It’s that time of year, and with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas just around the corner, memes like this one are already making the rounds.
While they are often well-intentioned, these images reinforce the unfortunate notion that:
a. you should feel guilty about the food that you eat, and,
b. the only way to atone for this sin is to punish yourself with exercise.
Sadly, this cycle of “sin, repent, repeat” only perpetuates our increasingly disordered relationship with food and fitness. Not to mention our very own bodies.
Yet eating isn’t a sin, and exercise isn’t penance.
Engaging in a fit and active lifestyle shouldn’t involve shame and suffering. In fact, we know that creating a stigma around health, including weight loss, isn’t an effective motivator at all. Rather, it often has the opposite impact and leads to increased emotional eating and weight gain.
Not surprisingly, compassion, kindness, and positive reinforcement are the best tools to support long-term behavior change.
Fitness is – and always should be – about positivity and empowerment.
It’s about testing your limits, pushing past them, and recognizing the amazing things that your body can do.
It’s about facing challenges, and working to overcome them. Exploring the world around you, and realizing that you are far stronger than you imagined.
Research also indicates that exercise improves your mood, boosts creativity, and is associated with lower risk of disease and improved longevity. These are awesome things!
Yet sadly, these memes encourage the idea that exercise is something to be feared and loathed. That is must be painful and prolonged, and it must be punishment for having enjoyed a bit of your life. Even if that “bit” came in the form of a 250-calorie candy bar or Christmas cookie.
Essentially, these memes tell you, “if you sin, prepare to suffer.” And just like that, fitness is equated with restriction, punishment, and defeat.
Importantly, these messages also normalize a sense of guilt and shame around something that you enjoy. And studies show that guilt and shame can fuel disordered and dangerous eating habits.
Truly, leading a healthy life is about finding balance.
As the incomparable Dr. Seuss once said, “Be sure when you step, step with care and great tact, and remember that life’s a great balancing act.”
As I’ve written before, you don’t win at life because you struggle, suffer, and obsess more than others. You live a better life by balancing the diversity of things that make you happy.
Instead of sharing messages that shame one another into submission, focus on developing a lifestyle that helps you feel fulfilled, supported, and empowered. One that brings you a sense of peace and clarity that only sweat and endorphins can provide.
And if that lifestyle involves the occasional candy bar or Christmas cookie, you don’t have to suffer for it. Simply incorporate it into your macros for the day and savor it. And if you feel that you’ve indulged more than you “should have,” dust yourself off and get right back on track.
And if you see others struggling with their own journey, remember to embrace positivity and support. When it comes to living, building, and sharing a healthy life, compassion – and perhaps the occasional peanut butter cup – are key.