Anyhoo, several family members flew down to celebrate with me and, needless to say, there was a ton of “bad” food. I’m talking white pasta galore accompanied by cakes, ice cream and, of course, we can’t forget the chocolate chip pancakes. (I only had half of a small one.) Does that sound like something a health-and-fitness practitioner would engage in?
Well, if you answered no…you’d be mistaken.
We all eat the “bad” stuff sometimes. It’s a part of life and can be enjoyed – depending on your perspective.
Now I’m not suggesting that those of you who genuinely don’t care for junk food to go out and order a quadruple McSomething. I AM, however, suggesting that if a sense of restriction has kept you from enjoying yourself at the occasional event or has had you feeling bad about yourself for “blowing your diet,” you are doing yourself a disservice.
The idea behind healthy living is to first and foremost identify the thoughts and emotions that have led you to where you are today. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again: This is the CAUSE, which is responsible for your RESULT (desire for change). Once you have figured out why you are where you are, you gain something called clarity.
Once clarity is understood, you get to know and accept who you are in relationship to who you want to be. For example: “I am someone who loves food too much and can’t keep my weight down” is an affirmation. You are telling yourself who you are and, therefore, your thoughts and behaviors will reflect this.
On the other hand, if you say something like, “I am someone who admires those who prefer healthy foods naturally,” you are ACCEPTING who you are (and aren’t…YET) while acknowledging who you would prefer to be… without judgment.
AND THEN FORGIVE YOURSELF because your actions up until now were built on a mindset you have just allowed yourself to let go of.
Once healthy living -- from a place of joy and personal empowerment -- becomes who you are, then you’ll occasionally indulge in the foods you used to crave (because they were taboo) while knowing that you prefer clean, nutrient-dense foods the rest of the time – naturally.
Understood?
