Striking the Balance in Life 5 – Physical Exercise

For this fifth installment of this series of articles, where my main objective is to talk about the balance we must find in life, I’ll introduce a topic which many times is forgotten by some people, and by others it’s the absolute opposite. The truth is that this is a topic which is too important. I’m referring of including as part of our life a good dose of physical exercise.

About 15 years ago, when I was at the university starting my first semesters something started to worry my mind. I’ve never been skinny; in fact, I’ve usually had several extra pounds. Studying Systems and Computer Engineering I realized that I was heading in general, towards a career which didn’t require too much exercise and having a sedentary life. With this in my mind, plus my extra pounds and a bad family history of heart diseases, I realized I had to start doing exercise.

Since then, I’ve been doing some type of exercise in some form or another, quite constantly. I can’t say I’m a great sportsman nor the most constant one nor that I have accomplished my ideal weight. Actually this brings me a constant internal struggle where my continence knows exercise is important but my mind and body tell me otherwise. Nonetheless, for me this is an additional yet important activity I have to mix with my main tasks, which are my job and life with my family.

During the last year, my job as consultant and owner of Innovintergy Consulting, where I work helping companies to create their Technology and Internet Strategies under an Innovation Framework, the workload has increased exponentially and I’ve been quite busy and traveling often. This situation has forced me to relegate somewhat my exercise routines in the gym, which is my preferred physical activity. However, I’ve tried to walk whenever I can to compensate for this situation. Plus, to be more aware of my physical activities and even make it more fun, I purchased some Fitbit exercise trackers for my sister and myself.

I wanted to share with you this stories, because it’s common that people get immerse on their daily activities and neglect their health. The ideal is to do some exercise several times a week, maybe at a gym or by doing some type of sport. Also, you can look into some alternatives, like walking to your work and meetings instead of using a car or public transportation. Another simple idea is to walk up and down the stairs instead of using elevators.

I don’t care what you do or don’t, the main objective is that you can find equilibrium in your activities. So besides your job, remember you must balance your life with time for your family, couple’s life and regularly doing some exercise.

Image taken from Flickr.com