| Word Count: 1,711 Estimated Read Time: 6 Min. |
People have a tendency to go to extremes in their pursuits. If a little is good, more is better. Or if a little is difficult, then the least possible is best. Eating ranges from anorexia to obesity. Exercise ranges from indolence to Olympic athlete. Work ranges from laziness to workaholic. Sleep ranges from insomnia to narcolepsy. Imbibing ranges from teetotaler to alcoholic. Political activism ranges from apathy to radical extremist. Even career pursuits range from abject failure to massive success. And people tend to gravitate toward one end of the spectrum or the other in most behaviors. And, sometimes they go from one end of the spectrum to the other.
Take fitness, for example. Fitness did not become popular until the 1970s. If we look back in history, the industrial revolution led to a more sedentary lifestyle and an increase in deaths due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Type II Diabetes. Then, in the early 20th Century, a new movement in gymnastics and general fitness started to spread throughout the Western world. People were encouraged to be physically active for the purpose of national security and the health of their nations. But by the 1960s and 70s, the fitness movement arose with Jack Lallane, who was considered the father of American Fitness. People began jogging and doing Jazzercise. Fast forward 50 years and fitness has become a booming industry. There are fitness machines, gyms, clubs, classes, special attire and shoes, wearable devices to measure performance, etc. People don’t just want to be toned and lean; they want to push the limits of fitness. Extreme physical challenges — like ToughMudder, GoRuck Challenge, Spartan Races, Ironman Triathlons and Crossfit — are more popular than ever before. And the limits of what’s considered “extreme” are constantly being extended as people break new barriers in form, technique and endurance.
Fifty years ago, the thought of running a marathon for recreation was considered nuts by all except professional athletes, like Olympic runners. But in 2020, over 50 million Americans participated in running or jogging activities. Of those, 18 million signed up for some kind of road race and over 816,000 ran a half-marathon and another 201,000 ran a marathon. And there are many who take that even further. For instance, Joe DeSena, the creator of the Spartan Races, once did 12 Ironman triathlons in one year. The logic is that if running is a good cardiovascular activity, then being able to run a marathon is better. And 12 marathons is even better than that. The person who is able to run a 5K then aspires to do a 10K. With each milestone, the desire to push harder and do more encourages people toward the extreme.
This is not just true of fitness. It’s true of just about every behavior, even work. There is a constant push to find greater efficiencies, improve processes, grow, expand and achieve ever more. Do more with less. Work smarter. Streamline. If a printing company made $10M a year while operating 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, then it looks to expand to two shifts to double output, and get the most out of every press and work space. In doing that, it might increase revenue to $30M. Was the owner of the business able to live well when the company generated $10M in revenue? Yes. But they could do even more if they doubled or tripled that. The mentality is that more is better.
But it’s not just in fitness and work. People are drawn to extremes. Why is that? They use extremes as a way to separate themselves from the pack, master skills, achieve higher levels of performance, challenge the limits of their ability, escape from personal problems, discover new things (about the world and themselves) and avoid everyday tedium. In the extremes, people find more intense emotions, rewards, and a break with monotony. In short, moderation is boring, average and uninspiring.
Balance and Moderation
Even basic needs are pushed to extremes. Consider eating as a simple example. It is a fundamental, basic need. We all must eat to live. And eating is not only a physical necessity, but it is also an ingrained part of all cultures. To share a cup of tea, break bread or toast an achievement are as much a social function as it is a physiological one. With food, we feed the body and the soul. But, as in all things, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Obesity is increasingly plaguing people in the U.S.
According to a study by Harvard University, on average, one out of every three adults in the U.S. is obese, which is about 36% of the population. And, about 18.5% of children in the U.S., ages 2 to 19, are considered obese, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For those who think this is a U.S. — richest nation in the world — problem, think again. Obesity doesn’t just affect people in the U.S. People in many countries experience obesity. It’s becoming a global epidemic. An estimated 500 million adults in the world are obese. By 2030, an estimated 20% of the world’s population will be obese, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. That’s about 1 billion adults.
