At aSweatLife we strive to equip you with tips, tools, workouts and events that help you live your best life. With all of the best advice in the world, it still requires you (yes, YOU) to personally motivate yourself to live “aSweatLife” – a life of exercising, eating healthy, sleeping and showing self-love, day after day (or at least, most days).

I’ll be the first to admit, it takes practice, perseverance and planning. You don’t just wake up one day and have your routine, your workout schedule and your nutrition figured out. You’ll fail a lot along the way but you’ll get back on track, down the path that makes you the BEST version of you.

Over the last few months I’ve been asked, “How do you do it?” “How do you teach four yoga classes a week, travel, train for races and work full-time?” It’s taken a lot of fine-tuning my routine by being very self-aware of what makes me feel good inside and out. So, I wanted to dedicate a post to sharing what’s helped me find that balance in the hopes that it will put you a step closer to living your best life … what we like to call “living aSweatLife.”

Tips to “Living aSweatLife”

I once learned from celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson that your best life is reliant on four categories: exercise, nutrition, hydration and recovery (aka sleep). His theory couldn’t have resonated with me more. If one of these four areas is out of whack, I feel off. Each day, it’s a balancing act of where I need to focus and what I need to do to make sure these four areas are in check.

Now, onto my best tips to find the energy and dedication to “live aSweatLife.” You’ll notice it’s not about grinding at the gym every single day or going on a starvation diet. Success lies in making small changes that add up over time to make you feel good. Once you feel good, the rest will come easier – exercising, waking up early and finding the energy to repeat it day after day.

Find your motivation.

This is a big factor in committing to a healthy lifestyle. Find something beyond vanity and weight loss that makes you want to create change in your life. For me, it was celebrating the ability to move; every day I remind myself how thankful I am that I can run, do yoga, bike and swim.

Set the tone.

Devise your healthy plans the night before to set the tone for your day. Pack your workout bag, set your alarm and go to sleep telling yourself “Tomorrow, I will make good decisions for myself.” It takes a lot of mental prep to commit to something. Using tools like a bullet journal can help you with that preparation. And be sure to give yourself enough time to let your commitment sink in and resonate. If I go to bed half-committed to a morning workout, guess what? It never happens.

Prioritize sleep.

Set an alarm for 9:30 or 10:00 pm every night and use it as your cue to go to bed. You can’t accomplish anything feeling sleep deprived all the time. Waking up tired is not fun. Do yourself a big favor and get 7-9 hours of sleep a night.

Avoid stress.

Stress wreaks more havoc on our overall well-being (and energy!) than we know. If running late stresses you out, commit to showing up early. If a looming, unfinished project is giving you anxiety, finish it so you can wake up and work out the next day. Tim Ferris, author of The Four-Hour Workweek, advises to ask yourself when looking at your to-dos, “If this were the only thing I accomplished today, would I be satisfied with my day?” He recommends blocking off two to three hours to work on it. That thing that’s weighing you down is usually the most important, so get it out of the way first. Pay attention to what is causing unnecessary stress in your life and take actionable steps to conquer it.

Make tiny changes.

Let go of the all-or-nothing mentality (which is really hard to do) and instead challenge yourself to make tiny changes every day. Over time, they do add up. I’ve started committing to moving in the morning, no matter what, whether that means just a walk, 10 minutes of core or a 10-mile run. Just get up and move.

Hydrate.

Purchase yourself a cute, new water bottle and hang on tight. Drinking water throughout the day is not only healthy for you, it helps you tackle your next workout. Hydration is key, so drink water. It’s free.

Be Present.

When life gets busy, take it task by task. Wake up, work out and focus on just that hour workout. Next move on to your morning meeting. Then tackle your to-do list. After work, wrap up and enjoy family time. Focus fully in each moment. A quote that was written on my second grade classroom wall and still sticks with me (seriously): “If you don’t have the time to do it right now, when will you have the time to do it later?” Slow down by staying present. You’ll realize you have more time than you know.

And taking it back to tip number two, if you’re setting the tone the night before, you’ll be well prepared and organized for your day ahead.

Repeat.

Keep chipping away. Set an intention and a plan for each day. No day is the same so be flexible. Create small goals that focus on exercise, nutrition, hydration and recovery (sleep) each day. Those four areas of focus will keep you feeling your best to wake up and work out the next day.

Feeling your best is a snowball effect. Start small and as you feel more energized and less stressed, you’ll start to chip away at bigger goals and make additional commitments to living your best life.