Imagine all the emotions you would feel if the love of your life cheated on you....Let that sink in for a second. Would you cry, be ready to fight, retaliate or crawl under a rock, or all of the above? When this happened to me I was extremely hurt, I felt disrespected, neglected and made a fool of. I also felt I didn’t have to stand for that and that I should be treated better.
You want to know when you are in a relationship that the love of your life is committed to you and ONLY you, correct? However on a regular basis you won’t commit to yourself, to a healthier lifestyle and a more fit you. It’s a shame how we consistently cheat on ourselves. How do you think your body feels?
The definition of cheat is:
/CHēt/
1 1. a person who acts or behaves dishonestly in order to gain an advantage.
"a liar and a cheat" ."she always cheats at cards"
When it comes to your health, cheating will not ever give you an advantage in your weight loss or wellness status. If anything, the quality of your life will be limited by you cheating on yourself. You are setting yourself up for doctor visits, physical and mental limitations, medication and heartache.
If you truly want to stop cheating on yourself you must first be open to change. You have to be accountable for your actions, your progress and derailments (they will happen) as in any relationship. Your body has to learn to trust you again. Most importantly, you have to be realistic and patient with yourself when things don’t go as planned or expected. If anyone tells you that this will be easy, they aren’t being honest with you, because no relationship is easy.
You also have to put in the time. You will have to make time to prepare your food, attend fitness classes or personal training sessions, and recover. When you say “I don’t have time,” you simply aren’t making time. Think of all the things you make time for that aren’t nearly as important as your relationship with your health and wellness. Don’t lie to yourself, this is where the cheating starts.
Most folks are disconnected from actual food and what it means to prepare true nourishment for themselves (and those they love). The concern with saving time and finding convenience has become more important than solid nutrition and feeding our soul. Just look around and see what this approach has gotten us. More of us develop diabetes, heart disease, IBS, cancer, depression, and illnesses of all kinds, at younger and younger ages. The average persons’ relationship with food is severely flawed. We spend time watching commercials and television shows that confuse us, scare us and disconnect us from real food. We ignore our instincts which can lead us, if we follow them, to where we are biologically designed to be which is healthy and happy.
You’ll have to slow down, turn off the television, your phones and the computer. Go to sleep earlier. Quiet things down so you can “listen to your mind and body.” What food does your body respond to? Reject? Keep a journal, documenting food and water intake, amount of time you are moving, what you like about your body and what you want to change. I believe relationships take work.
All relationships that matter, require work. They take forgiveness and listening. You, your time, your body and your food are involved in life long relationship. You must listen to your body, feed it what it needs and not what you crave, keep it moving, and put in the time. Most importantly recognize that in this relationship you must learn to forgive yourself. To truly understand the intricacies of this connection, you have to experience (and, yes, welcome) all of the successes and failures, be humble and stay focused on the goal… a healthy relationship with food, fitness and you.
After years of eating like crap I have embraced a pescatarian diet. I do a few things to make getting my nourishment easier (but I don’t cut nutritional corners for the sake of saving time). I pick one day a week (usually Sunday). I throw some clothes in the wash, put on my favorite tunes, take out all my fish for the week, halibut, cod, whiting, salmon and flounder, defrost them, season them with fresh herbs, lemon etc. except sodium. I put about 4 sweet potatoes in the oven and I boil 10 eggs. I keep fruits and vegetables on deck and change up different days so I won’t get bored. I also prepare my snacks for the week, like trail mix, granola bars, yogurts and seaweed. In just 20 minutes my fish and sweet potatoes are in the oven my eggs are complete, cooling waiting to be refrigerated, I’m folding clothes and my week is set.
The process of meal prepping will take time. Months. Years. Or even A lifetime. It’s a lifestyle journey that you can continue to finesse, much like a new language, and it will eventually become effortless. Your perspective will change. Your palate will change. You’ll grow, learn from experiences, and ultimately, you will achieve optimal health. It’s not just about what we feed our bodies, it’s how we nurture ourselves in every way and that includes our spirit. So if you want your body to trust you and to treat you better you must stop disrespecting, neglecting and cheating on it. No Mess
