-4 months by wandering 1-2 hrs. in stores. Very different from fashionistas. Hence my fashion sense, is delayed...seriously.

Over the years, my body now desires to begin cycling early in the morning....a good thing..since I can do lots and have the rest of the day for other stuff.

Of course, things get more complicated when one has children which I don't have.

[Reesha]

I generally go through phases with most of my other hobbies besides cycling and cooking. Cycling is my constant and well... a girl's got to eat!

For instance... I only knit when it's starting to cool off. I camp when it's beautiful outside and I've got company. I hike if I'm in the mountains (it used to be all the time, now it's isolated). Sometimes I'll devour six books in a row and not pick another one up for months.

It all somehow works out. I stopped sweating it. I think I realized that I have too many hobbies to every really devote myself to cycling or triathlon at a high level, but it's still entirely enjoyable.

[ny biker]

I have no life...

[Grog]

I have a 25-30 km roundtrip commute with lots of hills, so the basics are a bit different. I don't do a whole lot of recreational riding anymore, but my husband rides A LOT. But, seriously, we don't clean very much in this house. I mean, it's hygienic, but often messy. Laundry gets done on the fly. We do not skimp on cooking though. But keeping the house in acceptable condition (as opposed to really nice) does save us a lot of time. Also, living in an apartment (so less maintenance & housekeeping overall) helps.

Also, we don't socialize a whole lot, and baking is (unfortunately) not done every week.

[BalaRoja]

The $64k question - you asked it

It truly says something about our contemporary/modern lives when 24 hours in a day somehow seems like hardly enough!

Getting out of metaphysics and into a more practical approach - I try to be super efficient with my rides. That might mean using the indoor trainer more so I can avoid spending 30+ minutes just getting to the places I like to ride. Not to mention less costuming/prep/etc.

Another thing is prepping meals ahead of time. I might make some extra staples - like rice, pasta, beans, etc - and combine it with an easy to make side dish, such as a chicken roast. I can put in the roast and know that in roughly 75 minutes or so, it'll be done and with the other stuff already prepped, dinner is ready.

Sometimes I'll even put the chicken in between intervals on the trainer!

[lph]

We both work reduced hours (80%). Started when our son was born at the same time that we were just getting into the job market, kept it that way because it's a good way to live. All our choices since then are geared to a lower than 2x100 % income. We have a small apartment, tiny garden, in a low status part of town.

All 3 of us have a 2 week rotating schedule for all the regular household chores (except food shopping and making dinner, only us adults do that one) so that no-one ends up shouldering too much.

We have a cleaning service that comes in every two weeks. The house HAS to be tidy by then, otherwise it pretty much slides.

We postpone re-decorating and everyday maintenance a LOT. We still have large unpainted spots, loose sidings and open electrical sockets from when we moved in... um... two years ago?

And we don't enjoy cooking that much. We make a home-cooked dinner every day mostly from scratch, but it's usually the same ten 30-minute recipes or so over and over, nothing that involves thinking. We only bake or make desserts for special occasions like birthdays or friends visiting, which doesn't happen very often. Our son wishes we had dessert more often, but now he has a smoothie maker and can mess around with that instead We usually socialize during activities rather than at home.

I try to fit in as much "me-time" as I can around my commute, take a longer route, add a kayaking trip. I feel most energetic when I'm already out moving, and going out again later is too much hard work. I'm really lucky to live where this is possible, but it also takes a bit of creativity.

I'm not getting a fabulous career this way, but hey, I'm having fun

[limewave]

I'm not getting a fabulous career this way, but hey, I'm having fun

I decided a few years ago that I was "okay" with not having a great career, but using my career as a means to enjoy all the many things I love to do!

I have two little kids (3yr and 3 mos) and my husband works until about 8PM every night.

I admit, I forgo on a fancy home cooked meal. Most nights its a variation baked/sauteed chicken with vegetables--which usually takes 30-40 minutes to make. I really love using fresh veggies, but since the second kid came along, I've gone to frozen vegetables.

Once a week I'll make a GOOD dinner--some new recipe I want to try or a special meal for the family.

Most evenings we come home, the kids read or watch a movie while I make dinner. After dinner we head out for a family activity: bike ride, walk, hike, soccer, etc.

I understand that exhausted feeling after work. Fortunately, I don't have the option to collapse and hit-the-hay early. The kids are forcing me to get out. But I always feel better for it.

[NoNo]

Instead of cooking every night, could you maybe cook large portions on Sunday and eat that for the next few days? I usually cook two things on the weekend, and it gets me through most of the week (I rotate them for lunch and dinner). That way when I get home, I can work out, just reheat something, and then get on to doing the dishes, getting my stuff ready for the next day, and eventually wind down. Saturday is my big cleaning day, doing laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, etc. During the week I just try to keep on top of the dishes and put my clothes away.

As others have said, I also go through phases when cycling is or isn't the forefront of my life. Right now, it isn't, but I've done more hiking/reading/strength training/gardening, so I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

[Crankin]

