First of all, you have to make the commitment to keep to a balanced lifestyle. It’s easy to be weighed down by commitments that steer us away from our healthy goals and excuses are rife in our busy world. Structure your days/weeks/months so that you have a plan to work towards. Think about how to incorporate balance into your routine – punctuate your week with things that will help you maintain your balance. Here are a few suggestions:

Balance your diet

When thinking about a healthy lifestyle, immediately start to think of your eating habits. You might not realise it, but you may have got into some poor eating habits that could easily be inhibiting your healthy balance goals.

As a general rule of thumb, you can eat anything you want, as long as it’s in proportion. There’s no point in going for that 20km run and using that to justify eating that large piece of cheesecake. While it’s better not to focus too much on the calories you consume, you should start to become aware of the types of foods you eat.

Tips for a balanced diet:

Keep an eye on your portions – Sometimes it’s easy to have eyes bigger than your stomach. Start with smaller portions first and you can always go back for more if you feel you need it.

Eat an assortment of foods – Focus on plenty of fruit and vegetables to nourish your body with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.

Try whole grain – Instead of reaching for the white bread or pasta, opt for the whole meal or multigrain alternative. It will allow your energy to burn for longer.

Avoid too many sugary treats – It’s not pleasant having to deny yourself any indulgence, so choose one night a week where you can treat yourself and have dessert, or a glass of wine.

Reduce your animal fat intake – red meat holds loads of animal fat. You should try and have one red meat meal and one vegetarian meal a week. The other days, try for a fish like salmon, which has healthier, unsaturated fats.

Balance your body

Life is full of commitments and obligations. It becomes a struggle to fit in exercise when you are trying to balance your job, your family, etc. But the trick to incorporating exercise into your busy life is simple: Just do it. It doesn’t have to be two hours each day because realistically, who can happily fit in a couple of hours of exercise everyday with all that is going on in our lives? But get it done. The moment you hesitate to put on your joggers is the moment you’ve lost all drive.

Have fun with ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily life. Perhaps it’s getting off the bus five stops early so you can power walk the rest of the way, or maybe it’s doing squats while you brush your teeth.

Tips for a balanced body:

Cardio – Interval training is essential to helping prevent heart disease, obesity and high cholesterol. Try running for five minutes, and walking for one. Set yourself 20 minutes, four times a week. Instead of sitting down for that cup of tea, grab your joggers.

Flexibility – Stretching is a perfect body balancing activity to release stress and improve your range of motion. You can stretch while you’re sitting at work, in the car when you’re stuck in traffic or even do 10 minutes when you get up in the morning.

Strength – A lot of us avoid weight training for fear of becoming too bulky. However, building your strength not only keeps you toned, it stimulates the nervous system and prevents injuries. Try and incorporate five minutes of strength training into your daily routine to keep yourself strong and fit. Perhaps you focus on one area a week, like your arms or core.

Balance your mind

While it’s sometimes easy to focus on nourishing your body physically, it’s also important to protect your mental and emotional health. Keeping happy is so important when balancing your lifestyle as it releases endorphins to keep your energy levels high and encourage a positive mood.

Tips for a balanced mind:

Meditation – Meditation is a powerful tool to help settle your mind and clear your thoughts. Set aside 10 minutes at the same time every day to go sit in a quiet space and meditate. You’ll notice that you have a clearer view of the world and you begin to stress less.

Sleep – Sleep plays a critical role in protecting your immune system and assisting with memory function. Sleeping is also critical to repairing your body, as it rests it works to mend your cellular levels and fight any illness. You should be getting between seven and nine hours a day.

Relationships – establishing a good social life helps to develop your support network and make you feel mentally at ease. Talking to your family or friends means you can get advice from different angles and they can help give you new ways of tackling life challenges. Always put in time for family dinners and coffee dates with your friends. You can even join a running club or a tennis group to mix social health with physical activity.

Laugh – Love that feeling of a deep, belly laugh? Research has proven that laughing reduces the production of hormones that create stress. It also helps to boost the immune system and your mood levels. Take time out to watch a comedy or even try laughing yoga.

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