What Is Balance?

My fitness website and mission in life is dedicated to helping women in their journey with fitness. As you can see I've had many stages in my fitness journey.  I have struggled in the past with nutrition and balance. The pictures are from 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2012.  As you can see I went from extremely fit  to very unfit to balanced and healthy. I have maintained this balance for over three years now. But believe me, it took me a long time to figure it out. I want to encourage my clients and women who struggle and give them a few tips on how to maintain a healthy balance. The biggest tip I can give you is to be the best you can be everyday. Jennifer Hudson once said of her weight loss that she wasn't really doing the best she could with respect to taking care of her body. She decided to apply the same effort she gave to her career to her health. Here are a few other tips to achieving a healthy balance:
1. No extreme dieting
2. Allow yourself to eat forbidden food in moderation
3. Do not throw in the towel and binge eat after you have blown your healthy eating habits.
4. Baby steps everyday lead to lifelong changes
5. You did not get fat in 2 weeks, most likely it took 2 years of more. Be patient with weight loss
6. Unless you are competing in a fitness show, have a realistic view of your ideal body. If you are seeking perfection you will consistently be disappointed. Trust me. This is where I went wrong. Find a healthy weight range where you feel comfortable and try to stay within 10 pounds of this.
7. Make exercising a priority, just as you take a shower, go to work, pay your bills, you also need to nurture your body, its the only one you have
8. Surround yourself with people who are positive and who embrace your fitness values.
9. Lead by example for your children and family
10. Be happy, regardless of  your stage in fitness, fat, skinny, in between, you are beautiful