Most of our life revolves around riding or other outdoor activity, but definitely not to the extent that it does for other people on this board. I am not training for anything.
I think it comes down to, for me, is that i am super organized, have a schedule for the things I *don't* like to do, so i can do the things I want to do. My kids are grown up and gone for a few years, but even when they were little, my priority was to have enough "me" time so I could exercise. For many years, this was 5 AM at the gym. My DH does all of the household upkeep, which he enjoys and often counts as a work out for him. He does the outside, the gardening, etc. I hate that stuff. We've pretty much had a cleaning service since we were first married and when we didn't, we divided up the jobs and did them. I do love to cook and I don't mind grocery shopping. I plan 3-4 quick, but healthy meals on the day I shop, with the help of Cooking Light, and buy the stuff for those meals and any staples we always have in the house. I always have enough food to make something. We go out at least twice a week.
I have given up all of my volunteer activities and I don't go to temple very often. I have tried to rid myself of "friends" who are "downers," i.e., negative, complainers. I still read a lot, we go to the theatre once a month, Sept. through June, and we go out with 2-3 couples who do not ride on a Saturday night fairly often. But, most of the time, we are going out doing some activity with our riding friends, another couple. We also go to the theatre with them and vacation with them quite a bit.
This year, I haven't done as many miles as previous years, because i am no longer working, hence, no commuting. I am just at 2,000 miles. But, i did run for a few months, and I did a lot of yoga. I feel bad about it, but, most of my riding was more fun this year. With my new schedule, I can only ride twice during the work week. Yesterday, I got up at 4:50, and took a 2.5 mile walk, after coming home from class at 10 PM. Then I had to go to my internship for 6 hours and class until 6:30 PM. Just looking at the habits of my new co-workers at my internship keeps me motivated . I guess I really don't have any hobbies except the sports I do, and I am happy with that.

[katluvr]

I am kinda w/ you (Ana)... not sure if it is not enough time, energy or motivation/dedication.

I struggle w/ putting it all together. Work full time (Ok--what MAN decided the work week was 5 days and the weekend was only 2!!), no kids--but animals (and yes, they do take some time and attention), own a house (have just hired a NEW cleaning service because it just gets out of hand),
then let's "train" or workout or just have fun w/ running or biking (and I added swimminng 2 evenings a week 2 months ago--taking a hiatus, but will go back to one night a week after vaca). Cooking (or eating out), grocery shopping, yard work, family, few friends, USF football tickets...OK I can go on.

It is the balance of what I MUST do (work, feed cats, etc)
What I NEED to do (grocery shop, cook, work out)
What I WANT to do (eat out, read, shop, "play").
That balance is hard. And takes way more energy/motivation than I seem to have a lot of the time.

I still think inside this "athelete" is really a fat couch potato that continues to try and take over! It wasn't healthier, I wasn't happier (??), but it was easier before I found the healthier way of life.

K

[indigoiis]

It all depends on what you are doing things like cycling for.

For me, my priorities changed as the years went by and I got more fit. A few years ago, it was all about losing a little weight and getting fit. Now it is more of a compulsive need to feed the high of being (and staying) fit. Although I do try not to overtrain, I find that 6 out of 7 days a week is spent doing some kind of fitness activity - whether it be cycling, running, weights or hiking. I sort of worked it all into my life as part of my life. It makes me feel good. It makes me do other things better. I work better because of my commute. I'm a better mom. I'm healthier. I have more energy.

The house will still be there in a hundred years (probably.) But I won't be. I come first!

I do have animals, I have a farm, and I work full time 30 miles from my house. I rely on the bus or my bike. It takes time to get there and back. When I start getting stressed I give myself permission to back off. When my house gets dusty I turn off the TV and dust and vacuum. It all comes together, but you have to have a sense of what is most important to you.

[ny biker]

Last week as I was getting ready for my post-work ride down in the garage, one of my co-workers saw me as she was heading to her car to go home. She said it was a luxury to be able to go for a bike ride after work. To me the luxury would be having someone waiting at home to have dinner with me.

I don't cook. Dinner most nights is pasta topped with butter and cheese or a baked potato topped with cheddar. Sometimes I'll have cereal or an omelette or frozen pizza.

I run the dishwasher once a week and only do 2-3 loads of laundry per week, usually at night after I go to the gym or whatever the night's exercise is. I clean when I feel like it because I'm the only one there to create or notice the mess. I stop at the grocery store on my way home from work on the one night of the week that I'm not riding my bike or going to the gym. I run as many errands as possible at lunch (there's a mall within walking distance of my office) and if there's anything I can't do at lunch, I pick one weekend day to do them in one big trip. The other weekend day is available for a bike ride or taking a long walk or whatever.

I decided years ago that exercise had to be a priority on most days in order to manage my health. And it makes me happy.

[GLC1968]

I struggle with this daily....hourly...often minute-ly (?? ).

Right now I'm at work waiting on a meeting. My husband and I both work full time and in my case, it's often significantly more than full time. We have a small farm where some chores cannot wait (caring for the animals) and others that are forced to (our harvest is now rotting in the field and our winter wood supply is still in a huge pile and in need of splitting). We have a dairy goat that needs milking and we've recently gone down to one milking a day to save time. Our house is not 'done' by any stretch of the imagination, but it's livable. In fact, it's actually in pretty decent shape since we had house guests at the end of August. I have a bike that is still in pieces from two weeks ago that I have not had time to put back together. My commute is 20 miles, so doing the full thing both ways take about 3 hours out of my day that I already don't have. I am lucky if I get 6 hours of sleep a night and the only room in our house that remains clean all the time is the kitchen because I work hard to keep it that way. I'm lucky if I can get in one ride on the weekend and one during the week but even that can be a stretch. And I haven't done a regular workout in 3+ weeks now. Plus, I have a blog that hasn't been updated in over a month.

Oh, and we eat out more than we eat at home because I just can't find enough time for prep/cook/clean-up.

Honestly, today I really hate my life, so I'm not one to offer up advice! I can certainly relate though...

[katluvr]

GLC1968--I hear ya!
I think it is a struggle for many. And some folks handle things better than others and sometimes it is all about what is important to you!

I do know I would NOT get bored and could easily fill up my life/time without this darn job. Of course how would I pay for my trips and toys?

Some days/weeks are easier that others. But balance and sanity is not easy. I have always said that relationshipsa are not easy, but require work. I guess the same thing is true about finding balance in life.