Yin vs Yang

One of the things that I like to study is Chinese medicine. I got interested in Chinese medicine through a massage therapist that I worked with and Charles Poliquin. In Chinese medicine yin and yang must be in balance in our lives. Yin and Yang can very easily be applied to both training and nutrition and it is often helpful to think of Yin and Yang for achieving maximum results.

Yin in our lives is represented by rest, relaxation, and night so things that cause the body to relax are yin producing. For example, sleep would be considered yin, and if you are overly tired or sluggish then you have excess yin and would need more yang. Yin foods would be mostly in the form of carbohydrates. So if you are trying to get ready for a workout or wakeup in the morning then carbs are probably not your best choice. However, if you are trying to go to bed then carbs will help. Carbs make you sleepy and are thus a yin food.

To balance out the yin our lives we must sufficient yang. Yang would be characterized by energy, movement, and daytime. For example, working out is a very yang activity. So in order to wake up in the morning and prepare for a workout you should increase your yang. Yang foods would be mostly protein foods, especially red meat and eggs. These are great foods for waking you up in the morning. Most people do not eat enough protein with breakfast and that is one of the reasons why they have such a hard time getting moving in the morning. One quesiton that I often get asked about is what people should eat before a workout. The answer is Yang foods, which are mostly protein. You want to be awake and have energy for your workouts so you should definitely have yang foods before your workout.

One of the keys to success with your workouts and nutrition is to have a proper balance of yin and yang in your life. If you are laking energy then do things that will increase your yang such as working out and eating more protein. An example of a condition that represents a lack of yang would be hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is when thyroid production slows down which slows down the metabolism and causes the individual to lack energy. Thyroid problems are considered to be excess yin in Chinese medicine. In the Biosignature program one of the key things to understand is that excess insulin(from too many carbs) will slow down thyroid production. Which makes sense because overconsumption of carbs will mean an excess of yin in the body. If you are having trouble winding down then try to do things that will increase your yin such as relaxation exercises, naps, extra sleep, and possibly some high fiber carbs. If these things do not help then there are also many supplements that can help to increase yin and yang. Just remember that to get the best results you must keep things in the proper balance.