This month, the focus at The Better Mom has been balance. Balance in our parenting, ministry, our friendships and today, I'll be talking about balance in our health. I get asked this question A LOT on both on my site and in real life. "Clare, how do you balance living a healthy life with everything else you have to do?" The answer to this question will take more than this blog post, and I'll be addressing this in more detail on my own site, Peak313, in the near future, however, today I want to offer the biggest key to balancing your health: Your CORE stability.
Before you think that this post will be giving you some new ab exercises or a pilates routine (I do have those on my site!) it's not where I'm going, however, I will use our bodies as a object lesson for the main principle!
I've been a pilates instructor for almost 10 years. A key concept to pilates is the CORE focus. It's what differentiates it from kickboxing, Crossfit, running, and Zumba! Everything we do in our bodies must be first initiated from the core. If our core is weak and untrained, the rest of our body will be off balance. We will be more prone to injury, favor certain sides of the body, and in general terms "get out of whack!"
Being "anchored' in the core (a term I use often) is crucial to a body in balance. The choices we make in our lives are no different! We must have a strong core so that when additional factors and weight hit our body and knock us off balance, we are immediately able to draw down deep within and re-anchor.
You MUST have a solid core--one that's well-trained, nourished, and active--to maintain balance in your health life. What does this look like practically?
A person with a strong core:
♦ Understands seasons of life changes...and accepts them rather than resists them
♦ Keeps a bigger picture in mind
♦ Protects their most important priorities
♦ Gives grace to themselves and others as they work through the process
One final thought. You don't just get a strong core and then be done with it. No--it's a continual area that must be worked! If I stopped challenging and training it, I surely would lose my strength there.
So as you consider how health (which includes both exercise and healthy eating) plays a role in your life, think through the points above. Could these be said about you? How strong is your core? If you find yourself off balance, then maybe it's time to put some focus there!
Press on!
Clare
This post is part of our series Finding Balance as a Busy Mom.
Please check the series page for all of the posts!
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