It’s all about balance

A balancing act!

If you have ever bought a pair of ASICS shoes, you might know that ASICS stands for ‘Anima Sana In Corpore Sano" (a healthy mind in a healthy body, in Latin). I have always loved this saying. To me, this simple phrase encapsulates what well-being is all about: feeling good in your body, while at the same time feeling at peace with who you are.

This does sound good, but as is very often the case, it’s easier said than done. People usually give many reasons why they can’t fit sport or other activities that are good for their physical and mental wellbeing into their daily schedule. In some cases, it is a lack of motivation, or a lack money; personally, it’s always been a lack of time. With a busy household (3 kids and 2 dogs) and a full-time job, finding the time to join a fitness class or taking an hour to myself to relax with a good book can prove to be a real challenge. For a long time I have felt guilty even considering taking an hour for myself, when I know that I could be dedicating this time to my children or even doing some housework.

After years of not putting my well-being in my top priorities, things changed when my second child was born. With two children under the age of 2, I was stuck at home trying to deal with the stress of raising a young family and feeling pretty unhappy in my body post-pregnancy. I was carrying some extra weight from 2 pregnancies and I felt unfit. On top of this, I was exhausted from the sleepless nights and the long days of caring for young children. Both my physical and mental health were suffering. After a few months of this, I realised that something had to change, and I decided to put some shoes on to go for a run (well, a walk really to start with!). I asked my husband to look after the kids for 30 minutes and off I went…and I never looked back.

Sixteen years later, I now know that this was THE moment. I had made a decision, and it literally changed my life. I didn’t decide to become a top athlete, or subject myself to some unrealistic diet and training regime. The decision I took was simple: I owed it myself (and those around me!) to take care of myself and I promised myself to grab those little moments and make them count. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Little things do count and make a difference: whether it’s sitting 3 minutes in the car after work to take a breath before coming home to your children, or taking the stairs instead of the lift. I have learnt that it’s all about balance.

I’m not perfect and neither is my diet nor my physical exercise. But this doesn’t matter, as long as overall, I manage to maintain that balance. This could mean different things for different people, but in my case, it means balancing my work life and my home life, balancing family time and ‘me’ time. That ‘me time’ is crucial to my happiness and my wellbeing, and it can take all kinds of forms. Most likely, it means putting my trainers on for a run, watching a cooking program with a cup of tea (and some chocolate) or walking the dogs. It’s not always easy, and some days it’s harder than others, but again it’s all about balance! You might have a little more time tomorrow.

So, I’ll carry on balancing as well as I can, with the knowledge, that I might fail sometimes, but I do owe it myself to carry on trying… a healthy mind in a healthy body.