At CrossFit Movida we often say that your food and fitness strategies should be designed for your most hectic days — not just the easy, or perfect ones.
When people come into fitness they carry their own ideas about what food means. For them food can be:
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fuel,
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reward,
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punishment,
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escape,
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shame,
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freedom,
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a way to check in with others,
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a way to check out from themselves,
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and more.
Food is a story that shapes your daily life, your health, and your function.
Food is also JUST information.
When food is information, there is no “good” or “bad” food. There are only choices. You see, every time you choose to eat one thing over another, you’re voting for what’s really important to you right now. Sure, few of us ever realize that’s what we’re doing.
But every decision is a calculation. It expresses what really matters to you in that particular, that unique, moment.
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Choices weigh pros and cons.
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Choices express what’s important to us.
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Choices have consequences, which we choose to accept.
So, with the holidays here for most of us, I’m wondering:
What matters to you right now?
Is it…
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feeling good?
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connecting with loved ones?
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truly nourishing your body?
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feeding your soul?
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remembering your heritage or family traditions?
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taking the edge off a tough round of holiday shopping?
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surviving a zany family get-together?
No judgement here. You get to decide your priorities. And sometimes other things should win out over “nutrition”.
Like…
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trying new things.
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expanding your “database” of life experiences.
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unadulterated, un-guilty, un-morally-filtered, straight-up joy and pleasure.
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the first bite of real shortbread, sharp on the tongue.
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the first sip of your favorite drink.
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the first whiff of a holiday dinner cooking in the oven.
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the first taste of food after a day of religious fasting.
(Perhaps even the first moments you have as a parent after your hysterical kids have finally conked out and you can lie on the couch, thinking happily about eating the cookies they left out for Santa).
Keeping the holidays real.
I just want you to know that I’m not here to tell you what to do, think, or feel. (We are not here to make you feel guilty, ashamed, anxious, or deprived.) Instead, we’re here to help you think through the questions. To help you choose more consciously, with awareness and intention.
And to help you keep it real.
Because holiday foods taste great when made with love and shared with friends and family. They just do.
So my first suggestion is…
Enjoy some real cookies this holiday season. Or some other thing you enjoy but think is “off limits”.
Just do it consciously. Mindfully. Joyfully. And — as we teach in our nutrition program— slowly.
Instead of scarfing it down furtively and waiting for the guilt, savor it. Taste the layers of flavor and try to extract every last one of them.
Stay present and checked in. Choose with purpose. Then move on. Because, with the right approach:
You can enjoy food, connect with others, and be healthy and fit. All at the same time.
Along with:
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choosing with purpose;
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slowing down and taking a moment to really savor and enjoy;
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looking for moments of true joy rather than getting distracted by guilt,anxiety, or regret.