Things I did to heal my relationship with food and exercise

Things i did to heal my relationship with food and exercise

I spent years as a slave to my health and fitness. I was constantly trying new things and making myself do things I didn't want to do. For example, I ran, a lot, for years because I thought that would make me look the way I wanted. I don't enjoy running. So that was miserable for me. I would bounce from heavy lift lifting to higher reps to CrossFit style workouts to cardio based workouts to yoga. I would purchase programs from random Instagram influencers. I was constantly switching things up. Hoping that some thing would do the trick. But I didn’t have a clear goal so I couldn’t even tell you what I was working so hard for.

Then came the nutrition. I tried cleansing, fat burners, cutting out carbs or sugar or dairy. Whatever someone suggested I tried. I did this for years getting me nowhere. During that time I developed a really bad binging and restricting cycle. So during the week I’d be super strict. Not eating anything that I "shouldn’t" at the time. To then having a cheat meal on a Friday night that would lead to overeating the entire weekend. I’d then punish myself with exercise and clean eating the rest of the week. It was a really difficult time in my life because I felt like nobody understood this cycle I couldn’t get out of.

Eventually, I did break out of these habits. After talking with some trusted friends and educating myself on the importance of food and fueling myself properly. I started to see steady changes in the right direction. It took time. But I want to share some things that helped me break out of these habits. Now enabling me to coach people through these struggles. First I want you to understand you are not alone. I felt so alone in this season of my life so if you’re in a similar situation, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I know what it’s like to feel like there was no one in your corner that understood.

One thing that I still put a heavy focus on is education. Education is power. I am guilty of just trusting what other people say, but not actually looking into facts. Just because fat burners worked for someone doesn’t mean it’s the only thing they did. And is it actually beneficial? It's crazy what people will do to make money, so take the time to learn. Why do you actually need carbs? Why are cleanses a temporary fix? Why is eating enough so important? Refer to a few trusted sources and learn before taking action in anything extreme.

Something that was a game changer for me was I stopped labeling food as good or bad because food is fuel. Are the potatoes you're eating giving you energy for the day? Is the pizza you just ate making you feel good? Use those as a measure of whether things are Beneficial to you or not. Unless eating certain foods cause serious health concerns. Or it's recommended by a doctor to cut out, don't cut it out. Certain foods should be limited, sure. But by incorporating other habits you could see improvements in the nutritional value of your food.

I stopped incorporating cheat meals. Cheat meals encouraged a bad relationship with food for me personally. It gave too much focus to food. It wasn’t a healthy mentality. My days would be anticipating my cheat meal, and then regretting the outcome and how I felt after. Other people have seen success with it, I think it can make food too much of a focus. So I don't find it beneficial in the long run.

With exercise I stopped doing what I hated and started doing what I liked. I don’t enjoy jumping around and dripping sweat feeling like I’ve just been tortured. I love to lift heavy and feel strong. like I said before, I hate running, but love walking. So instead of forcing myself to run, I walk. I don’t want to think temporary. I want to exercise to enhance my everyday life. So that’s not giving my life to my workouts. But making me strong so I can carry in the groceries myself or hold my nieces and nephews for a long time. I want to be able to keep up with them at a Park and eventually my kids, that’s more important to me than anything. I want to be healthy for now and for later. Also, I realized doing things I hated made me not want to stick to it. So I would just start doing other things I never got anywhere with my progress. Consistency is key.

Something that was also huge for me was I talked about it. I talked to Peter about my struggle and then how I was doing along the way. I reached out to fitness professionals that I trusted. I really considered what I wanted my life to look like and how I would want my friends and family to know me. I didn't want to be a crazy person when it came to food and exercise. I wanted to be strong and healthy and be an example to that. But not to be a slave to it. I considered my future self.

These are some things that came to mind when I reflected on My history with this. I hope these things help you if you're in a similar situation. Again, know you can always reach out.