My sister Helen lives around the corner from my place, and in the past couple of weeks she has been in between contracts, so I have been hanging out with her more then usual. We haven't been doing anything special, just breakfast and going to the gym together and she has been helping my with the taxi duties of driving the kids around.

Yesterday I drove across town to participate in one of Liz Nelson's RPM classes, and Shelley and I sat next to each other while Liz gave the class a thorough spanking. After class Liz and I had a coffee, then I drove home and had lunch with my Helen and Charlotte. This morning I have 9am walk followed my breakfast with another girlfriend.

To chase your dreams and goals you often need to travel and live away from your family and friends, and even when you are still in the same city, commitment to a lifestyle or career can put a distance between you and the people who mean most to you. It is so easy to get too tired and lazy to call, and it is not until you reconnect with your girlfriends that you realise how good it is for you.

Life balance is really where it is for me, and this is what my girlfriends give me. We laugh, we eat, we play, we talk about life and our ups and downs. I can rely on them to congratulate me on my achievements but also to give it to my straight when it is needed. Talk about stress release.

Being strong and beautiful requires you to train, eat well, supplement appropriately, stress less, and have great quality sleep. However this is a reminder to me more than anyone, that all these things can create a balanced environment, but if you don't have friends to share with there really is no point to it.

Lisa