I saw this picture on Facebook …again. It’s really popular. It’s also utterly ridiculous and a little offensive. Unfortunately, messages like this are being promoted all the time by health & fitness gurus.
If this picture represents how you think, it’s a sign you’ve gone too far with your ‘healthy’ lifestyle. It’s disordered. It’s orthorexic. …and I should know.
Statements like these promote eating disorders.
First of all, food is a reward. It affects reward centres in our brain. We know this. Second, what’s so bad about pleasure anyway? Isn’t the whole point of following a healthy lifestyle so that you can feel better? Isn’t it ultimately about having good energy? Feeling good about yourself? Being happy?
Health & fitness trends seem to be becoming increasingly militant. We’ve lost sight of why we started. People are exercising like wannabe Marines or Navy SEALS. Apparently it’s cool to be hardcore – to beat yourself up. Like it’s some badge of honour. It’s not. It’s stupid. One exercise brand actually glorifies vomiting during a workout. Success!
It’s the same with nutrition. We go extreme. Starvation diets are still surprisingly popular. And unnecessary food avoidance is growing in popularity. We let how we eat become our identity. We give it a name. And we judge others who don’t believe what we believe. Sadly, this merely promotes eating disorders like binge eating and orthorexia.
But does any of it actually make your life any better? Does it make you any happier? Probably not. More likely it just stresses you out. More likely it just strains your social relationships. Don’t be the weird one. I’ve been there.
It seems sometimes being ‘healthy’ isn’t so healthy. Especially if we’re over-fixated on food and exercise, and neglecting things like stress, sleep, social connection, community and time in nature. These have a huge impact on your overall wellbeing. Besides, if you don’t learn to be happy now, the chances are you won’t be happy even when you do finally ‘get there’.
The answer doesn’t lie at the extremities. You don’t need to be some hardcore health warrior. It lies – dare I say it – in moderation.
Enjoying food is a part of life. A superb part of life. It’s not a sin. And it doesn’t make you a dog. Please don’t talk to yourself like that. Eating ice-cream or chocolate or alcohol now and again is ok. Actually, it’s probably better for you than the puritanical idea of never having it …And inevitably binging on it.
I don’t mean ‘moderation’ as an excuse to neglect your health. Just as an antidote to obsession. Eat mostly whole, filling, nutrient-dense food, cooked at home. Listen to your body and you’ll do fine. Be mindful. Move your body. Move well, move often, and lift heavy things. Take it easy. Life, food, and movement are to be enjoyed. We’re all going to die in the end anyway.
BIG IDEA: Sometimes being ‘healthy’ isn’t so healthy. Especially if we’re over-fixated on food and exercise, and neglecting things like stress, sleep, social connection, community and time in nature.
TAKEAWAY: Health is more than ‘clean’ eating and intense exercise. It’s about being able to enjoy your life.
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Always Keep Reaching!
Mike
thank you so much for this article Mike! I so needed to read this. After reading Grain Brain I was obsessed with the avoidance of gluten and then I started to restrict dairy and more so for health than weight loss but I also learned that I may have food sensitivities to gluten and dairy. My diet was essentially low carb high fat and Ive been working out consistently but haven’t seen many changes in my body. So I incorporated strength training and as of recently have added some gluten back in my diet as well as high fat dairy products and more carbs such as potatoes. I cant help but feel guilty when I eat them I feel like im being a rebel and doing some bad. But I have to remind myself that it shouldn’t be that way and this is not a healthy relationship with food neither is feeling guilty for eating chocolate and trying to put in an extra cardio session at the gym to burn it off. Sure I would love to look like a fitness competitor (Michelle Lewin) but I also wanna enjoy my life because its short and this article is a great reminder that we need to not be so obsessively focused on eating and working out and just breath relax and enjoy life and friends and family and of course food because overall health is more than just what you eat and how many hours you log at the gym its about emotional mental and spiritual peace and balance. Im definitely bookmarking this article. thankyou.
Thanks Ri, it sounds like a familiar story! It also sounds like you’re moving in the right direction with your relationship with food :-). You might be interested in reading this other post I wrote: http://www.mikemacdonald.co.uk/my-nutrition-rabbit-hole-and-why-i-quit-paleo-part-1/