Exercise and calories are for sure disconnected in my life. I can religiously exercise, never missing a workout. My eating habits, not so much.
I enjoy both exercise and eating. I just happen to enjoy both good food and "bad" food...
I must try to eat as clean as I can on regular days and save myself for a Mickey bar when I visit EPCOT..
Exercise, if done correctly, is the best high I’ve ever had, and I’ve tried pretty much every substance over the years. It is never punishment, it is always reward.
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Well said. Surprised you could find a place to run 7 miles at Disney. Last time I was there I had to run around one of the lakes multiple time to get the miles in.
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I had to stop reading at “life is too short not to eat Mickey Mouse waffles”. Some of us eat healthy food because we prefer it. It makes us feel great, and we think it’s a million times more delicious than the stuff others consider a treat. I’m all in favor of exercising for the joy of it, and don’t understand why anyone would consider something so enjoyable to be a “punishment”. If you ask me, the punishment is eating Mickey Mouse waffles.
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@Mara Dolan I think the point she was making is that if you find the waffles enjoyable, enjoy them. Don't punish yourself for eating something that you like even if it is an unhealthy treat. If you don't like junk food good for you, but tying harsh judgements to specific foods and types of foods is part of the problem for many people.
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Amen, amen, amen. Food and exercise can be joyful, everyday means of taking care of oneself - not something to be punished or experienced as punishment.
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Oh, shoot. If you were gone for a week, you missed two amazing 60-degree days up here!
Personally, I don't worry too much about this eating treats stuff because I don't have an appetite for them, no matter how hungry I get. There was some talk a while back about putting a small chart on snack foods that would show how much running, biking, or swimming one would have to do to burn off the calories in the package. I think the idea came from England.
Bravo! I employed the same strategy to finally learn to love moving my body. I’m not as consistent as I’d like to be, but it’s no longer penance tied only to balancing calories in. I love the way I feel and how my body responds. Even sweating is a pleasure, a signal I’m working my body in the most wonderful connected way. No longer a floating head...I’m more fully in touch with my body than ever before. Great article. Run for the sheer pleasure of it.
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