| The concept of "staying in balance" is a long standing | | | | stay injury free as well as improve running abilities. |
| suggestion given by many sources whether it is a | | | | Running though at some point took over her main |
| therapist, yoga instructor or your primary care | | | | focus and when this injury occurred she had a hard |
| physician. We all strive to be in balance in our lives, | | | | time returning to these previously utilized cross |
| but what does that mean and more importantly, | | | | training activities, her motivation was dampened |
| what does it require of us to stay in balance? | | | | towards anything but running. When she tried the |
| In one definition a person may speak of staying in | | | | other activities they were not effective because she |
| balance as it relates to juggling the many | | | | had been out of practice for so long. Instead she |
| responsibilities in life. Parenting, our relationship with | | | | was left with that foggy brain we get if we only |
| our spouse or significant other, our jobs, and our | | | | work, take care of our home and don't get enough |
| homes are all examples and a very rough outline of | | | | exercise or leisure activity. |
| some of our responsibilities we devote time and | | | | This experience made me think that yes, it is great |
| energy to on any given day. Our hope is to give to | | | | to have a passion about running or biking or yoga but |
| each of these areas in our life equally. We have all | | | | if it is your only "go-to" method of managing stress |
| experienced the negative consequences of giving all | | | | you are taking a risk that there might be a situation |
| to one of these areas at the expense of the others. | | | | where you cannot turn to that method and will be |
| It is suggested that to provide and strive in all of | | | | left scrambling to fill in the blank. |
| these areas we need to make sure that personally | | | | If we think about staying in balance, this is the exact |
| we are taking care of ourselves on a daily basis. | | | | opposite of staying in balance when we utilize only |
| Healthy food choices, regular exercise, pleasurable | | | | one means to keep our bodies and mind healthy, it is |
| leisure activities with people we enjoy are all | | | | like eating only strawberries every day for every |
| examples of ways to stay on track personally. But | | | | meal versus the recommended variety of fruits and |
| what happens when we are utilizing only one means | | | | vegetables along with healthy grains and fats. Sure |
| to stay centered? In other words, what happens if | | | | strawberries are a healthy food choice but it is having |
| we don't diversify our means of self care the same | | | | a variety of healthy foods every day that leads to |
| way we diversify let's say in our investing? | | | | nutritional balance. It might be compared to putting all |
| It happened to a friend of mine who is an avid long | | | | of your savings in one stock hoping that it always |
| distance runner. She had utilized her daily run to | | | | makes a profit for you forever. |
| prepare her for the day ahead and it was a very | | | | This friend of mine is still healing, still stumbling around |
| effective means of stress management. This friend | | | | trying to get back into the groove of other activities |
| was seriously injured in a race and walking, let alone | | | | to fill the void that distance running offered her. But |
| running, was no longer an option for her for at least | | | | as she is healing she is encouraging her running friends |
| six weeks. Now this is a woman who had practiced | | | | to "diversify" by cross training and to learn from her |
| yoga, meditation and other means of exercise as well | | | | by not putting all their eggs in the proverbial basket |
| as running in previous years. Most runners are aware | | | | of running! |
| of the importance of cross training as a means to | | | | |