Finding Balance

Today, in honor of the Vernal Equinox--when the day and night come into perfect balance--I'd like to talk to you about finding balance. We are all striving to improve. We want to improve our diets, our fitness levels, our skin, our health, our attractiveness, our happiness, etc. And often, in the pursuit of becoming "better," we lose the balance in our lives.

Of course, it's admirable to focus on your health. It's a good idea to improve your diet. It makes sense to work on becoming more fit, stronger, and more flexible. But you can take any one of these ideas too far.

Maybe you need to lose weight. That's a fine goal. But how you go about losing weight is key. Your weight loss plan might increase your chances of getting healthier. But it could also end up making you sicker.

Many times, people try to lose weight too quickly. This will inevitably lead to problems. Fast weight loss might mean that your body is becoming dehydrated, because it is impossible to lose fat very quickly. It is much more likely you are losing water and/or muscle! Slow and steady weight loss is much safer and healthier.

Another problem with losing weight is an obsession with food, calories, fat grams, nutrients, or any other aspect of planning a diet. The problem is the obsession. The diet itself might be fine, but it is never good enough for the person obsessed. There is no room for thoughts of other things. Anorexics may have this type of obsession. This person needs professional help in order to change their thinking about food.

People who obsess over fitness can go overboard with their workouts. While the initial idea of becoming fit is great, this person goes too far. Strenuous workouts on a daily basis can end up breaking the body down, injuring muscle tissue, and will eventually cause illness. Symptoms of over-training include constant muscle soreness, insomnia, exhaustion, depression, irritability, and sickness. Instead of making it stronger, too much exercise will actually weaken the body.

These are just a couple of examples of ways we might find ourselves moving away from balance. While choosing nutritious foods is wonderful, an obsession with diet is not. Going to an exercise class is great, but pushing your body to the point of over-training is a mistake. Finding balance means aiming for just enough of what you need: enough nutritious foods and enough treats, enough exercise and enough rest.

On this day of balance, take a look at your life and see what is balanced and what is out of balance. Maybe you need to add more relaxation? Maybe you need more chocolate? Figure out how to bring your body and mind into balance.