That’s right, I said bring your body back to balance. First of all, we all get out of balance at times, some of us more often than others. However, when it comes to physical activity, it is much like food. We need nutrients from a variety of foods and we also need nutrients from a variety of exercise.
So often you will see people who are already strong in a specific area, only training in that area. For example, bulky, aggressive athletes doing more weights and always aiming to lift even heavier. Or, light and thin vegetarians doing yoga all the time. I also see the cardio people, such as runners and tri-athletes doing lots of spin classes or trail runs. All of the above mentioned exercise is good! However, they have their purpose and we can all benefit from a menu using all of them.
It is so important to keep your body, mind, and spirit in balance. We tend to forget that exercise is there to support balance, not throw it off. Therefore, if you are finding yourself hooked on the same routine week in and week out, step up to the plate and change it up. You owe it to yourself. Each type of exercise will work for a period of time, really well actually. So it’s ok to continue with something until it stops working. However, it is up to you to be aware of what your body needs at all times.
If you have been doing lots of weights, and you notice you are feeling really tight and shortened, then switch to doing yoga 2-3 times a week for a while. If all you do is yoga, and you notice feelings of being too stretchy or not grounded in your strength, then add 2-3 days of weights into your week instead of yoga. If you are a big runner, and you are thin but flabby or maybe you do lots of cardio but cannot get leaner, try doing a lot less cardio, add 2-3 days of weights in and 1 yoga class per week.
Personally, what I try to do is stay balanced in my week. My typical week includes 3 days of weight training, 2 days of cardio (usually outside running), 1 day of track lunges and explosive stadium sprints at UCLA, 1 yoga class, and at least 1 day off. However, even with this schedule I find myself out of balance sometimes. When that happens, I just really tune in to my own body. Do I need less weights, more yoga, more or less cardio, maybe no weights and a dance class, with 2 yoga classes, and a kick boxing session, etc. Some weeks I find my body wants all cardio or all weights, and I play around with the combinations until I get a menu of physical activity that is working for me again.
So, what does your menu look like? Are you in tune with the exercise nutrients your body needs in order to stay in balance? Let me know your experiences and please leave all questions and comments for me here on the blog. Here’s To Your Health!!!
