For the past 6 months…
A few years ago, my dreams and wishes consisted of wanting to get a dog for our family, have a baby, and go back to school. I remember saying to a friend, “Which one should I choose? I want them all.” She said, “Why not all of them?” I said, “How will I do all of this and not go crazy?” She said, “You just will.”
For the past 6 months, I’ve been taking graduate courses while on maternity leave. I wanted/needed to do well in these courses, so before starting, I made a plan. I scheduled study blocks throughout the day, found podcasts and YouTube videos to supplement my learning, and used a program to create quizzes from all the content I was covering.
This took up all of my spare time.
During naps and after putting my kids to bed, I spent every day reading, studying, completing assignments, and reviewing information.
I had to deliberately choose to focus on my courses instead of hanging out with my family in the evenings or watching TV. It meant adjusting my workouts, making them shorter and choosing “good enough” over my ideal training. I didn’t socialize. I barely texted. I saved my mental energy for learning and for maintaining connection with my spouse and kids.
The weeks leading up to exams, I didn’t lift weights at all. I focused on steps, got a couple of jogs in to clear my head and manage stress. I tracked my food consistently, drank lots of water, took my vitamins, and kept a consistent bedtime between 10:00–10:30 PM every night.
This wasn’t my ideal routine and I didn’t love it but it was a season where I needed to focus on accomplishing a goal: getting an A. That meant adapting my routine to support that goal without completely abandoning the values I hold for my health and wellbeing.
Honestly, by the end of the semester, I didn’t feel like myself.
I hadn’t lifted weights in 3–4 weeks due to travel, illness, and studying constantly. I didn’t read anything that wasn’t related to pathophysiology or pharmacology because for me, switching focus or taking up mental space with unrelated content doesn’t work. I wasn’t as active overall between winter and studying. My steps averaged 5–7K instead of my usual 10–12K. My creativity was zero. I didn’t feel inspired or energetic.
The scale had tipped heavily toward focused work and there was definitely an imbalance in other areas.
This was a learning moment for me.
I can achieve what I set out to do. I can prioritize what I value but it might not all happen at once.
I think a lot of people can relate to seasons where they’re working toward a goal and everything else meaningful takes a backseat—leaving them feeling depleted in different ways. I’m sure there are ways to maintain more balance while working toward big goals, but in my case, I wanted the A. And that meant I was willing to sacrifice in other areas knowing that in a few months, I could come back and give those areas the attention they deserved.
Life looks a lot different than I imagined.
I didn’t anticipate still getting up 3–4 times a night with George. I didn’t expect workouts to be capped at an hour, or steps to become such a powerful lever. I didn’t expect to be at peace with trading a workout for something else that needed my attention my kids, sleep, or schoolwork.
But I’ve realized that even with these shifts everything is okay.
I’m still fit. I’m still healthy. I’m still prioritizing protein, vegetables, hydration, connection, and the things that matter.
Right now, my workouts are about an hour, steps are a non-negotiable (especially with nicer weather), and weighing and tracking my food is just part of my routine. I’ve had to get really good at planning. I intentionally map out my week and even my month: meals, appointments, soccer schedules, everything to keep myself on track and ease the mental fatigue that comes with making hundreds of decisions a day.
This is an important reminder:
Giving 110% to a goal will teach you a lot about commitment, effort, and intention but maintenance doesn’t require you to put everything else in your life on the shelf.
It just means finding the sweet spot of how much time and energy each area of your life needs in order for you to move forward without losing yourself in the process. SOME IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN NONE.
MSMAMACHIC 