We just returned from a week-trip to Bend, Oregon. We followed that up with a few days in Salem to support our athletes at Oregon 70.3.
Oregon is known for an outdoorsy lifestyle and we witness this first-hand during our recent trip to Bend. As it relates to living an active lifestyle, one thing was evident – the way in which communities and streets are designed.
How many times do you commute, run an errand or go somewhere that is less than 5 miles away? How many times do you drive a few miles in order to start a workout? How often do you ride a bike, other than for exercise?
There’s a good chance that you will say that it’s not safe to ride a bike where you live or to where you need to go. In many states, the prevalence of physical activity is higher in places where there is little to no access to safe or convenient places to be active – like community parks, sidewalks or trails.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease and Control), common barriers to physical activity include lack of time, limited social support, lack of motivation, fear of injury, high cost and lack of nearby facilities. While an individual makes the ultimate decision to or not to engage in an active lifestyle, community-level barriers can make this decision even more difficult.
I can’t get over the network of neighborhood greenways for walking and biking across Bend. Everywhere we went, there was a well-maintained (and wide) bike path. The bike paths connected so that you could essentially go anywhere by bike or foot. Cars stop at every crosswalk for walkers, runners and bikers. There are even off-road paths to play on throughout neighborhoods and alongside the paved trails. Kids are riding bikes, families are on bikes and people of all ages are on bikes. It was clear that Bend encourages and promotes healthy active living. There are also countless roundabouts, which promotes lower driving speeds and traffic calming, which made for better traffic flow and safe path crossing for pedestrians.
During our time in Bend, it was so easy to live our active lifestyle. The area was safe, the people were nice, there were dogs everywhere (usually off leash and well behaved) and people loved to be outside. We biked everywhere.
While it was easy to “fit in” during our train/race-cation, it got me thinking about the phrase “work hard, play hard.”
This saying refers to having a good work-life balance and prioritizing career growth and personal enjoyment. People who embrace this lifestyle want to develop healthy habits and make time for the activities they enjoy while feeling fulfilled with their career/work. Unfortunately, far too many people work way too hard at a career but never make (or find) the time for play. Did you know that, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center, that only 48% of US workers say they use all their allotted vacation days each year?
It's not uncommon to work too much and not enjoy life. Even if you love your job, you may find that there’s too much work to do and not enough time. Relationships suffer. You don’t sleep well. You aren’t present for loved ones. You miss out on opportunities. You are constantly stressed, anxious and overwhelmed. Your mind is frequently consumed with work-related thoughts. The American work culture rewards working long hours and constructing one’s identity closely around a career. But, at what cost?
I was speaking with our Airbnb neighbor in Bend and he was telling me about a trip that he and his family were about to go on. It involved camping, biking and hiking. He was also telling me about his job as an intensive care nurse. The owner of our Airbnb was hiking with her husband in the Dolomites (Italy).
If you are interested in adopting a work hard, play hard lifestyle, you may benefit from how other successful professionals maintain a healthy work-life balance.
1) Assess how you spend your money. Did you know the many people spend more than $300 a month on eating/ordering out? That’s over $3000 a year that could be spent on other activities. A budget can help you feel more in control of your finances and make it easier to save money for important things in your life – like travel and hobbies.
2) Assess how you spend your free time. Estimate how much time you spend on meaningless activities and how much time you spend on hobbies, activities and interests that bring you joy. This can help you make smarter decisions on how you spend your free time.
3) Make a list of your interests. Use your free time intentionally to create meaningful experiences outside of work. You may consider investing in a cleaning or lawn service to help free up your “free” time for more important activities and hobbies.
4) Schedule your work time and play time. Scheduling your playtime is important. Include meetings, projects and commuting in your work calendar but also block off time for play time outside of work.
5) Learn to say no. It’s hard not to feel bad about disappointing others or turning down team members but saying no to additional tasks (especially if you are at your max mental or physical capacity) can lead to burnout, anxiety and stress. Know your priorities. Saying no is not an excuse. Provide a sound reason for reaching your bandwidth and being unable to take on anymore tasks. And yes, not interfering with your free-time is a good reason to say no.
I want to encourage you to make the most of your one and only life. My dad passed away at the age of 67 years due to cancer. He enjoyed every day of his life. He had a lot of hobbies outside of his job as an optometrist. He was also very healthy and active. Life is short. Be sure to enjoy it.
To read more about our trip:
High Cascades 100 mile MTB Race Recap
Travel to Bend