On the other end of that spectrum, almost 1 in 10, or 33 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime and 6% of people with eating disorders are medically diagnosed as “underweight.” In recent years, there has been a troubling surge in eating disorders among children, older adults, and military service members (among others). Combine the two extremes and that’s a lot of people who are unable to properly balance how much they eat.
Balance is the most fundamental ideal in the pursuit of health and well-being. In order to achieve balance, most people must adopt embrace moderation… a certain amount of restraint and self-control. That starts by understanding that too much or too little of anything usually has consequences. Too many calories, too much fat, carbohydrate or protein, too few vegetables, water balance, fiber intake, or micronutrient intake… an imbalance (excess or shortage) will cause health problems over time. Not enough vitamin C, for example, causes Scurvy. Too little calcium causes brittle bones.
Everything about diet has a spectrum with the correct amount sitting somewhere in the middle. The big question then is how to achieve balance. Moderation and variety is the key to counteract eating too little or too much. Eating excessive amounts of anything will have consequences (some more severe than others). Eating too much of the same thing leaves the body feeling deprived and starved of many nutrients. Looking at portion size, rotating different foods, and acknowledging the various motivations for eating are what leads to balance.
But here is the crux: it is something that cannot be done for a day, week, month or year. It must be done for a lifetime and that can be boring and monotonous. That is what makes balance so hard. Balance requires constant maintenance and vigilance. And it is required not just for what we eat, but in all areas of life. Diet. Exercise. Spirituality. Work. Finances. Entertainment. Every activity requires balance and that requires monitoring. That’s why it is so hard to achieve balance in all areas of life.
Achieving and Sustaining Balance
While balance is hard to achieve and even harder to sustain, it is also best. Achieving balance in life is a lot like finding balance when riding a bicycle. On a bicycle, balance becomes increasingly more difficult to achieve when pedaling too slow or riding downhill and going too fast. When going too slow, there is just not enough momentum keep balanced for long. But when going too fast, almost any bump along the way can cause you to lose your balance and crash. The goal is to find an in-between that ensures equilibrium. That’s true of achieving balance in all areas of life.
Here are some tips that can help you achieve balance in life.
- Acknowledge that Balance is Good and Extremes are Bad – Just as the first step in conquering a problem is admitting you have a problem, it is important to acknowledge that extremes are bad. Working too much or too little is bad. Eating too much or too little is bad. Sleeping too much or too little is bad. The goal is to find a happy place in the middle in all aspects of life and focus on achieving that. For example, while being sedentary is bad, so is being a fitness fanatic constantly trying to exercise more. Admitting that all extremes are harmful is an important step toward harmony and balance.
- Look at the Big Picture – Pursue balance in all areas of life. If a person pursues fitness and diet balance – eating healthy meals, exercising regularly, getting regular checkups, getting enough sleep, etc. – but does not have balance in other areas of life such as spirituality, finances, career, or relationships, then life is still out of balance. And, if the other areas are out of balance, then eventually that will bleed into fitness and diet. For example, a person who is obsessed with fitness and healthy diet but is not balanced in the time spent on family and career may find himself unable to keep his job and that will certainly affect his family.
Balance is not about getting one area of life in equilibrium. It’s about looking at the big picture and trying to create processes, systems, routines and habits that promote balance in all areas of life. To do that, start by making a list of all the areas in your life that are out of balance. Probably there are a few areas that need alignment. For some, it might be sleep. For others, diet. For others, it might be spirituality or finances. Or a few areas. Try to spot those areas where you go to an extreme. If you’re not sure, ask your family and friends.
Next week, we’ll look at more tips for how to achieve and maintain balance. ‘Til then, work on steps one and two and see if you can find the areas in your life that are out of balance.
Quote of the Week
“In all aspects of our lives balance is key. Doing one thing too much can cause upset like the old saying goes, everything in moderation is the secret!” Catherine Pulsifer
© 2022, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.
