Over the past few weeks, I have been reminded about how important balance is. Balance in our work lives, balance in our diets, our stress levels, our exercise programs, and in basically everything we do. Working in a gym for most of my career to date, I am often surrounded by people who struggle with finding their balance.
I’ve met people who train in the gym every single day. Every day. They even ask if we are open on Christmas Day. I meet people who eat a very clean and strict diet. Every day. All day. Every meal. I’ve work with people who are stressed about work constantly. They bring their phones into their training sessions (one of my biggest pet peeves!), they walk into and out of the gym with their ear pieces in talking to someone on the other end, and they go home and work all night … then repeat it 5-7 days a week.
WE NEED BALANCE, PEOPLE!
I’m so tired of people complaining that they don’t have time. We all have the same 24 hours in day, so the issue isn’t time. It’s priority. What are your priorities? If you want to go for a workout or go for a run, then you need to make time in your day for this to happen. I hear so many people say they didn’t have time to do something, yet they found time to go for a few wines after work and then binge-watch Netflix. They had time, but wine and Netflix was their priority. And that’s okay.
BECAUSE WE ALL NEED BALANCE.
Wine and netflix may not be the best use of time every day, but if it helps balance out a busy day, or a stressful week, then I would prioritize it too.
As a career, I work on people’s bodies. When I created Balanced Posture Online, my focus was on the physical: balancing out the muscles, creating equal strength and flexibility, and helping people regain balance with their function (and aesthetics). But what I’ve realised is that creating a balanced lifestyle is equally important.
As mentioned above, some people have let “life” take control away from them. They feel “too busy” for everything. When we get to this state, we are jeopardizing our health, our quality of life, and our overall happiness. Having worked with clients who are younger, older, and close to my age, I’ve noticed how this stressful lifestyle effects health, body composition, and psychological well-being at any age.
IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE
If you can bring some awareness to your life and try to identify what brings more stress, what brings more calm, and what brings more happiness, perhaps you can make some changes to help bring you more balance. For me, this involves walking to work. I’m fortunate enough to live about 5km from my work down the beautiful coast line of Western Australian – it doesn’t get much nicer! Walking to work is my time for me. I listen to podcasts, music, the wind and ocean, or just brainstorm ideas that I’d like to pursue. I always feel calm and motivated when I incorporate these walks into my work week. Some days I ride my bike, and some days I run. This helps me get some exercise in while I am also clearing my head. It’s a win/win for me.
MATCH THE EXERCISE TO THE OUTCOMES YOU WISH TO ACHIEVE
Again, it comes back to finding balance. For me, stress relief comes from low intensity exercise, such as my walk to and from work. For some people, they focus on yoga and meditation for stress relief. Others might enjoy running, cycling, or swimming. For those of us that might be running on empty and feeling more stress than calm in their lives, I recommend low intensity exercise that takes some focus. Yoga is generally a quiet practice that uses mental focus. Swimming can be soothing as you focus on your breathing and the rhythm. This can be beneficial for your physical health and mental health.
However, if you are in a constant state of stress with work and/or family affairs, sometimes exercise isn’t the best option. In particular high intensity activities. High intensity exercise is another form of stress your body needs to deal with, and can set you up for negative side effects. This is why it is important to listen to your body and be aware of your stress levels. Try to assess areas where you can increase happiness and calmness to balance it all out. Your body needs to rest and recover from exercise, so by smashing it out at the gym every day and not allowing enough down time, you may be doing more harm than good. It’s okay to take a few days off and find other ways to unwind…. such as getting to bed a few hours earlier.
LASTLY, WHAT IS A BALANCED DIET?
It is just that. Balanced. Everyone always asks “what is the perfect balanced diet?” There is no perfect diet for anyone. We are all unique and need to find what works best for us. What I do recommend is that you take a look at your diet over a 2 week period. Take notice of the days that are fairly healthy and full of rich, whole foods, and the days where you may have consumed way to many treats and/or alcohol. I am not a dietician, so I will not say what people can/should eat; however, sometimes a simple task of logging our intake can help give us perspective of where we can improve. If you notice a pattern of really busy days and poor eating habits falling on the same day, perhaps some meal prep and/or healthy dinner options ready ahead of time can help you achieve a more balanced diet. If you notice that your weekends end up being 3 days of poor food choices and greater alchohol consumption, then this can be an area that you can plan ahead for better options. Plan a social hike or walk rather than social drinks. Try to make a healthier brunch at home rather than going out. Again, it’s all about balance. A few treats and some wine are okay to enjoy. But if you are consuming poor food choices most days, and feeling crap about it, then its time to change,
THE GOAL IS TO CREATE A BALANCED LIFESTYLE WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF FUN, HAPPINESS, GOOD FOOD, WORK, STRESS, AND FAMILY.
