How to Achieve Balance in Even the Busiest Day

You get up at 6 am to pack your children's lunches, fix breakfast for the family, and get dressed for work. Then you've got to make sure the kids are properly dressed for the weather, check with your husband to determine his schedule, drop the kids off to school, and get yourself to the office.

There's always a full load of work awaiting you, so you have lunch at your desk (who has time to go out?!). Stressed and tired, you have an afternoon snack from the vending machine (your pick-me-up: a chocolate bar and diet Coke). On the way home, you stop off at the store for milk (you noticed you were running low at breakfast), pick up the clothes from the dry-cleaner, and return the children's overdue library books.

Then it's home to supervise homework, change your clothes, fix dinner, stop bedtime bickering between your kids, and talk with your husband about some unexpected health bills. You log onto your computer, email some friends and relatives, watch your favorite show, and finally turn out the light at midnight.

Six hours of sleep later, it's time to do it all over again.

At your next doctor's appointment, you learn that your blood pressure is high. And when the doctor suggests making time for yoga to "relax," you laugh. Maybe between 2 am and 3 am you'd have time....

How to achieve a balanced day? Try these tips:

1. Get to the gym early. Studies show that exercising BEFORE work is one of the best ways to keep your commitment to yourself. Talk with your husband and children about sharing all those morning tasks and ask them to help you to take care of yourself. And make that workout fun: try different classes, from yoga to dance to cycle classes!

2. Make time for a lunch break at the office. Even just taking ten minutes away from your desk to walk around the block can help lighten your mood and spirits. You could even walk to a nearby store and pick up a healthy afternoon snack, such as an apple and string cheese to replace that candy bar and soda!

3. Make detailed shopping lists on the weekend so that you don't have last-minute shopping - and try preparing meals ahead of time and freezing. You can free up your week nights by taking just an hour on the weekend to prepare meals and menus. Again, ask your husband and children to share the tasks, perhaps encouraging your children to do a "kids night to be chefs" menu once or twice a week. That way, you can free up evening time - and get enough sleep!