--- title: "Women Can Have It All, Just Not at the Same Time" entity: "blog" canonical_url: "https://www.drgri.com/blog/women-can-have-it-all-just-not-at-the-same-time" markdown_url: "https://www.drgri.com/llms/blog/women-can-have-it-all-just-not-at-the-same-time" lastmod: "2026-11-04T14:42:40.000Z" --- There's a conversation I've been having with quite a few of the women I work with lately, and it's about this idea of being able to have it all. I genuinely believe women can have it all, we just can't necessarily have it all at the same time. I've been thinking about this in my own life recently because there's one goal I've been trying to achieve since my 20s: learning to play the guitar. I've picked it up and put it down at least six times over the years. This September, with my youngest starting school full-time, I thought I'd finally have the time to give it another go. Except here I am in November, and the guitar is back in its case! What I've realized is learning to play the guitar isn't just about finding time for a weekly lesson. It requires regular practice, and I haven't been willing to make room for that practice by giving up other things that matter to me right now. I love my morning workouts. I value my quiet time in the evenings, and between work, family and the kids' activities, life is pretty full. Could I find time to practice? Probably. Would it mean shifting some of my other priorities? Absolutely. Learning to play the guitar is still something I want to do, but this isn't the season of life when I want to make it a priority. ## When Your Health Goals Compete With Everything Else I see a similar challenge with patients who have goals around weight loss, building strength or improving their health. Many are balancing demanding careers, families and plenty of other responsibilities. They genuinely want to make changes, but sometimes the expectations they've set for themselves don't quite match the time and energy they have available. For example, someone might want to lose weight, start strength training three times a week, cook more meals at home and improve their sleep. These are all worthwhile goals, but each requires some combination of time, energy, planning and consistency. When life is already full, trying to tackle everything at once can become overwhelming. One thing I often talk about with patients is thinking of our lives like a pie. We each get to decide how we divide it up, but there are only so many slices to go around. Adding something new often means making a little less room for something else. For someone navigating perimenopause, working full-time and raising a family, making time for regular strength training might mean adjusting other priorities. For someone going through a particularly demanding period at work or at home, maintaining their weight, keeping up with regular movement or prioritizing sleep might be a meaningful accomplishment. ## Maybe It's Not About Wanting It Badly Enough If you're having a hard time reaching a goal you've set for yourself, consider looking at it from a different perspective. Rather than questioning whether you're capable or trying hard enough, ask yourself whether there's room in your life's pie for this goal right now. If there isn't, are you willing and able to make that room? Sometimes that means shifting your priorities. Sometimes it means changing what success looks like for this season of life. Either way, it doesn't mean giving up on the things you want. I still fully intend to learn how to play the guitar. I'm just recognizing that, for now, there are other things I'm choosing to prioritize. When the time is right, I'll pick it up again. I believe women can have it all. We just don't have to pursue it all at the same time. ## Need Support Working Toward Your Health Goals? If you're working toward better health, improved body composition or better metabolic health, the right strategy should consider not only what you want to achieve, but also what your life can realistically support right now. Through [The Metabolic Method™](/holistic-weight-loss-program), I help women identify what matters most for their health and develop personalized strategies that fit their lives, rather than expecting them to fit their lives around a program. Ready to figure out where to focus your efforts? [Learn more about working with me or book an appointment](/booking).