As with everything, there needs to be a healthy balance in life — not confusing balance with moderation. Both have very different meanings — one is vital and works and the other is a misconception and doesn’t work.
Balance:
“Keeping or showing a balance and consistency in good proportions.” Rob Hourmont
Meaning: Keeping things in balance with each other. How much you eat, exercise, rest, and play. All activities should align, allowing your body and mind to be balanced, stress-free, and healthy.
Moderation:
“The avoidance of excess or extremes.”
Everything in moderation? That saying doesn’t work. Who knows what moderation is anyway? Where’s the magic line in the sand that says you’re now in excess?
There isn’t one — everyone has a different perception of moderation and positioning of their goalposts.
For example, you can’t practice balance in moderation — you must find and always exercise it.
You can’t eat junk food in moderation and expect a good outcome.
The importance of sleep and rest are often ignored, while exercise is pushed yet can slowly ruin your heart
1- Why do sleep and rest get such a bad rap and are reduced to the bare minimum?
2 – And on the other hand, why do folks push themselves to exercise more and harder?
It’s a complex phenomenon that is the result of addiction and misconception.
If you think 4 hours of sleep is sufficient and have no time to rest during the day, you don’t understand the function and importance of sleep and rest.
Sleep: During sleep, your body works to support healthy brain function and maintain physical health — rebuilding your cells.
Please read:
Why is Sleep so Important? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
If you believe you must exercise hard in the gym daily to stay fit and never miss a day no matter what, you’re deceiving and misleading yourself.
You’ve become a “gymoholic” and addict.
You can’t stop until you must when you hit that brick wall called exhaustion and burnout.
Mantras and messages send your brain down this misleading lane:
“I’ll never let anything make me miss my gym time.”
“Missing one session is bad; missing two is unacceptable.”
“If you don’t train hard daily, how do you expect to lose weight and get fit and muscular?
The truth looks a little different:
1. None of the above are correct approaches to fitness and health. Instead, you’ll slowly harm your heart due to the excessive amounts of cortisol (our stress hormone) you’ve pumped into your heart.
2. You don’t lose weight in the gym — that’s a myth. You can build more or stronger muscles, but exercise does little for weight loss.
3. The weight loss process primarily happens in the kitchen with the food you make and eat.
Taking breaks, missing sessions, or even better, not scheduling them is the most efficient and effective way to exercise.
The effects of lack of sleep & rest
Lack of sleep will eventually catch up with you and bite you in the butt:
- Weakening immune system and falling sick
- Lacking focus and patience
- Easily irritable
- Increased stress
- Elevated blood pressure
- Headaches and migraines
- Cardiovascular diseases or strokes can occur
- Weight gain
- Insulin resistant = Type 2 diabetes
I’m guilty of all of the above myself.
In the past, I used to train every day and not care how little I slept. That pattern didn’t go too well for me. I gained almost 100 lbs., and I had a stroke.
Was this only due to overexercising and lack of sleep? No, I ate terrible food too. The 3 combined are lethal to your health.
Staying up late working or playing and getting up early isn’t good for your health or wealth.
You’ll burn out, lose your health, and you won’t be much good at making money either!
1 – Slow life down and chill out more! That’s your best bet to live a long and healthy life.
2 – Stop overexercising, overworking, overthinking, overeating, and generally overdoing everything.
Please read my related health story here:
“Eating Fat Makes You Fat, and Dieting Alone Won’t Lead To Weight Loss!”
Final Thoughts
Get more sleep and rest.
Stress and exercise less — doing less, but doing it right is more!
Find and keep your balance in life. Your body and mind will thank you, and so will your family, as you may live longer.
Rob
MBA from Robert Kennedy College & University of Cumbria, UK.
Certified Nutritionist & Health Coach | Trainer | Blogger | Copywriter | Author
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