BALANCE and How to Enjoy a Sustainable Way of Eating
You hear the word “balance” all the time:
Work-life balance
Balanced eating
“How do I balance all of this?”
“I just want balance!”
“It’s all about balance”
And it got me thinking…how do I define balance? And how can my definition of balance help YOU enjoy a sustainable way of eating?
To me, balance has FIVE distinct meanings, and these meanings can help you enjoy a sustainable way of eating that is realistic, doable, and leads to lasting results.
Let’s break ‘em down:
BALANCE #1
Balance means eating in a way that fuels your body and brain for great energy, mood, focus, sharpness, productivity, and movement.
BALANCE #2
Balance means optimizing your blood sugar throughout the day for you to experience a boost in mood, energy, focus, and fat loss.
Both WHAT we eat and WHEN we eat are key components to balancing your blood sugar.
BALANCE #3
Balance means that there’s no such thing as “good” foods and “bad” foods.
The day I stopped labeling foods as good and bad, counting calories and calculating my macros, and weighing myself every day (or multiple times per day), is the day I FELT FREE and EASY around food.
When you’ve discovered and embraced the feeling of food freedom, and enjoy food for how it nourishes your cells and your soul….you’ve found balance.
BALANCE #4
Balance means being a mindful, intuitive eater.
Balance means being in tune with your body’s hunger and fullness cues, eating when you’re politely hungry and stopping when you’re gently full.
It’s honoring your body and soul for what you *really* want and need that day, and that moment.
It means trusting yourself and your body to eat what it needs to feel your best (your best mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually).
It means knowing that a “perfect” diet is NOT having a perfect diet.
BALANCE #5
Balance is giving your body wholesome, nourishing food that helps you feel your best.
The beauty of this type of balance is that how and what you nourish your body with to feel your best will differ for everyone based on food preferences, culture, lifestyle, and activity.
HOW BALANCE CAN HELP YOU ACHIEVE A SUSTAINABLE WAY OF EATING
Without ANY ONE of these definitions of balance, you won’t achieve lasting results.
You won’t feel your best.
You won’t be eating in a way that is realistic, sustainable, and helps you thrive.
That’s because LASTING results require you to free yourself from counting calories, tracking macros, weighing yourself, labeling foods, and worrying about how you look.
None of those strategies will allow you to have a SUSTAINABLE way of eating that helps you feel your best.
They always backfire.
You’ll gain the weight back (and more)…
You’ll feel stressed and overwhelmed…
You’ll teach your mind that you can’t trust your body…
Remember that your self-worth is not tied to the number on the scale.
My encouragement to you:
Eat in a way that fuels both your body AND soul
Release yourself from the handcuffs of tracking, counting, weighing, and labeling
Trust your body and intuition
Tune into what you need to feel your personal best
Define exactly how you want to feel long-term and nourish yourself accordingly
What are your definitions of balance?
And which one do you need the most support with?
