The Balancing Act: #STRONG2014 Spotlight

Work, family, your fitness goals….  Does trying to maintain balance feel like this? Most of us can answer YES!   

Stefanie Swanger joined #STRONG2014 with the goal to keep it all in balance.  

 In 2014 I will…..

Find my identity as an endurance athlete while balancing time for family (something that was lacking in 2013 the year of Ironman Florida). I will also get back down to pre baby weight, FINALLY!

I made this my 2014 goal because…

I totally rocked an ironman in 2013 but the training hours were long and left my husband a weekend single dad warrior of an infant /toddler.I am an endurance athlete but I haven’t found a way not to be controlled by a race distance. This is the year I will prove to myself that the race distance doesn’t define your success.

We’ve got the perfect person to help us achieve this goal.   Stefanie, we hope this helps you as much as it has us!

Chad Nikazy has one of our favorite  blogs  Tri Fatherhood – The Gentle Art of Balancing Marriage, Parenting, and Triathlon  and has been featured in Triathlete Magazine (see the full articles with great tips on this subject here & here).

Here are just some of Chads great tips:

1) Fit work-outs in early in the morning

2) Lunch hour work-outs are a great way to double up on your training days. (Tip from Chandi: For the moms with young ones at home – nap time is your friend!)

3) Treat weekends as family time. The weekends aren’t “yours.” That’s the sort of attitude that gets a lot of triathletes in hot water. Remember, even though you’ve been at work all week, you’ve still been absent from home. My personal goal is to be gone no longer than an hour or two after my family wakes up. Let the single, and the soon-to-be single, start their rides at 10 a.m.

 4) Stay awake. I’m certainly not suggesting staying up late, but try making it to 9:45 or so. Put your kids to bed, spend a few minutes talking about the day with your spouse, and then pass out cold (until 5 a.m.). And drink afternoon coffee. Lots of coffee.

Bottom line: Your family has to know that they are your top priority. You’ll earn points along the way by being flexible and can buy yourself extra weeknight group rides or an extra hour on the weekend here and there.

Chad Nikazy joined us for #STRONG2014 so you’ll be seeing more of Chad in the coming weeks!

We want to hear from you! 

What are your tips on balancing family, work, and triathlon?