Last week I had the opportunity to attend a ‘Go Red for Women’ luncheon in Billings, MT. I have always heard about the event, but never attended, so I was actually pretty excited to have the opportunity and see what it was all about. It ended up being a fun little event and a great way to network with other women in the community. During our lunch, Dayle Hayes, a local registered dietician, writer and motivational speaker gave the keynote speech. Her message instantly caught my attention, enough so, I actually put my fork down and just listened. Now, obviously the purpose of this event was to promote heart heath among women, so naturally the presentation was on health. But, Dayle addressed another component of health we often overlook or fail to even recognize and acknowledge with in ourselves. The component she spoke of was the guilt we put on ourselves regarding the choices we make, specifically when it comes to food and exercise. And if you don’t already know this, guilt leads to stress and too much stress can be very unhealthy.
I will honestly admit myself; I have put masses of guilt on my conscious when it comes down to the food or exercise choices I have made day in and day out. This is actually something I have personally been focusing on improving in my life the past few years. As women, we seem to put more guilt on ourselves revolving around food and exercise compared to men. Why is that? Why do we care so damn much about this unadorned part of life? And the worst part of all this is, as we increasingly place guilt on ourselves we naturally make even poorer food and exercise choices. So the solution seems pretty simple right? Get rid of the guilt!
Ha! If it were that easy I would not be writing on this topic. However, reality is, it is not that simple. Therefore, those of you who choose to read on are making the choice to put forth effort to change, or at minimum think about change.
So now you are probably thinking, “Okay, Bridget, where do I start”? And my answer is, start today, start now and start this second. At your next meal, wherever and whenever that may be, make the healthiest choice you can, eat slowly and stop when you are comfortably full. Now, when I say ‘healthy’ I don’t mean choosing foods that don’t appeal or taste good to you, instead I mean eat a reasonable portion of food you are hungry for. If that happens to be pizza, a burger or pasta (foods we sometimes think are not healthy) so be it. Eat a realistic portion, don’t over think it, second guess your choice or start the mind game that you should have eaten a salad or just protein, or blah, blah, blah. Allow yourself to enjoy rich tasting foods that you love without guilt or regrets. Your life will be so much easier and you can free your mind to think of the positive things in life rather than wasting time and energy thinking what you should have eaten. Make sense?
With that said I am not telling you to go out each day and night and indulge in high fat foods like pizza and burgers. This is not realistic. Instead, I am encouraging you to listen to your body. When you crave these foods, allow yourself to eat them in small portions. And the rest of the time, try to eat as many fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein you can to give your body the essential nutrients it needs to be healthy and function. Think of it this way, your skin and hair will not be youthful and shinny if you over indulge at every meal, every day. However, you will look youthful as ever if you indulge occasionally and satisfying your body with nutrients the rest of the time. Your body will probably even feel more youthful!
This same principle can be applied to daily activity and exercise. There will be days when you will not have the time, equipment or energy to be active. That is okay. Instead of dwelling what you cannot or did not do, think about how you will be active the next day, or even the rest of the week or weekend.
When your mind starts to wander into the guilt zone, remember, move forward, get over it and focus on the future. You can’t change the past, but you sure have a choice in the present and future. So move forward and find happiness, celebrate your heart and your health. Most importantly, get rid of the guilt!
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