Better Life in Balance
By Jo Hill
Balance is probably one of my favourite words … because , in my opinion , it is the vital key to a happy life .
When it comes to health and fitness ,
balance is crucial . You are going to have days where training and exercise is super important to you . You are going to have days where eating chicken and salad for lunch is a regular thing . You are going to have days where turning down a slice of cake is easy …
But , you are also going to have days where getting to the gym is a mission , and you will find yourself cancelling gym classes . You are going to have days where you can ’ t be bothered to prep a meal , and you would rather go to bed hungry than have fish and broccoli for dinner !
I ’ m currently battling with the latter . I don ’ t always have the time to make meal prep a
priority , so Mr Delivery has come in handy and ‘ saved dinner ’ more times than I would like to admit . For the most part , I find it easy to make healthy choices , and I make sure that I move my body every day , even if I don ’ t make it to the gym , but I ’ ve also eaten rubbish , and gone shopping as my chosen form of cardio .
Making Sense of it All
Initially I felt horrible about this , like I was letting myself down . Why was it so easy to stay motivated and on the ‘ healthy living train ’ earlier on this year ? Now that I have extra time , surely I should be pushing
Live Well
Jo Hill is a Durban-based baking enthusiast with two selfconfessed addictions : Fitness and chocolate . She has made it her mission in life to show the world that it is possible to have the best of both worlds . The popularity of her healthy recipes led to her creating her popular Facebook page and blog called Pull ups and Peanut butter , where she shares her recipes for clean , healthy and diet-friendly treats . More info at www . pullupsandpeanutbutter . co . za
it even more ? In previous years , this was the case , but now , not so much .
I went for a run the other morning and I was beating myself up about this ( and about the slab of chocolate I had eaten the night before ), when the word ‘ balance ’ popped into my head . It means that you are going to have periods of time where motivation comes easy , like the beginning of the year , and then you are going to have periods of time where rest and relaxation come first , like the holidays . That ’ s life … That ’ s normal … That ’ s balance . And a life without balance just isn ’ t going to work , because you can ’ t have too much of one thing and too little of another .
So when you come up with a health and fitness goal , you want to be able to give that goal your all – mentally , physically and emotionally . But if you are not ready to give it your all , then chances are good you will end up failing . For example , at the end of this very strange year , most of us are feeling mentally fatigued ( at the very least ), and so taking on a new goal now will likely not end well .
Balance means taking time off until you are ready to give it your all . Balance means making memories with your family and not stressing about calories . Balance means living your life and not caring about the scale . Balance is the key to everything !
Sleep Better to Train Better
Sleep is when your body repairs and regenerates damaged tissue from a workout , and builds bone and muscle to be ready for the next workout . Research has proven that increased sleeping time can improve physical performance , and subjects who slept more saw their speed and strength improve significantly , and said they felt their training improved after six weeks of lengthened sleep . Also , research suggests that reducing an accumulated sleep-debt can be beneficial for athletes at all levels , and sleep should be a high priority in an athlete ’ s daily planning and training programmes .
Furthermore , during the deeper stages of sleep , human growth hormone ( HGH ) is released by the pituitary gland and released into the bloodstream to rebuild damaged tissue and build stronger muscles . It also helps convert fat to fuel , and keeps our bones strong . So if you don ’ t get enough sleep , you produce less HGH , and it becomes harder for your body to recover from workouts . Too little sleep also leads to an increase in cortisol , which contributes to slower recovery times .
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