Embrace the Ingredients Inside BALANCE, the Building Blocks of Healthy Living
Health smart is a holistic game
When the word balance pops up, work-life balance is likely the first thing that comes across most people’s minds. There are actually many scenarios requiring balance beyond work-life. What’s more, I’ve found all the “secret” ingredients for healthy living inside the word balance. As a fan of prevention and self-care, I’ve taken BALANCE as my reminder and guiding principle, simple yet comprehensive.
Let’s dive in.
B is for Balance
For example, we all know that sunlight is great for making vitamin D, but too much sun exposure would cause damage to the skin and increases the risk of skin cancer. Therefore, it’s important to get a moderate dose of sunlight.
When it comes to sleep, while it is common knowledge that sleep deprivation has many negatives on the human body, researchers also showed that oversleeping could be just as bad as undersleeping for health. So adults are recommended to aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
Inside the human body, there are a variety of self-regulated balances constantly ongoing, and the scientific term is homeostasis, referring to an organism’s ability to regulate various physiological processes to keep internal states steady and balanced.
In fact, balance is the most critical and fundamental pillar of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), which was established more than two thousand years ago. TCM is founded on Taoism and the philosophical concept of Yin Yang, the two opposite yet complementary forces or phenomena of the universe. According to TCM, our health simply relies on balance: the balance of Yin and Yang, the compatibility and balance of internal organs, body and mind, different emotions, nature and us.
Keep in mind though, balance should not be taken literally as being equal and static; instead, it is often rather dynamic. In fact, not just the human body needs balance, the earth itself has its unique gravitational and energetic balance with the universe. We simply can’t survive without it. Balance rules.
A is for Attitude
A balanced and positive attitude is essential. How we interact with people, view the world around us, respond to challenges and life’s hiccups, our attitude can directly impact the outcome, our emotions and well-being. Remember the mind-body connection. In the Five Element theory of TCM, emotions are closely intertwined with the physical health of key organs. While all emotions have their place in life, by maintaining the right balance and perspective, negative emotions would fade away faster instead of lingering to impact us adversely.
To stay healthy, the right attitude is not just a nice to have; it is a necessity, especially in today’s complex and fast-paced environment. While certain things in life are beyond our control, a healthy attitude is something we could learn and adapt to.
Let’s take a look at the story of Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, and his extraordinary experience — Jack Ma failed three times in China’s national college entrance exam, which is held just once a year. He was able to pass only after the 4th attempt. He also failed many job interviews. In his own words: “I failed so many times, people probably know that I applied for so many jobs, over 30 jobs, all rejected, not even got a chance: 24 of us interviewed for a KFC job, 23 got accepted, I was the only guy rejected.” But he told us: “Every mistake is a revenue.” “Opportunity lies in the place where the complaints are.” It is no coincidence Jack Ma has become Jack Ma.
It is all about perspective. Attitude is everything.
L is for Lifestyle
The impact of lifestyle on health was well established in ancient TCM. “饮食有节, 起居有常” stands for moderation and routine on eating, drinking, and sleeping, as outlined in the medical classic Huang di nei jing《黄帝内经》(Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine) written more than 2000 years ago. It is practically the bible and the foundation of TCM. More and more modern research has also shown the importance of healthy habits and lifestyle. For example:
- A healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of heart disease by up to 50% in people with genetic risks, according to a study published in 2016 by the New England Journal of Medicine, which used data across four separate studies involving more than 55,000 participants.
- Nearly half of the cancer cases in the US may be preventable based on a 2017 study by researchers from the American Cancer Society. The preventable risk factors include smoking, being overweight, excessive alcohol, poor dietary choices, and lack of exercise. More than 40% of cancer cases or death could be traced back to these factors.
- A healthy lifestyle also helps to mitigate the genetic risk of dementia, as seen in a 2019 study. Researchers analyzed data over 8 years on nearly 200,000 people, ages 60 or older from UK Biobank. Researchers found that the risk of dementia was 32 percent lower in people with a high genetic risk if they had followed a healthy lifestyle, compared to those who had an unhealthy lifestyle. The benefit was shown across all genetic groups.
No doubt a healthy lifestyle is powerful to offset health risks.
N is for Nutrition
Nutrition is the fuel for our body. Indeed, we are what we eat. Eating right sets the foundation for health and well-being. According to a Global Burden of Disease study, Spain is expected to beat Japan to have the longest life expectancy, averaging 85.8 years by 2040, mainly due to their lifestyle, especially the Mediterranean diet.
Getting nutrients from natural foods is the best thing we can do for ourselves. The same balance principle applies here, i.e. variety, color, and portion, as the human body requires a variety of macro and micronutrients.
That includes fats too: the right type and amount, especially monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids from plants and seafood are a vital part of your body’s cells and support many important functions of the body and brain.
Low carbs? High carbs? The key is a diet composed of moderate carbs. Research on 15,400 Americans over the span of 25 years found that moderate-carb consumers lived up to four years longer than low-carb eaters, and one year longer than high-carb eaters.
There are many Chinese dietary proverbs on this subject. “药补不如食补” is one example, meaning food as medicine is better than actual medicine, certainly a wise practice when it comes to prevention. Dietary therapy has been an integral part of TCM, where certain foods with therapeutic properties have been used since ancient times not only to preserve health but also to complement treatment for illness, without side effects.
C is for Connection
As human beings, social and intellectual connections are like the nutrition for the mind and spirit.
In today’s tech world, there are many ways to stay connected, yet people still feel isolated. Based on a Cigna study, nearly half of Americans sometimes or always feel lonely or left out, maybe lacking a deeper human connection. Experts from another research have warned that loneliness is even worse than obesity for early death: loneliness leads to a 50% higher risk while obesity is about 30%.
Having a supportive family and circle of friends is life’s blessing: lift you when you feel low, and be on your side for good and bad. As concluded in a 75-year happiness study by Harvard, having a strong quality relationship is the most significant predictor for happiness and health, certainly quality over quantity.
Besides social connection, connecting to nature and our inner self is also very beneficial to provide positive feedback to our brain and strengthen the neural network. Stay connected, stay curious.
E is for Exercise
We all know the importance of exercise. Balance exercise itself, along with endurance, strength, and flexibility, is one of the four components of fitness. Again, be mindful of the balance principle i.e., intensity, variety, and duration. As indicated by the Chinese idiom 过犹不及, too much could be as bad as too little.
And don’t count out mini-exercise as it could be just as effective. Research has shown that even workouts of 10 minutes or less can produce real and meaningful results. Also, workout at the gym is not the only way to go, other physical movements also help i.e., dancing, biking, hiking, gardening, etc. And when you do what you like and have fun along the way, exercise won’t be a chore and can be more easily blended into the daily routine.
Besides strengthening us physically, exercise also helps our mind and brain. Tai Chi and Ba Duan Jin are two great examples of body-mind exercise, both can be practiced anytime, anywhere, and by anybody. According to a 2021 report from Harvard medical school, the low-intensity, slow-motion exercise of Tai Chi not only can help muscle strength, flexibility and balance, but also can improve cognitive functions for a sharper mind. Similarly, the gentle stretch exercise of Ba Duan Jin combining breathing is known to benefit health by promoting flexibility, circulation, and vital functions of the body. It even helped me once to speed up my recovery from pain suffered from a skiing fall.
Keep moving, for body and mind.
Let’s remember:
Balance
Attitude
Lifestyle
Attitude
Nutrition
Connection
Exercise
Embrace BALANCE, and be smart about healthy living.
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