We
live in a society where many people tend to gravitate toward "black and
white thinking" and extremes. The nutrition and fitness industries are
fraught with examples of extremism in many forms. Everyday a new headline
pronounces a certain food as "bad and ruining our health," while
exalting another food and praising it's "amazing benefits."
These lists of proclaimed
"superfoods" and "harmful foods" seem to change on a weekly
basis- leading many people to be confused as to the mixed messages they are
receiving. Further, popular fitness posts tend to favor a "black and
white" mentality towards exercise, which leads many individuals to falsely
believe that only a "intense workout" is beneficial for the mind and
body.
I would argue that this extremist
viewpoint towards nutrition and fitness is harmful for everyone. For instance,
within the last few years, it was widely publicized that coconut oil had some
health benefits. Many purported health fanatics went crazy in terms of eating
an incredible abundance of coconut oil with every meal. However, eating any one
food in excess can be unhealthy. Further, food is neutral and should not be
labeled as "good" or "bad."
In Diet
Recovery 2, author Matt Stone dispels the myth of "good or bad
foods." Stone states, "Pizza is extraordinarily nutritious. It's
almost a calcium overload. You don't have to drink kale juice all day to get
adequate nutrients, and if you did you would obliterate your thyroid gland
(kale is a goitrogen)." This demonstrates that any food in excess, even
one that we deem as "healthy" can be unhealthy.
Additionally, viewing specific
foods as "good" or "bad" often leads to restriction of
certain foods, which may naturally contribute to later binge or emotional
overeating. This is due to the fact that emotional or physical deprivation
(i.e., eating the food while feeling guilt and shame, or denying yourself the
food altogether) often triggers a biological response to overeat.
When you deprive yourself of certain foods, your body is primed to counter this
perceived threat of starvation by later consuming a surplus of energy (i.e., calories).
Adopting extreme views regarding
nutrition could perpetuate or trigger an eating disorder in genetically
vulnerable individuals. Eating disorders are the deadliestmental
illness, and for individuals who have the genetic predisposition -- "black
and white" messaging surrounding food can be harmful and downright
dangerous.
Applying an extremist view
towards fitness is another recipe for disaster. There are individuals who live
their lives as a slave to their fitness routine and may meet criteria for exercise
addiction. Seeing fitness as "all or nothing" may cause people to
feel unable to miss a workout despite illness, injury, or fatigue. Over-exercising in a compulsive and rigid way can be
incredibly harmful for both your physical and mental health.
On the other end of the spectrum
are individuals who believe that taking a short walk "doesn't count"
as exercise and therefore decide not to move their bodies at all. While, it has
been well documented in research that exercise is not the
"weight-loss panacea" that the fitness industry tries to make us
believe, there are many actual health benefits of moving your body in an
enjoyable way.
According to Dr. Linda Bacon,
"Long-term studies show that few people maintain significant weight or fat
loss by increasing their physical activity, even when exercise habits are maintained."
However, exercise has been shown to boost mood, and improve a variety of health outcomes.
Even in smaller "doses"
exercise can have a myriad of health benefits. For instance, a recent study
from the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that a daily 20-minute walk
could extend an individual's life expectancy.
Just as dieting and restriction of food can lead to unhealthy outcomes, having
an "all or nothing" approach to exercise could also be mentally and
physically detrimental.
The real key to improving your
physical and mental health in terms of nutrition and fitness is one simple
word: moderation.
It's such a basic concept, yet our society seems to largely have forgotten
about it. Moderation is about finding your own unique balance when it comes to
food and exercise -- while making a conscious effort to avoid extremes in
regards to thinking and behavior.
An integral part of this is
working to neutralize all foods, and also giving yourself unconditional
permission to eat any food that looks enjoyable -- while generally attempting
to be mindful of your hunger and fullness cues. If you are really struggling
with this, it could be helpful to seek support from a mental health therapist
or a nutritionist. It is also important to note that it is normal and human to
sometimes overeat a food because you enjoy it -- and this does not mean that
you have "failed."
Embracing moderation is not
another set of rules to follow -- rather it provides a basic concept that will
enable you to find your own personal "balance" when it comes to food
and fitness. Ultimately, your body is smart and intuitively knows what it
needs. The belief behind the evidence-based concept of intuitive eating is that
if you are able to mindfully listen to your body, and begin to nourish it with
food and movement in a joyful way -- it will guide you in the right direction.
This year, my challenge for you
is to work to ditch extremist views when it comes to food and movement, and to
embrace the concept of moderation. In the long-term, your body and mind will thank you.
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