It’s been a hectic couple of months in our household. Between a sick baby (twice), planning a big birthday party, juggling personal issues, and managing work, life has been all over the place. We didn’t just skip workouts—we didn’t work out at all. Our meal prep disappeared, and we were just doing our best to make it through the day.

But now, we’re ready to refocus and take ownership of our health and well-being. After reflecting, we’ve realized that everything starts with meal prep. When we plan and prep our meals, it sets the tone for the entire week, making it easier to stay on track even when life gets chaotic.

Rebuilding with Meal Prep as Our Anchor

For us, meal prep has become more than just a time-saver—it’s the anchor for how well we do during the week. If we get our meal prep done on Sunday, it’s a good indicator that the week will go smoothly. When our meals are ready, we avoid unhealthy takeout, and we have more energy to stay active and focused.

Our routine has become pretty efficient too, thanks to some key tools. Now that we’ve got a Blackstone griddle, which we bought for the birthday party, I’m able to cook all of our breakfasts on one surface in about 30-45 minutes. I prep breakfast into individual containers, which makes mornings quick and stress-free.

At the same time, I marinate chicken thighs and tenders and grill them for 8 minutes per side on a gas grill. While I’m outside, I’ve got an Instant Pot going with jasmine rice. The chicken and rice go into big glass containers, and when lunch or dinner rolls around, we just pull out what we need. We either heat it up or toss the protein on a salad. Keeping things like frozen veggies on hand also gives us variety and makes meals flexible without feeling repetitive. And we’ve been loving kimchi from our local farmers market—it’s a great way to mix in something flavorful and healthy.

This meal prep routine keeps us flexible with lunches and dinners. It’s not rigid, so we don’t get tired of eating the same things over and over. When we prep, it feels like we’re setting ourselves up for success, no matter what the week throws at us.

Striving for Our Best While Staying Flexible

We know we won’t always be perfect, but we’re committed to doing our best, even when life gets busy. One way we’re doing that is by making sure we’re prepared. Our workout bags are packed, our meals are prepped, and everything is in place so that we can slip in a workout whenever we have a pocket of time.

With a baby in the mix, flexibility is key. Some nights, she sleeps right through the night, and we wake up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Other nights, she’s awake at 3 a.m., wanting to play, and we’re left exhausted. But rather than getting discouraged, we’ve decided to give ourselves some grace. We’ve learned that every week has seven days—so if we miss a workout one day, we can find another time later in the week or even shift it to the next day.

It’s important to remember that it’s not always stress and exhaustion with the baby. She’s incredibly silly and loves making us laugh. In those moments, even if she wakes us up early, we’re just happy to enjoy time with her. It’s a reminder that even when things feel overwhelming, there’s so much joy in the chaos.

I talked about this in my post “Reflections on My First Year as a Dad“, where I reflected on how kids never stick to your schedule. “Just when you think you’ve got a routine down, they find a way to mix things up. It can feel frustrating when everything seems to fall apart after you’ve worked so hard to make things smooth. But then, there are those heart-melting moments that make it all worth it.”

Home Workouts and Prioritizing Health

We’ve also decided to bring our fitness home. While I used to have a gym membership, I’ve realized that I prefer the flexibility of working out at home. We’ve got a pretty decent setup—dumbbells, kettlebells, a bench, treadmill, bikes, and more. Soon, I’ll be finishing out our barn, and that’s going to be our dedicated workout space.

Having everything we need at home has given us more opportunities to work out when we can. Whether it’s a quick session with kettlebells or hopping on the treadmill, we’re trying to make sure fitness is a part of our daily routine. It’s given us a new goal to work toward together as a family, and it means sometimes saying no to social events to prioritize our health. But it’s worth it. We feel so much better when we’re in the mindset of being fit.

Rebalancing: A Constant Part of Life

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that rebalancing is a constant part of life, especially when you’re balancing family, work, and personal goals. Systems that worked one week might fall apart the next, but that’s okay. What matters is being aware of when things need to be adjusted and making a conscious effort to get back on track.

I wrote about this in my post “Getting Back to It”, where I talked about the challenges of finding your rhythm again. “Getting back on the horse may be hard… but as long as you power through and show up, that routine will stick.” It’s a reminder that even when we fall off track, we can always come back to our goals and start fresh.

Refocusing and Moving Forward

Moving forward, we’re giving it our 100% effort. We’re holding ourselves accountable to keep meal prep going, stick with our home workouts, and prioritize our health and well-being. It won’t always be easy, but we’re committed to showing up for ourselves and each other. Life will throw curveballs, but as long as we keep our focus and adjust when necessary, we’ll keep moving toward our goals. We feel better when we’re fit, and that’s what we’re working for—progress, not perfection.