No, I’m not talking about personal relationships here. I’m not even talking about that strict low carb, low fat diet that you swore you’d adhere to this year. What I’m referring to is just general healthy eating, drinking, and being active. Sure, we all sneak away every once in awhile and eat something we know is bad or go for too long without exercising. But how much is too much?
Sadly I don’t have a cut and dry answer for this one. That would just be too easy! If I could wave a magic wand and say, “you can eat junk twice a month and once a month you can go for a 7-day stretch without being active” that would become your routine and we all know that cheating is more fun when it feels forbidden.
To me, it all has to do with the reasoning behind it and the recognition that you’re doing it. Someone very close to me recently said that she is a “stress eater.” I share her tendencies and would be surprised to find many people who don’t want to eat more when they feel stressed out. Food tends to equal comfort. Yes, this can be extremely harmful if you don’t recognize it (or if you recognize it but continue to do it on a regular basis). But if you know that you’re a stress eater, and now and again feel that life would improve 98% if only you had some…[fill in the blank], then I say go ahead!
Just make sure that once you’ve indulged and life is looking up, you go grocery shopping and stock up on the healthy stuff. And while you’re at it, why not walk to and from the grocery store or stop at the gym on your way? Chances are the fresh air and physical activity will improve your outlook on life even more than the food did.
***Full Disclosure***
I am starting a nutrition class tomorrow and I’m a little nervous that they’ll ask us what we ate for dinner today as part of the discussion. I suppose this blog entry is my justification for the fact that, if I’m honest, I’ll have to answer “a packet of ramen and a PBR.” But I do have a big smile on my face because of it!
No comments:
Post a Comment