Balancing Fitness and Life
Tags: beginners, codenewbie, tutorial, discuss
Published: 2022-02-06 11:53:22

Welcome back to blog #3 folks! This will be my 3rd article for the awesome [#2Articles1WeekChallenge](https://hashnode.com/challenge/2articles1week)! If you missed the last two, I can point you to [blog #1](https://codewithfan.hashnode.dev/transitioning-from-the-army-into-tech) and [blog #2](https://codewithfan.hashnode.dev/three-weeks-and-beyond-with-100devs). Thanks for stopping by! 

Learning how to code and staying on track with your fitness goals are not the easiest things to do, especially juggling 1000 other responsibilities in life. I have experimented a couple ways on how to do this, and found what method works for me. Let's dive into how I balance fitness in my life!

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## The Mindset and Purpose

I don't like to coin the phrase “working out” because it's not what I'm doing. I “train” five times a week. Looking in the mirror and telling myself I *train* results in a purpose. I train because I want to relieve stress, improve my physical appearance, and most importantly, my performance. 

Creating my why and purpose helps me to stay focused on the training program. If you approach anything in life with a purpose, you will build resiliency to accomplish anything. 

## Creating a Plan

I found my why, next step is creating a plan. This process includes setting the days I train at the gym and the program I am going to execute for the next few months. Currently, I am following a program called [CrossLift by Obi Vincent](https://www.youtube.com/c/ObiVincent), which incorporates a bit of Bodybuilding and CrossFit. 

The program  lays the foundations of guides, exercises, sets, and reps I will conduct. There are plenty of resources you can grab a program from. The hard part is finding that plan and starting.

## Keeping Track

To track my progress, I keep it simple. [Google Keep](https://keep.google.com/u/0/) is my best friend when tracking my progress. Before every training day, I go into Keep and type the exercises I'm doing that day. No magic trick and no fancy app. You can find various workout trackers online. Pick one to your liking.


![Screen Shot 2022-02-06 at 2.51.32 PM.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1644126706181/7mLQV6fge.png)

## Consistency

I'll admit, the first week of the training program I am doing was hard. It involved finding my 1 rep max on compound movement such as back squats, bench press, deadlift, and front squat to name some examples. This is the period of, “Do I really want to do this?”. 

Staying committed and going to the gym even on days I don't feel like it resulted in me feeling good the day after, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Making that small deposit of good habits compound into a big result at the end of the tunnel. 

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## Finding FUN

If you don't enjoy the process of training, you won't have fun in the journey. If you don't enjoy forcing your body into a stressful situation of pressing weight heavier than you, you will hate the journey. I find enjoyment in squatting a heavier weight than I did one month. I feel happy when I'm able to conquer a difficult metabolic conditioning exercise such as burpees, rowing, and push pressing all in one set. 

The feeling of seeing and feeling the fruits of your labor in the gym, is an addicting feeling. 

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## Conclusion

Today, we covered some methods I use to stay on track with fitness and life. If you are able to take away something from this article, do share your thoughts!

Thanks for reading and let's [connect](https://twitter.com/codewithfan)!