Gosh, sometimes I wish there were more hours in the day. Case in point: I still have a pile of neatly folded clothes sitting on my bedroom floor… for over a week now. Shameful, I know. Speaking of not having enough time, I wanted to share what I’ve been doing to stay active amidst the whirlwind of life.
Right now, I’m only strength training once a week—yes, just once. The rest of the week, I focus on going for walks with the baby. By the time we get home, I usually have about an hour and a half with him before his bedtime. I’ve been considering giving the jogging stroller a shot, but truth be told, I’m not a “runner girlie” (yet, anyway).
Ironically, when my baby was a newborn, I managed to squeeze in four 20-minute sessions a week. It wasn’t easy, and my sleep was fragmented, but I had the advantage of not being tied to a physical workplace. These days, my schedule is tighter, so I’m doing the best I can with my one strength session. What’s keeping me going is my 40-week streak on Tonal—how could I quit now? Even though I don’t feel like I’m hitting my full potential, it’s the best I can do right now. And honestly, I’m okay with that.
I used to have this all-or-nothing mindset when it came to fitness. But wow, was that exhausting—and so unproductive. Perfectionism can be crippling when you haven’t built the basic habits to sustain it.
So, if you’re struggling to live a healthier life, start simple. Build from there. Pick workouts that excite you—ones you’re eager to come back to. If you’re dreading them, it could be because they’re either too easy or so intense that your brain equates them with punishment.
Your health journey doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be linear. There will be zigs, zags, gains, losses—it’s all part of the process. The key is to just start and don’t stop. Progress, not perfection, is the goal. You’ve got this!
A Medical Blog by Dr. Megan Arielle 