Its blogging time again! I thought I would touch on an important topic in regards to competition prep and also a Lifestyle approach to nutrition and goals! This is something that took me years to get my head around as I have touched on in recent blogs, but it is something that my clients ask me about on a regular basis.
I can not stress the importance of having a healthy relationship not only in your mind and with your body but also with food! I find that people do either one of two bad things. 1 - uncontrollably binge out on foods when they are giving the chance to have a cheat meal or just struggle during the whole week and have slip ups and punish themselves so badly for it emotionally and mentally or 2 - feel so unbelievably guilty about having a cheat evening if it is as small as a yoghurt and beat themselves up about it. Your not a lone if you do either of these things and I am just beginning to realise how common it is. We get swept away with achieving results as we become so driven that sometimes we don't even notice it being an issue.
Well, myself I use to be number 1. Instead of a cheat meal it was a cheat day which was a free for all, if i couldn't get my hands on it I would drive head first and then feel like death from all the sugar and bad fats until about Wednesday. I actually got really depressed, not about eating food but just about everything in general because of all the toxic crap I would put into my body.
The approach I took began mentally, I started calling it my treat meal! As it is exactly that, a treat a reward, something that would benefit my body so in no way could be classified as a cheat as that implies something naughty correct? I have just that, one meal which consists of no sugar or highly processed foods. It is something I am now wary of and I go into that day ensuring that I am
I find that as my clients always have strict guidelines to follow during the week they benefit more by knowing exactly what they shouldn't have to give them more direction, so if this helps you make yourself a list too. The best way to judge whether it was a treat or a cheat is by how you feel the next day. Did you wake up feeling energised and have a fantastic workout which therefore refuelled your body or did you feel like you have a food hangover, lethargic and tired? You can base the way you feel as to how much your body actually needed and what not to eat.
My pre contest treat meals are also different to those when I am not on my pre contest plan so therefore this will differ depending if you are a competitor or not.
Above all else the most important thing is not to beat yourself up over it, don't feel guilty and learn from every experience! Simply build a bridge, get over it and don't cross over the bridge again. So when it comes to that time of week when you get to reward your body ask yourself, is this a cheat or treat? Love your body inside and out and treat it right. Also be big enough to assess your thoughts, feeling and actions to whether you do have a healthy relationship with food or not and seek someones advice. My door is open, as always
Much Love xoxox
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