All About Balance
The first thing I want to address that I believe is the most important aspect of health is that it is all about BALANCE. What I mean by that is that you can’t be perfect 100% of the time nor can you succeed by failing most of the time. You have to find a balance for yourself. I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum. One week you’re obsessively counting calories and literally cannot stand to miss a workout to the point where you cant sleep if you don’t get it in somehow. The next week, you’re eating your feelings in Dominoes pizza and red wine and haven’t worked out in 5 days, but don’t even care anymore. So, the question is, how do you find this balance?
The answer is that it’s all mental. You have to mentally train yourself to be ok with taking a rest day or having a chocolate chip cookie, but not giving up just because you took that break for yourself. To be honest, this balancing act is something that I have struggled with since the beginning of my own fitness journey and also something I see many of my clients struggle with. It’s a hard thing to do—pushing yourself when you don’t want to workout, but realizing when a rest day is necessary. Forcing yourself to have veggies and grilled chicken for dinner Monday through Friday, but then letting yourself go out for Mexican food with friends on Saturday and not feel bad about it on Sunday. I’m not saying go out every weekend and don’t feel bad about it because you “did good all week.” I’m saying, stick to your exercise and nutrition routine, but don’t kick yourself for slipping up every once in a while. It’s not going to ruin your chance at meeting your goals unless it becomes the majority of what you do.
You can’t learn “balance” in a day or a week. It takes time to develop that level of self-control, but just like anything else- practice makes perfect. So start small by controlling how much ice cream you eat for dessert once night or how long you spend working out. Another tip, make a plan. Plan out each week’s workouts and meals. If you know you’re not going to have time to workout on Wednesday then put that down as a rest day, or if you know you’re going out to eat at a burger place on Friday, then make sure you plan for healthy meals the rest of the week. My last tip, don’t overthink it. Being healthy is a lifestyle, not just one diet or one 12-week workout plan. It’s not going to be perfect, but just remember, you got this.