The Yin and Yang of Exercise

In the recent past, I have been talking a lot about giving myself a break from intense exercise after realizing the effects it could have on my hormones, metabolism and nervous system as a female. Just as with any pendulum swing or paradigm shift, I may have missed the point and gone too far the other direction. As with everything, it is always easier to choose a black and white opinion rather than wading through the gray area searching for that perfect balance. I thought I had moved on from intense exercise, I thought I didn’t need it but it turns out that there is some balance there. 

So what are characteristics of Yin and Yang and how do they relate to exercise. Characteristics of yin energy are female, soft, passive, introspective, slow. While Yang is male, active, assertive, action driven and fast. 

While both of these are associated with gender, it is important to know we all have different aspects of yin and Yang within us and we NEED both to balance, mentally, physically, emotionally.

For so long, ALL of my exercise was yang…fitness tests, sprints, heavy lifting, endurance running, always for the goals of moving forward, reaching goals, constantly pushing myself. 

When I learned about the damage this can do, I completely shifted the opposite way.. walking, yoga, plenty of rest days and while it was absolutely what my body needed for a while…something was still missing. After well needed rest, I felt it wasn’t enough. I needed to be challenged. 

Not being challenged physically was shifting the way my brain functioned, I felt my resilience fading, self efficacy decreased, energy throughout the day changed. Not being connected to this part of me was changing the way I viewed myself because my physical ability had always been connected to my resilience in life, my ability to get back on the line and know that I can do one more.

Exercise seems to get put in two camps, the more intense Yang associated types and the softer more calm and controlled Yin associated types, I rarely see someone advocating for some combination of the two when WE KNOW, we have science to understand that there are amazing benefits to both types and even more benefits for varying the type of physical activity we engage in. It is the flexibility of our body that we are aiming for…

the ability to adapt to different levels of physical activity

the ability to tolerate different temperatures

the ability to burn both carbohydrates and fats

This, not stringency, is what creates resilience and resilience is what supports true longevity. Be willing to put yourself outside of your comfort zone whether that is pushing a little bit harder or giving yourself a break. There are different shades of balance for each of us.