Exercise is not a Punishment

First of all, calories in do not equal calories out. There are too many things going on during digestion and absorption for that to be the case!  (great article on that here)

This means you can't eat 100 calories of something and then burn 100 calories by exercising and think that you erased what you ate.  That information is outdated and has been proven again and again to not be true (yet there are still schools teaching it, grr).

Around this time of the year I see a lot of "do this exercise for ___ minutes to burn off that pumpkin pie" or something similar. You know what I'm talking about, right? Well, ignore it. Not only is it untrue but it's not a healthy mindset to have.

Eat because you need to nourish yourself!  Because food should taste good and make you feel good.  Eat to live AND live to eat (why should you only have to choose one?).  Food keeps us alive but it also can bring a lot of joy... so enjoy it!

Exercise because you CAN. Imagine if tomorrow you woke up completely paralyzed. You would of course miss being able to move about as you please!  So do it now.  Find exercises that challenge you and move your body in ways that bring you happiness.

Exercise to feel stronger, faster, less stressed and to enrich your life. Do not exercise to "burn off" a meal or make room for one or because you dislike the way you look.

Approach everything with love.  You eat because you love yourself and you exercise because you love yourself.  

With Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching, a lot of people find themselves fearing food.  Don't let this be you.  Know that you have it within you to enjoy food and feel well nourished without going overboard resulting in feeling uncomfortable and lethargic.

I know it can be hard to find that balance. How do you enjoy my indulgences without feeling guilty or even sick? How can you approach exercise as a privilege rather than a punishment?  If you'd like to talk about it more, please schedule a breakthrough session with me.  It's completely free and I would love to help you to enjoy the holiday season to its fullest.