This post was inspired by Kathryn Budig’s IG post and essay today. She called out the wellness industry for the hypocrisy of touting the idea of balance all the time, using images of bodies that are clearly not the product of balance. I could not agree with her more!
Here’s the thing, it’s disingenuous for any of us fitness/yoga/insertwhateverwellnessgurujobhere professionals to lecture anyone else about balance, or hold ourselves up as examples of balance. It would be more honest for us to say, “Don’t look at me as an example, but listen to what I’m telling you.”
Take me, for example. Do I live what I consider to be a balanced life? Sure. Would 98% of my students and clients agree with that assessment if they spent one week in my shoes? Probably not. No, definitely not. I work out 10-15 hours per week (often on the high end of that – I would do more, but I have to squeeze in a full-time job and take care of a couple of kids too); I weigh everything I eat to the gram; I fast 16 hours of every 24 hours; I allow myself to drink alcohol about once a month–maybe. I have eaten two doughnuts in five years and I f’ing love doughnuts. Most people I know would scoff at that as a balanced life. But it’s balanced to me – I enjoy the way I feel as a result of that level of discipline and I truly get off on the challenge of fitting it all in. I don’t feel weighed down by it, with the exception of giving up doughnuts – that’s just hard. I’m happy and I feel in balance.
Here’s the problem: balance means different things to different people and when some beautiful, or strong, fitness/yoga/insertwhateverwellnessgurujobhere professional tells you all you need to be happy is live a balanced life, there is a tendency to think that your idea of balance will lead to their physical results. Maybe, but only if your idea of balance looks like theirs. I can promise you that what you’re seeing with your eyes (their physical attributes: their lean, long, strong bodies) are NOT the result of what most people would call balance. Often they are the result of single-minded discipline and commitment.
Here’s the take away: find your own path to balance. Find what that means to you. Work with someone one-on-one to plot a course that is made for you specifically. Don’t listen to the general advice given by us – except for this, definitely listen to this!
Wishing you a happy, balanced, joyous life filled with laughter and love. xoxo