Have you started a new fitness routine only to find that you are getting no results? Have you started reading your bible and praying daily and think this is useless? Do you feel like you are just spinning your wheels and getting nowhere? Well, I have news for you. The key is Finding Balance. Balance is the key to life. Too much of anything, even a good thing can be detrimental to your health and your spirit. I have three keys to help you find balance in every area of your life.
Plan for the Inevitable:
This may sound crazy but in reality, if you aren’t planning you are allowing opportunities for stress and confusion to come into your life. You may be thinking, well if I don’t know what’s coming how do I plan for it? The answer to that is in taking care of the things you can, when you can. Don’t procrastinate. Part of the reason we buy insurance policies that we may never need is in the event that something happens we can be ready. No one wants calamity to visit their doorstep but if we keep the right mindset we will be able to face it without fear. Some of those inevitable things that happen along this faith and fitness journey are not feeling like doing the thing you set out to do. Whether its prayer or a workout, if you plan ahead, it reduces the chance that you skip out on the very thing that you need. Keep your gym bag in your car, meal prep healthy options, have a bible app on your phone so you can read and reflect in those down times. Planning ahead will keep you from feeling guilt or stress about what has come.
Be Flexible:
Flexibility is not just for yoga… Much of the stress we feel in life is directly related to our expectations of how a situation should turn out or how a person should act. Eliminate “should” from your thinking. Take a look at how things are and decide to approach the situation or person with flexibility. Look for the win-win. How can you take a situation that may not be optimal and make it work out for your good. An example of this is when pregnant women develop a birth plan. We pack our bags, plan the route to the hospital, and pray for a smooth delivery. However, many times that is not what happens in the moment. Even in fitness, find space to be flexible. What if the workout you planned can’t happen because of an injury or you get to the gym and all of the machines are being used? Being able to make adjustments in the moment will help you to remain calm and collected. The key to being flexible is staying open to the possibilities that something else could happen and having faith that it will still be ok.
Embrace the Ebb and Flow of Life:
Have you ever sat on a shoreline and watched the waves come in and then go back out? Sometimes a wave crashes hard on the shore and sometimes it rolls in with barely a sound. Yet, the sand which is impacted by all of this remains virtually unchanged by all of this. Yes, some goes out with the tide and some is never touched but overall, the sand embraces the conditions and makes the adjustments. As it is with us, life always has its highs and lows. It has its moments that seem perfect and then it has the times of trials and tribulations that suck all of the like out of us. Embracing them both does not mean you are happy all of the time but it does mean that you are content all of the time. Being content with where you are in life can help you move through each season of life with grace and dignity.
How do you find balance in your life?
