CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE APRIL 2019 | Page 21

MINDSET MATTERS WHAT THE *F* IS BALANCE ANYWAYS? Written by: Melissa Melnychuk Editor CPA Magazine By: Melissa Melnychuk The word balance is thrown around a lot in the world of sport, health and fitness. Actually in life in general, and for good reason. The definition is applied in the dictionary specifically to sport/fitness and health within two parameters. BALANCE: noun balĀ· ance | Sport: the ability to retain one's balance. Ex: Gymnasts must have a good sense of balance. Health: equipoise between contrasting, opposing, or interacting elements. Ex: the right balance of diet and exercise. That being said, I think the concept of true balance is really not attainable, especially in the framework of sport. This is a hard pill to swallow. Partaking in competitive sports is about taking your body to its greatest place, physically, emotionally and mentally. You are required to eat a certain way, train a specific amount of time, think, feel, live and breath with your competition in mind. During that process, there truly is no concept of balance. You cannot choose to eat cake sometimes (if it is not counted for), take a day off from your goals, or only put in 50% effort into your training.