Having a healthy relationship with food seems like it should be an easy thing to do. We know inherently we should eat what is often referred to as a “healthy diet”; we also know those food items that are classified as “bad”. Yet the risk is that we, as THPL practitioners, turn the food / eating process into a science experiment trading one against the other as if there was a strict formula for success. With this mindset we run the risk of going to extremes and we can miss either our body calling out for nutrients or enjoying foods that we should love to eat.
There is no question that food, should be considered as friend not foe. It can make us perform better and can also make us feel better. And during this time of year when athletic performance is a bit less of a priority it is time to enjoy the food around us and appreciate it for what it is, a welcome pleasure and a natural part of our lives. The “christmas cookie” is the case in point. There is a mix of great taste, tradition, human connection and fun that comes together in the christmas cookies that are baked, shared and consumed at this time of the year. It would be a shame and unnecessary to avoid partaking in this very human / pleasurable act of eating cookies. We can all figure out how many cookies are enough for the way we are living at the moment based on our activity level and our overall fitness state. But by all means it is time to enjoy in this once a year, wonderful cookie sharing and eating tradition. Just remember to have a favorite cookie and eat more of those than any others that you can get your hands on!
Loving life with a lot of Christmas Cookies!
Ciao
Joe