You really have to stop your internal monologue for punishing you for
eating what you want. You will start disliking the very idea of exercise and
get caught in a loop of eating something, then feeling bad for eating it, and
this is a bad thing to do because then you will have a very bad relationship
with both food and exercise. It is one of the leading causes for developing
an eating disorder.
You must have come across the memes on Insta demonstrating how many
calories you have to expend or how many burpees you have to complete in
order to burn off that savory cookie or that cup of ice cream. Now that feels
like an alarm ringing in the back of your head and now you are unable to
enjoy anything you eat, for fear of gaining weight. You start thinking you
need to go for a run or not eat the next meal to not become fat overnight-
that is toxic and yes, sadly this is everywhere. Toxic diet culture, toxic gym
culture, fatphobia, skinny phobia, etc. is everywhere but you have to
remember, exercise is not a punishment for what you ate; rather, it is a
celebration of what your body is capable of.
Since early childhood, we’ve all been told to engage in physical activity of any
kind to keep our bodies strong and agile. Exercise is actually any physical activity that
warms up the muscles and expels calories from your body.
But both food and some kind of physical activity is important for leading a
healthy life. Therefore, when you eat something, please try to relax and
enjoy doing so guilt-free. Getting angry with yourself for wanting to eat will
only drag you down. Isn’t it much better to just fix a workout goal and eat
healthy, while enjoying it at the same time?
Exercise should be something you do because it makes you feel good, not
because you are desperately attempting to lose weight/ not gain weight
after eating. Just keep this in mind, being hyper conscious one day will not
make you thin overnight and likewise, one day of treating yourself will not
ruin your progress.
Persistent medical conditions can only develop when you do not move at
all and develop a sedentary lifestyle. Regular exercise helps improve your
physique, heart health, and sensitivity to insulin, which in turn minimizes
high pressure and regulates blood sugar.
Exercise should not be done to “earn” or “burn” food. Working out is not
something you have to do, like it’s some punishment for enjoying eating a
wholesome meal. It is being used as a sort of retribution for eating, has
become pervasive in society now. But if you’re serious about developing a
positive relationship with exercise, nutrition and your body, you first need to
debunk this false notion and adopt a healthier mindset.
So what should you do?
While it’s true that one has to be in a calorie deficit and expend more
energy than what you consume to shed weight, most people vastly
underestimate the importance of an organized workout.
In reality, only about 5–10% of the average person’s daily fat burn comes
from exercising. The body consumes the rest through both non-exercise
activities, and obviously to keep itself functioning, and that includes the
movement you perform throughout the day, such as walking or even just
blinking.
Exercise stimulates that region of your brain that helps in controlling your
stress levels. It is known to make you feel relaxed, because it boosts the
sensitivity of your brain to hormones like serotonin, which lowers the
symptoms of depression. Exercise also increases the creation of
endorphins.
Committing to exercise or a simple aerobic physical activity daily is thus a very
good way to preserve the health of your muscles in the long run. It not only
promotes bone density when you are a child, but also contributes to the
prevention of osteoporosis in the twilight years.
It’s amazing that no matter how long you train, even 20 minutes of
consistent exercise will have a huge positive impact on your life. Why do you think certain workouts, such as heavy lifting, help you build muscle mass? That’s due to the fact that it promotes the production of hormones that help absorb amino acids via the bloodstream and by the muscles and reduces their breakdown. As you age, you lose muscle mass, which is why they get hurt easily.
Studies have shown that engaging in intense sports like swimming, or low-impact sports like jogging
can also build better bone density. In fact, when the body’s antioxidant defenses cannot completely heal damage of the cells brought on by free radicals, oxidative stress begins to take hold. Your cell structure is harmed as a result. But when you exercise regularly, your body produces natural antioxidants more efficiently, even after an exhausting day. These protect and heal your cells and tissues. Exercise
also aids better blood circulation, and slows down the skin from aging.
It takes developing a certain amount of healthy self-control to build and
maintain muscle mass and bone density.
So How can You change the Narrative?
The fitness industry has to be the first to help shift the narrative. The way
some trainers in the business talk about pushing their customers to their
limit and make them feel ashamed if they are unable to finish their
designated workout.
The idea that you should exercise vigorously before or after consuming a
meal that is relatively calorie-rich is extremely detrimental. The truth is that,
your Friday night takeaway will not make much of a difference if you are in
a carb deficit the other six days. It’s crucial to enjoy all of your favorite foods in moderation along with exercising daily, in order to sustain a healthy way of life. You really do not need guilt to be the motivator, or “balance” the carbs by immediately running on the treadmill for 3 hours.