“Everything is so appetizing – perhaps I’ll eat another piece, but then I’ll definitely work out in the hall!”, “Okay, today you can, but tomorrow – double the load!”. You may have heard similar phrases more than once – from relatives, girlfriends, and even, alas, from fitness instructors. Experts argue that such semi-joking statements do more harm than good. And that’s why.
Devaluation of exercise
“When a trainer in the gym motivates you to work out to burn calories, this is perhaps the most unhealthy form of motivation,” says nutritionist Emmy Keefe. – Strengthen muscles, become stronger and more resilient, get relaxation, get in order emotionally – yes.
Spend time in the circle of those with whom you managed to make friends, for example, dancing or aerobics, please. There are many reasons to exercise, but not for the sake of burning calories.”
Keefe’s words are backed up by research evidence that focusing on exercise and exercising regularly is far more beneficial than thinking about weight loss.
In addition, physical activity can reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression, stimulate creativity and help you sleep better. But regarding exercise as a kind of “punishment” is a road to nowhere.
The expert does not advise counting the calories contained in food – this also does not help to improve relations with nutrition. It is much more important to try to make sports a part of your life, especially to start the morning with it, in order to feel more alert and energetic for the rest of the day.
Consolidation of harmful attitudes about nutrition
Festive feasts are just around the corner – with what feeling do you think about olives, mother’s pies, aspic fish and all those dishes that you probably eat no more than a couple of times a year? We hope that with joyful anticipation.
“Believing that you need to earn the right to delicious food and pleasure in general is not the healthiest idea in itself,” says fitness center director Alyssa Royce. “By “moralizing” the process of eating, we launch dangerous thoughts and patterns of behavior in others.
Ultimately, this can lead to the development of eating disorders, the harm of which to our body is difficult to overestimate. To avoid building such negative associations, think about all the pleasure food can bring you.”
Alas, it does not always depend on us.
We’ve been told for years that all good things come at a cost.
Experts are sure that one should try not to follow the lead of public opinion and harmful stereotypes and not hang an additional moral and ethical burden on food.
Keefe adds that when we blame ourselves for what we’ve eaten, it takes a toll not only psychologically, but also physically: our body produces stress hormones, which can cause digestive problems and stomach pain.
What to do?
Both Keefe and Royce believe the key is to listen to your body’s needs and reactions — every day of the year, but especially around the holiday season. It is possible and necessary to practice mindful eating – focusing completely on food, noticing the texture, taste and smell of food, as well as the pleasure that it brings us.
In addition, it is important to learn to understand when we are hungry and when we are full, and to walk and drink clean water as much as possible. And, of course, remember: food is not something that needs to be “deserved” and “worked out”.
At the same time, Keefe reminds that if you do not limit yourself to delicious food throughout the year, there will be no incentive to “break away” and eat all the most harmful during the holidays.
This means that mom’s pies and hearty salads can be easily alternated with meat and vegetables, steamed or in the oven. And continue to walk the prescribed number of steps per day, and not spend all the holidays at the table or in front of the TV!