The Balance of Fuel & Flow
“Fitness is not about working off what you eat. It’s about moving!” - Alex Silver-Fagen
I know sometimes I find myself feeling guilty after eating a piece of chocolate cake, several slices of pizza, or binge eating chocolate chip cookies. It tastes so good in the moment and the comfort of each bite satisfies my desire, until I am overly full and ready to pass out from a food coma. Usually these days are labeled as “Cheat Days,” “Bad Days,” “Treats,” “Emotional Eating Days,” etc. They happen...
I love my cookies and pizza (if they are good quality. Yes, I’m picky). I usually say they’re my “weakness” but honestly, they are my favorite comfort foods. I am not going to deprive myself if I am enticed by a good looking chocolate chip cookie. And you shouldn’t either.
It’s all about BALANCE!
The popular, trendy, and truthful word “balance” refers to the concept of overall wellness. Your mind, body, and environment need to synch with one another in order to achieve a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. Finding balance is an everyday practice that requires internal awareness. It's important to gain awareness of how certain foods, exercise [or lack-of exercise ], people, work, and your environment affect your brain and body.
Learn to associate food with a feeling. Start to sense what foods make you feel like crap and remember that feeling when you see that food again.
The more you deprive yourself of something you want, then more likely your body and mind are going to crave it. It's okay to indulge once and a while. Don’t let a day of eating "crap" or having a "cheat meal" be your motivation to hit the gym or to step on a treadmill. Try your best to eat a lot of vegetables, nuts, fruits, legumes and whole grains in your daily diet. Eat until you’re “perfectly full” or about 80% full.
If you ever notice that your mind is intertwined in the thought of guilt and the feeling like you need to workout immediately, then SHUT IT DOWN. Working off food as your motivation is an unhealthy psychological habit that can cause you to be in the yo-yo bounce of guilt and deprivation. This type of behavior can lead to eating disorders, trigger mental illnesses, and an unhealthy lifestyle.
Working out is about moving!
Fitness is about doing something good for your body and mind. If working out is part of your routine and you choose mostly healthy food options, then treat yourself every now and then. IT’S OKAY! I promise you won’t gain 5 lbs from one cheeseburger or a piece of cake!
Hit the “RESET” Button
If you overindulge for a day and do not feel well, then remind yourself to hit the “reset” button tomorrow. Try again. We cannot undo what we put in our bodies, we can only control what we choose to do next living a life of balance.
Live your Life. Eat the Slice of Cake. Drink Champagne. & MOVE just to Move!