On The Balance Of Things, How Important Is It?

Balance, it’s a significant point that seems to be mentioned less and less. A lot of what is promoted, today, is pedal to the metal, one hundred percent constant and no days off type action. As we welcome in the New Year, and you start setting your goals and go back to the gym to work on your health and fitness, balance is an essential aspect that should be discussed and considered more. It’s not all just about the bench press or squats, a key element to figure in to it all as in life in general is balance.

So why is balance important?

As the first of January hits, the gyms start to bulge and buzz with more people than the building itself can handle. It’s great. It simply means more people are working on themselves and taking care of their health, wellness and fitness. Come mid-February or March time, the gyms start to seem a little bit less busy and looking around, you may see that many of the new faces are no longer there anymore.

To many, it will be a blessing. The regulars will be relieved that the gym floors won’t be so busy anymore and that the waiting time for each piece of equipment will reduce. To be fair, I even get a bit more relieved. But along with the feelings of relief and elation, I still want as many people as possible to be there because I’m happy that they’ve chosen to work on their health and fitness. I believe that everyone can benefit from it in many aspects of life.

There are a few reasons why many people discontinue, but I think that balance plays a big part. Balance is essential even for the most seasoned lifter, whether it means a balanced diet, balanced routine, balanced training. Everything has a balance to it. To get the most out of it, balance is sort of the scale that sets up the correct path. It gets easier to figure out the right balance as you go. But I feel that it’s the imbalance or lack of it’s consideration that people start their journey with that can cause it peter out and the individual to eventually give up.

There is no question that consistency plays a huge role in achieving your goals. And you will often hear people swearing by it, saying consistency is the key. They will tell you that if you want to achieve your goals, you have to be consistent which is true. But even in consistency there is the fact that there must be balance. To be consistent, you have to discover or work for a positive balance.

You will need to think about the importance of your health and fitness, and balance that with the rest of what is going on in your life and your commitments. You will need to balance how much energy you can give to it and how much time it can take away from all those things you love to do more. If you go too hard right off the bat and over commit yourself, it could backfire and cause you to lose interest or stop caring enough to even try.

At the same time, you don’t want to take it too easy. You do want to get out of your comfort zone. You do want to push yourself and raise the intensity. Again, this comes back to balance. Not to overcommit, but still push yourself and continue to push yourself so that you don’t level off on either side of things. Figuring out how much time and energy you can afford to set aside for it, will be a key in keeping it consistent.

The truth is though that it won’t happen overnight. Just as the results themselves take time, so too will striking the right balance. But it will be key to the longevity and sustainability of your journey and therefor your results. It will help with your consistency. Hence, it’s important to consider it when you start because it will set you on the path of finding the right balance. This in turn will help you be consistent, give a good amount of energy to it without shirking away from your other responsibilities, achieve your goals, and who knows, maybe even enjoy it.

Balancing fitness as well as life in general can be challenging. I’ve been training for years, and I still find myself considering and working on the balance. It will change as life changes, so the important thing is just to keep it in mind, include it in your thoughts, routine, and planning. It will help you achieve what you want and most importantly live better and feel better not just in the gym.