Maintaining a balanced life is becoming increasingly more important for your personal health and well-being in a fast-paced, modern world. Sustaining a balanced diet, alongside personal fitness, can help improve and stabilise overall health and wellbeing.

This post unravels some of the contradictions surrounding how to achieve a well-balanced lifestyle and provides some top tips for conquering a balanced lifestyle.

Understanding the importance of a balanced life

What does a healthy and balanced lifestyle mean to you?

We live in a world full of different beliefs and opinions, so one person’s answer to one question could be completely different to the next person. The internet, particularly social media, advertises all sorts of information on exercise and nutrition. We see at least one ‘brand new’ diet advertised on a daily basis. Whether it’s low carb, high fat, low- Glycaemic Load (GL), macrobiotic, carb cycling, gluten/grain free, Slimming World, or Herbalife, our brains are constantly bombarded with conflicting information.

It’s important to understand some of the key components involved in maintaining a balanced lifestyle. There are many reliable sources online to help you with upholding the balance – the NHS provides a wealth of information through its ‘Live Well’ section covering everything from Alcohol limits to getting started with fitness.

The minefield of conflicting information extends further than just dieting; it can also be confusing finding a definitive answer to the best types of exercise for achieving a great balance. There’s heaps of contradictory information regarding exercise, from weightlifting, fasted cardio, marathon running, insanity, cross fit, yoga or interval training at every corner you turn. In simple terms, all types of exercise help with maintaining this balance. If you find a sport or training programme you enjoy stick to it, consistency overall helps lead to the most positive impact on your life balance.

Which way is the best way to keep a balanced life?

There is no right or wrong answer, despite what you may read. Everyone’s bodies and minds respond in different ways; the most important thing is that you are getting the right balance.

It’s crucial that you find the balance that you enjoy. It is far too easy to think that you are doing everything wrong, and it is even easier to scroll through Instagram or Facebook and compare yourself to others that seem to live the perfect healthy lifestyle. The key point here is not to be hard on yourselves, everyone has their own journey to take. Being healthy doesn’t happen overnight, but each little change we make is a step in the right direction. If we get lost and take the wrong path, it isn’t a disaster, we just need to carry on – it is part of the journey. Keep it simple, and be kind to yourself.

Top tips for keeping a balanced lifestyle

Everyone responds to exercise and diet differently, however, there are a number of steps you can take that are sure to help you keep a great balanced lifestyle.

• Take care and look after yourself – In order to achieve a balanced lifestyle, you must make sure you are healthy. Your body needs plenty of rest, exercise and healthy food. It’s important to take some time out from a busy day to enjoy activities and unwind by reading or meditating.

• Be organised – It’s important to keep a clear mind plan in advance, allowing time for your tasks and making room for activities you enjoy. Being organised can help reduce stress and improve your life balance.

• Set goals – Achieving goals can help assist with gaining a positive mindset. Your goals can cover anything from your job, your finances or your fitness goals.

• Eat right – Your body needs healthy foods and nutrients to create new cells, clean toxins and function properly. Ensuring you get your 5 a day can help improve your diet and life balance.

Key benefits of maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

There are many great reasons for ensuring you have a good life balance, below are our key benefits for maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

• Reduces stress

• Improves general health and well being

• Improves your mental state of mind – According to helpguide.org eating well and keeping a good life balance can help fight against depression.

• Helps to boost your energy – Eating smart helps provide your body with the nutrients it needs and can lead to improved levels of energy say helpguide.org

• Improves your mood – It’s not just exercise that can lead to improvement of your mood. Healthy habits such as social connections can too by keeping the mind active.