“Treat yo’self!”
“C’mon, man. #YOLO.”
“Life is too short to not have treats.”
I’ve heard it all. And while I couldn’t agree more that you only live once and life is short, I’m not so sure if your idea of treating yourself is quite on par. In fact, these treats could be holding you back. Let me explain.
There are some popular name brands out there who pride themselves (and even create viral memes on their social media) about working out hard in the gym in order to down that late night pizza. And yes, thousands of people click the Like button and/or Share it because, well… it’s funny, right? And on so true.
And trust us, we’re sure that there are people out there right now reading this article going, “Are you kidding me? Is she really saying what I think she’s saying?” So I’m going to come right out and answer you: Yep. I’m sayin’ it. Because in my experience, people can “treat” themselves in ways other than sweetener-laden, artificial ingredients, sugar, and greasy pizza. And working out gets you nowhere if you’re eating garbage.
So let’s first define a “cheat meal,” as it has come to be known. A cheat meal or cheat day refers to a particular meal or day set aside to consume whatever a person wants as opposed to what he or she knows will fuel him or her. In other words, they eat junk food. They hold back all week long to partake in that horrible deliciousness on Saturday night. But honestly, what does the word “cheat” imply to you? To me, it sounds like diet mentality. And if you know me, you know I hate anything that sounds like a diet. Cheating, then, alludes to bad behavior. And while I haven’t done extensive research and can base this opinion only on my experience with hundreds of customers and clients, I can tell you that anything associated with bad behavior typically does not help the person to establish a new, healthier lifestyle.
In our world today, food is an addiction. And would you allow any addict to have a “cheat” once a week? Guessing that’s not a good idea. So why should food be treated any differently?
Scientists state that we can cultivate new taste buds by consuming different foods. In other words, someone who doesn’t have a taste for say, broccoli, can create a taste for it by consuming it even if they don’t like it. We train our brain. Ultimately, then, partaking in cheat meals isn’t helping this learning process when it comes to clean eating.
On the flip side, we can refer to indulgences as “treats,” and in this way, psychologically speaking, we’re referring to a reward sensation. In my opinion, this, too, is problematic. I rarely reward myself for it because a healthy lifestyle is an expectation, not something I need rewarded for. And for those who participate in my accountability groups, I advise them to reward themselves with a new pair of shoes, or a movie rental until the habits becomes lifestyle. Food doesn’t have to always be a cheat or a reward… It should be looked at as fuel. We must shift this mentality that truly comes across as an entitlement, as if we DESERVE toxic, ingestible foods because of the seratonin and dopamine that release when we consume them. We’re convincing our brain that it’s good for us when our body knows better.
They say that most people have no idea how their body is meant to feel. And I have a sneaking suspicion that if there is someone reading this with a snarky mindset, who is thinking this is a whacked way of living, this person also hasn’t felt their body operate at peak performance to know otherwise. And that’s OK. Because this blog and this business we’re in isn’t here to always give you what you want to hear. We’re here to give you what you need to hear.
Cheats and treats are bad for you. If you have to refer to a food you’re consuming as such, it’s time to retrain your brain. The world we live in will beg you to think otherwise, given all of the advertising dollars hard at work to get you to pull through that Drive-Thru for a Diet Coke, but trust me… If you treat your body like the machine it is, and if you train it accordingly, you’ll be able to resist and to thrive. And why not thrive? After all, #YOLO.
Yours in Health & Fitness,
Jenny L. Swisher
Founder, Body Electric/CPT/FNS