The Problem With Making It “All About Balance”
“It’s all about balance!” I’d post on Instagram beneath a sweaty Boomerang of a friend and I repeatedly clinking our post-workout mimosa glasses.
For the longest time, I thought that balancing my mimosas with a workout was not only harmless, but healthy. So, I carried the mindset with me in nearly every social situation I encountered: balancing out dessert with a plain dinner salad, an ice cream cone with a walk around the neighborhood, an indulgent weekend with a “clean” food week.
In retrospect, I now see that what I thought was bringing me health and wellness was actually bringing me stress and anxiety. In an effort to achieve “balance,” my mind was in fact very imbalanced because I was almost always thinking about food and exercise. More specifically, I was always thinking about what I was going to eat and how I was going to cancel it out.
And the pressure to “cancel out” not just what I ate but what I’d do for fun took a huge toll on me. Over time, it made the fun less fun. I was either forcing myself to workout before indulging with loved ones so I could “earn” it, or worse, forcing myself to workout after as a punishment.
Obviously, for me, trying to achieve “balance” in this way wasn’t sustainable. But it’s that exact word that helped me to turn things around and develop a lifestyle that was just that: sustainable.
I stopped seeing my life as 24 hour windows in which I had to remain perfectly balanced, and instead, I started seeing my life for what it was. A life that hopefully spans many decades. A life that I want to get the most out of. A life meant to be lived.
Of course, to live a long, healthy life, it’s important for me to prioritize proper nutrition and regular movement. And to get the most out of life as possible, it’s equally important for me to prioritize and enjoy the champagne at my best friend’s wedding celebration, the cake at my sibling’s birthday, the dinners out on family vacation, the shared dessert on date night with my husband, or the gooey slices of pizza on a night in.
In my effort to lead a long, healthy, fulfilling life, exercise and nutrition is the how, and those people and those moments are the why. I now eat well and move regularly not to punish myself but so I can soak up as much of those people and those moments as possible.
Over time, I no longer strived to cancel those moments out. Instead, I began to want to wake up, fuel my body with nourishing foods, and exercise so I can continue to be a part of those moments again, again, and again. Bonus: not only do I enjoy those moments, but I enjoy eating well and exercising, too!
If you’re thinking to yourself, “I wish I could enjoy eating well, exercising, and socializing,” you’re not alone. Not only did I help myself get there, but many other clients of mine as well. Click here to schedule a complimentary consultation and to learn more about how my programs may be able to help you, too.
