That “W” Question We Love To Avoid

I love to eat! Don’t we all? My mom thinks I don’t eat, and that’s why I can stay so lean. Her belief about my lack of eating enough is challenged every time she comes over. My husband, on the other hand, has the opposite opinion. He says he can either find me in the gym or in the kitchen, every time!

Have you ever thought about why we eat or exercise? Because we need it? Because we ‘should’? Because we have to fight off diseases?

I call these answers surface answers, like using a Swiffer to sweep up the superficial stuff without ever getting out the mop.

What I am really asking is:

Why do we choose to eat what we do?

Why do we struggle with food and physical activity?

Why do some people seem to have it easier when it comes to food choices or exercise?

There are 3 main reasons why people eat:

1. Perceived need for nourishment or feeling physical hunger: Physical hunger leads to body signals such as our stomach growling or feeling what people call “hangry.” There are other cues as well, like time of day: “It is lunch time, so I should eat.”

2. Emotional nourishment: Sometimes we eat because we are bored, anxious, lonely or sad. We are essentially fulfilling an emotional need. However, not all emotional eating is bad. We often celebrate with food, like at a birthday where we might enjoy a piece of cake or to connect with a childhood memory(Nana's sweet bread).

3. Binge eating: What makes binge eating different from emotional eating is that we are often doing it quickly and sometimes in hiding, and it is often accompanied with or followed by feelings of shame and guilt.

When it comes to exercise, similar principles apply:

1. Feeling an obligation: We work out because we know we should. There might be something about our body that we don’t like. Or perhaps someone else has imposed the word should on you, like a family member or your doctor. In either case, we end up exercising out of fear or guilt instead of out of love for our body.

2. Loving our bodies: We work out because we love how we feel. We love being role models for our families and friends; we want to be physically able to take care of aging parents; we want to keep up with our kids; we want to shovel snow without getting winded after five minutes. We want to move through life with more ease and to feel stronger and more capable.

Have you ever thought about the reasons why you eat and move your body?

Sometimes we think we need a new plan when things don’t seem to be working out how we think they should, so we jump on a new nutrition plan or supplement program.

Sometimes we turn inwards wondering; “What is wrong with me? Why can’t I just figure it out?”

We spend time, money and energy on the latest diet or fitness trends.

But we need to invest our time in taking a look at the why’s. Once we understand why we do things, the how becomes clearer, and so do the steps we can take to reach our goals and create healthy habits. We must build the foundation before building the house.

To this day, I continue to reflect on why I choose what I choose. It is easy to become complacent, but reflecting on the feelings I have about my body and just about me being me allows me to be in a state of continuous growth and learning. Give why a try!

*******

This is the basis for our Online Coaching Programs.

The sure fire way to achieve any goal is with the right help, the right plan, the right accountability, and a wise set of eyes on things to coach you when things don't go as planned. Online Coaching,is the most effective way I can offer my services and get you crushing those goals and feeling like your best-self and looking deeper within so you never fall for another diet claim again.

Most people know what to do, they just need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives. That’s why All Out Training’s Online Coaching Programs are helping clients lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health...no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.