Balance in a Society of Extremes
In America it seems that we live in a culture of extremes.
Go big or go home.
All in.
Now or never.
But when it comes to wellness— is taking an extreme approach really the most beneficial? Encouraging balance through an integrated approach to living is best. At Aspen Wellness, we believe that cultivating a lifestyle of total wellness comes through a combination of eating well, moving well and being well. This level of balance looks differently from woman to woman. Because we each have differing needs, it’s important to understand that maintaining balance is not about devoting equal amounts of time, energy or space to a specific area of wellness. It’s about finding a place of unique equilibrium that leaves feelings of fulfillment and satisfaction with the added bonus of vitality.
Balance in eating
The number one way to promote balance in a diet is by focusing less on calories and quantity with more attention to quality and nutrients.
Macronutrients are those large-scale categories of foods that provide everyday nourishment so that our bodies can survive and (hopefully) flourish with health.
Macronutrients are the body's source of calories. They provide energy to fuel life processes within the body (1). Carbohydrates, proteins and fats make up the three macronutrient categories and each group provides a unique contribution to the function of bodily systems. In order to maintain adequate nutrition and execution of the primary tasks within the body, a delicate balance must be found. In general, our bodies function as a systemic unit with specific foods impacting specific functions but as stated, each body is different in its exact needs. Click for more on macronutrients.
Once the meal is prepared, finding balance and executing self-regulation during a meal (especially on holidays and special occasions) can be a daunting task.
Frequent overeating is linked to binge eating, poor digestion, feelings of guilt and worry about body size (2).
Leptin, a regulating hormone, directly influences appetite and weight control. This hormone has the responsibility of telling the body when it is “full” after eating a meal. When levels of this regulating hormone are low, there is sure to be difficulty with curbing appetite and executing moderation. Being sure to get adequate sleep will help to increase the presence of leptin in the body as sleep is the primary time when it is replenished (3).
Did you know? Since the 1960s the average American plate size has increased by 36%. In Europe the average plate is 9 inches while American restaurants typically use plates around 13 inches. Studies show that people are more satisfied with less food when they are served on 8 inch salad plates instead of on 12 inch dinner plates (2). According to research from Cornell, when switching from a larger dinner plate to a smaller salad plate you’ll eat 22% less food (4).
Try dividing your meals into 6 smaller meals throughout the course of the day. Whether you tend to overeat when you sit down to dinner or find it difficult to make time for eating throughout the course of your busy day, planning to consume smaller meals is the perfect solution.
Balance in movement
Choose to make 50% of your workouts cardiorespiratory and 50% of your workouts strength training. It definitely makes it simple to figure out if you exercise 4 times per week. If it's realistic for you to workout once per week, then spend 50% of the time you have during that one workout on cardio and 50% on strength. If you choose 3, 5 or 7 times per week, then your ratio might look more like 2 days cardio to 1 day strength, 3 days cardio to 2 days strength or 4 days cardio to 3 days strength.
When it comes to planning the duration and intensity of your workout you must take note of your current level of activity so you don’t overexert yourself.
Sedentary: Little to no exercise. Typically involves a lot of time sitting at a desk or watching television and activity performed during daily routine is low-intensity.
Lightly active: Someone who engages in light exercise or sports 1-3 days per week.
Moderately active: Moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days per week.
Very Active: Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days per week and your heart is working at maximum efficiency.
Extremely Active: Hard daily exercise or sports plus physical labor job with your heart working at maximum efficiency.
Cardio workouts should hover around 30 minutes in length, but with varying activity intensity depending on your current level of activity. If you find yourself on the sedentary end of the spectrum then performing 30 minutes, once or twice per week, at a lightly active level of intensity is sufficient until you build greater stamina. If you are more lightly or moderately active, you can push yourself a bit more into a moderate range of exertion and a higher frequency throughout the week.
One key test that you can give yourself is the “Talk Test”. While performing your cardiorespiratory workout, state a phrase out loud. Listen to how “breathy” it sounds. Easy to speak? Continue on. Difficult to speak? Slow it down.
Balance in a fitness routine is hard to find when your body doesn’t seem to be cooperating.
Adrenal fatigue (Addision’s disease in its most severe form) is a very bothersome condition, and although not often tested or recognized by medical practitioners, it’s effects can be debilitating. Most adrenal fatigue is caused by excessive long-term stress and although most blood tests on adrenal function don’t show abnormal hormone levels, chronic stress can impact those “fight or flight” glands (adrenals) to the point of complete exhaustion.
Adrenal exhaustion may exhibit as symptoms such as low energy level, difficulty waking in the morning, feeling fatigued upon waking, reduced ability to withstand emotional pressure, cravings for salty foods, inability to function without caffeine, increased PMS symptoms, low sex drive, thinning hair, dizziness, difficulty making decisions and inability to focus on a given task (4).
And when it comes to building a balanced exercise routine with adrenal exhaustion, experts say DON’T. Light exercises such as yoga, stretching or slow walks are reasonable every other day. Overexertion comes quite quickly when struggling with adrenal fatigue and consistent, heavy exercise can actually worsen symptoms and cause more damage.
What’s next?
For more on building a macronutrient rich meal head to the Aspen Wellness Pinterest boards or check out suggestions for balanced movement found in our Resource Portal.
Click to view our fitness & nutrition disclaimer.
References
Essentials of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals. (2012). Macronutrient Structure and Function
Dinner Plates: Size Matters! (2012, October 15). Retrieved from https://eatouteatwell.com/dinner-plates-size-matters/
Colbert, D. (2008). Stress less. Lake Mary, FL: Siloam.
Small Plate Movement. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://rightpathfitness.co.uk/small-plate-movement/