‘That looks like 20 minutes in the gym’.
Someone said that today as I ate an ice donut.
Now apart from, in reality I probably wouldn’t burn the amount of calories in the donut within 20 minutes (ever realised how much we over estimate calories burnt during exercise?), the notion that we have to earn our food is a horrible mindset to be in.
When we think in terms of ‘if I do this, I can have that’ or I’m going to have to exercise for this long because I’ve eaten this’ we effectively put a negative narrative on certain foods and make exercise a form of punishment.
Of course when we are more active we will burn and therefore be able to eat more calories to maintain our weight. Of course if you want to lose weight you need to understand the balance of calories in and out. So being aware of calories you are consuming or your TDEE isn’t unhealthy or obsessive.
But thinking of food as something that needs to be earned instead of enjoyed makes it a chore instead of a part of life. Thinking of exercise as something we have to do to eat instead of something we get to do to feel good and be healthy makes it something we may well end up resenting.
A donut should always look like a donut (tasty) not 20 minutes in the gym.
Heather Sherwood Fitness 