What is Balance???
- Mik
- Sep 22, 2018
- 6 min read
I'm sure you've seen and/or heard the term "balance" being used on social media at some point in time. If you haven't, have you been living under a rock?? JK, but not really because I swear it's plastered everywhere. You can't even scroll through your news feed without someone throwing the term around. Every fitspo is preaching his/her take on the idea of balance and how they live a balanced lifestyle. To be honest, the term balance infuriates me.
Some people mean no harm & are just trying to portray the importance of living a well-rounded lifestyle. I get it. Everything I stand for and preach revolves around living a healthy and happy lifestyle, but I still don't like the term balance and I don't use it myself anymore. Why Mik? I'll tell you why. The majority of the fitspos who are using the term balance are the FURTHEST thing from balanced. Now before I have a bunch of angry fitspos coming at me; SAVE YOURSELF THE TIME & DON'T (and if you are angry - you are likely guilty of feeling this way or acting this way, just sayinnn). Think what you want. Believe what you want. This is my platform & these are my beliefs. I will respect yours even if I may not agree with them & I would appreciate it if you would so kindly do the same. Okay now that I've put that out there, let's get back to it. Here's the tea.
Often times I observe fitspos (not all of them obviously, but a good chunk) justifying their actions by throwing the term balance into the equation. Lemme explain. For example... let's say Debbie (JUST AN EXAMPLE - sorry if a Debbie happens to be reading LOL) grinds all day everyday and decides to have a casual drink and eat's a bigger meal than she normally would. Now to a "normal person" thats probably just whatever, oh well, just another meal out, just another day type of deal. BUT, Debbie the fitspo may actually feel extremely guilty for this. She may feel like oh my gosh I lost all my progress. She may consider doing extra cardio to burn it off. She may say things like I gotta put those carbs to good use tomorrow. I don't need to eat as much today because I ate all that food yesterday. I gotta burn off all those extra cals from dinner last night. Those are all thoughts that may be left unsaid and/or felt. An example of one I saw just the other day was, "wow I most certainly didn't need to eat all that extra food but it was really yummy and I had an awesome workout because of it, so balance!!" Excuse me, WHAT DEBBIE??????
NO. That is not balance. Balance isn't doing more or eating less because you enjoyed yourself a little more than normal. Those thoughts are the furthest thing from balanced!!!! Those are disordered thoughts. If you can't see that those are irrational thoughts or make that unhealthy connection, HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM. So many people in the fitness industry preach one thing and think/feel the complete opposite. They preach things they don't actually practice. They tell you it's okay when they don't truly believe it's okay themselves. Don't get me wrong, I think that they truly want to believe it's okay, but they can't seem to bring themselves to see it through and carry it out themselves.
Do you wanna know what balance actually is??? The term balance is really just another way of saying, LIVING YOUR LIFE LIKE A NORMAL PERSON. It's about letting go of being in control 24/7. It's about allowing yourself to live a life outside of the gym. It's about giving yourself grace when you miss a gym sesh or ten because it meant making unforgettable memories with your friends and family (memories you would never be able to get back if you missed out). It's about allowing yourself to eat things that you normally wouldn't. Living your life means not worrying about excess calories once in a while. It's about being able to put away the food scale when necessary. It's about being able to go out to eat without looking up the menu prior. It's about being able to take time off of tracking macros to listen to your bodies natural signals. It's about being in tune with what your body needs/wants even when you have set goals (whether they be fitness or health related). It's about spontaneous drinks and meals with friends. It's about ordering the burger instead of the salad because that's what you are truly craving even though your mind may be trying to convince you otherwise. It's about living in the moment. It's called normalcy and it's what you were put on this earth to do.
Can you honestly sit here and say you truly do all of those things the majority of the time?? Be TRULY honest with yourself here. Being dishonest with yourself will only lead you down a dark path and create an even more vicious cycle. If you truthfully answered yes, I am proud of you. That's awesome and something to be so proud of. If you answered no, I am also proud of you friend!! What Mik, how does that possibly make you proud?? The fact that you were able to be honest with yourself and take a step back to realize you may be thinking/doing irrational things is a HUGE STEPPING STONE. It's something I am so proud of you for and something you should be proud of yourself for too. YOU CAN & YOU WILL achieve all of those things because you were able to be truthful with who you are and what you are doing.
Your past doesn't define your now. Your now doesn't define your future. You always have the chance to work towards becoming a better you. Your struggles may be a part of you but they are NOT you.
It's one thing if you are training for a competition prep. If you are on a competition prep then sacrifices must be made in order to bring your best possible package to the stage. If you are not competing then STOP being so serious. Stop restricting things you love because you think it'll mess up your progress or cause you to "get off track." Stop falling victim to comparing yourself to those who may live a very different lifestyle than you (in comparison to a competitor). Those competing are not living a maintainable or sustainable lifestyle and they are aware of that. They are preparing for a ONE time deal. They don't plan on trying to maintain that physique or lifestyle forever.
I am sick of terms like "getting back on track," "cheat meal, treat meal, free meal," "healthy versus unhealthy," "balance," yada yada yada. None of those terms scream healthy or happy lifestyle to me. They are justifying actions that are supposed to be NORMAL. They are categorization. They are the insinuation that you have done something wrong when you haven't at all. In fact, you've done everything RIGHT. You are living your life. You are practicing healthy habits. You are being rational. DIET CULTURE IS BS. Stop falling victim to it. Living your life is more important than food and fitness, ALWAYS (and if you don't feel that way, I highly encourage you to re-evaluate where your priorities are at).
My point being, be careful who you look up to. If you follow someone or look up to someone that makes you question your abilities, your worth, etc., unfollow them and stop that BS right in its tracks. YOU ARE ENOUGH. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE ENOUGH. The only people worthy of being in your life are the ones who inspire you to be better, encourage you to chase your dreams, and uplift you in more ways than one. Those who don't do those things are only going to hinder your true potential my friend.
Be careful with your words. Be conscious of your thoughts and actions. Treat yourself with kindness, compassion, and love. Pleasure eat. Eat for your health. Move your body some days. Be a sloth others. It's all apart of living healthily and happily my friend. It's normalcy. It's being a human. It's living a dang good life. One that you will look back on and be proud of.
Long story short, there's no such thing as balance. Live YOUR life, follow YOUR heart, do what makes YOU happy and what makes YOU feel good everyday. That's what your so called term"balance" really means.
Until next time,
Mik <3