Fitness Challenge Nutrition Tip #7: Healthy and Fit
Being Healthy and Fit Feels Better Than That Tastes
In today’s challenge, we are going to take a look at how most of us view junk food. Have you ever been to a gathering or party where some of your favorite junk food was readily available? Of course you have. It’s okay to indulge a little bit every now and then (more on this next week). Most of us do from time to time. But it’s important not to feel deprived when you don’t have your favorite junk food.
Imagine that you’re about to go to a party, and before you leave, you tell yourself that you’re not going to eat any junk food at the party because you want to eat healthier. When you get to the party, you see your favorite chocolate cake and think to yourself, “That looks SO good. I really wish I could have some. Everyone else is enjoying it, but not me.” In almost every case, guess what happens… You end up eating the cake and feeling bad about it later. This happens because it’s hard to resist things with just willpower alone.
The good news is that there is a different and more effective way to handle the situation. Imagine that you go to the same party where they are serving your favorite chocolate cake. But this time, when you see the cake, instead of feeling sorry for yourself and being tempted to eat it, you look at the cake and say to yourself “being healthy and fit feels better than that tastes“. Instead of imagining how good it’s going to taste, imagine the extra weight around your waist, or that full bloated feeling you get after eating too much junk food. When you do this, you will find that the chocolate cake has less power over you than it did before. Then, imagine how great you’ll feel the next day knowing that you found the strength to resist the temptation. You’ll be less likely to feel deprived and you’ll appreciate how good it feels to make a healthy choice. Remember, no one ever regrets the piece of cake that they didn’t have.
Have you ever eaten too much junk food and ended up feeling sick? Most of us have at one time or another. So the next time you’re tempted by candy, soda, cake or chips, think of upset stomachs, heart burn, and fatigue and then say to yourself, “Being healthy and fit feels better than that tastes”. When you look at your food temptations this way, they tend to lose their power over you.
When you apply this technique, you won’t feel deprived. You’ll feel empowered.