The secret to finding balance between work, family and sports
At times, it feels like your mind is racing as you juggle priorities. Maybe you feel a touch of guilt when one priority becomes ranked higher than the other. Getting in an extra swim after work takes you away from spending time with family, so you contemplate using your lunch break to swim. Or you skip that swim altogether, which may set back your preparation.
How do we find a positive balance between work, family, and sports?
Lisbeth Kenyon celebrating another win!
For many athletes, this is a significant challenge. When available time and energy are limiters, it can sometimes be overwhelming to successfully balance each of these aspects of your life. Many athletes are challenged by it and often feel overwhelmed. While it is certainly not easy and will take sacrifice in some areas of your life, the feat is possible. We reached out to triathlete Lisbeth Kenyon and asked her about achieving balance. She has found that it is possible to find balance and success.
Lisbeth has won her age-group 5 times at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships. We know her as a wonderful, funny and fearless human being! In addition to being a wife & mother of 3, Lisbeth is a biomedical engineer and co-owner of www.ttbikefit.com with her husband Todd Kenyon.
Her answer to our question is as refreshing as it is honest. It is also a very effective way of tackling any challenge in life.
What is your secret to achieving balance in work, family, and sports?
“It’s not about being superhuman. It’s not about squeezing every second out of every day. It’s about being realistic and honest with yourself. I mean really, deeply honest. When I had my kids, it was a 7-year period that I actually stepped back from the sport. I couldn’t do it all very well. You have to ask yourself: “What takes precedence in my life?” Achieving balance means having the courage to say “no” to things, not thinking you can “do it all.” If you want to achieve balance and excel, you must give up something. When you do that, it works out. When I became a new mom, I just maintained my fitness. When the time was right, I came back to competitive racing.
Also, a note on efficiency, because this relates: most people train waaay too much. Stop that. Get a good coach, who can minimize those sessions that don’t optimize you. Nail the stuff that matters. Don’t waste time. And integrate! For example, if you have 20 minutes of down time, hop on your Vasa SwimErg. Find the pauses in life and make the most of them.”
The Vasa SwimErg is a secret weapon for many.
Time-crunched athletes like Lisbeth have experienced much success using the Vasa SwimErg. In this video, Lisbeth shares why her SwimErg has been such a great asset (fast forward to 2:50 into this video). Conquer the triathlon swim: stronger, better, with more confidence
The question about achieving balance in work, life, and sport is just one of many we have received from athletes over the years. It became our mission to find the answers to these challenges, so we sought expert advice, wisdom, and inspiration from 11 of the World’s most respected coaches & athletes from the Vasa community. The result is a highly useful E-book, Four Keys to Fearless Open Water Swimming.
Click here to get your free copy
