This is me in the landing of the split jerk at 95# – a PR.

I love the look on my face in this photo. I make some of the weirdest faces when I throw weight above my head.

This photo was taken a few weeks ago during my Olympic Lifting class. I haven’t been writing about my workouts for the past few months, but I’ve been going strong. I think it’s kept me sane.

Work picked up pretty dramatically in April and May, and everything started to change. In order to find more time in the day, some of my daily routines — mobility, writing, sitting down on the couch for a few minutes just to talk with Andy — fell to the wayside. They were replaced with sitting at my computer to work.

It’s only been in the past few weeks that I’ve been able to find a better balance — one that allows me to take care of myself.

It’s pretty crazy how it sneaks up on you — how one day you suddenly realize that one part of your life has taken over. For me it was work. It was all-consuming. I’m still busy (don’t ask me if I’ve seen any TV shows, because I have no time to watch ANYTHING), but I’m not quite as exhausted as I was feeling when work was most stressful and time-consuming — so that has to mean something, right?

Fortunately, one part of my routine never changed. Workouts. In fact, about a month ago, I decided my pants were a little too tight, so I started paying better attention to what I was eating and I added weekend workouts at home back into my routine.

It’s helped. I’m not feeling nearly as anxious as I was before. It’s also helped to give my daily routine structure. I feel better working within a schedule. For some reason it helps me focus.

And that’s been my rule. I don’t check work email when I’m at my workout, whether it’s at the gym or on the back porch. When I start the warmup, I’m in the workout zone. Nothing else matters. Work can wait.

What do you do to focus? I’d love to hear your thoughts….