Ok, he didn’t say that last one, but it’s still true.
We compensate by making mindless decisions that actually leave us vulnerable.
Let’s look at three ways we can prevent ourselves from falling victim to our own psychology and marketers.
But what about those titles make them healthy?
Nothing really does, because"healthy" is contextual.
The problem lies in something researchers callthe health halo.
Had they done so, there would be no kidding themselves into thinking they were making a thoughtful choice.
But most of these labels have been debunked as a proxy for healthfulness.
We’ve over-vilifiedsodiumandfatover the years.
There’slittle evidence that organic foods are more nutritious, and the original researcher who damned glutenrecently reversed his stance.
What To Do Instead:The health halo will make you spin your wheels for years without progress.
Learn to avoid labeling foods as “healthy” or “unhealthy.”
Sure, eating organic foods for personal or ethical reasons is fine.
But if you’re doing it for weight loss reasons, the only thing getting skinnier is your wallet.
This often ends up being professional athletes.
In reality, the physiological response to diet and exercise is different for everyone.
Your favorite professional athletes are subject to selection biasthey are already the top physical specimens in the world.
When this occurs, a strong psychological defeat takes place.
There is a sense that onedid not have controlover the situation and self-esteem plummets.
Look for someone who aligns with your long term success.
Let’s say you’re lifting a box in your garage.
You aren’t sure how heavy it is, but you pick it up.
Confoundingly, fitness tends to glorify these things.
But using discomfort as a measure for effectiveness sabotages you in two ways.
First, it distracts your focus from your true goals in favor of completely useless feats.
Your goal of building muscle turns into “how many burpees can I do until I throw up?”
But perhaps you watch The Biggest Loser and find the pain that they experience during exercise to be inspiring.
Or maybe feeling hurt and nauseous at the end of your workout makes you feel accomplished.
This is where the second, more dangerous sabotage, starts.
Some clients reel for days after a bad weekend and eventually fall off the wagon for good.
Others, however, are unphased.
Like Tom Brady after he throws an interception, they get back on the horse like nothing happened.
The unphased clients had one powerful thing in common:self-compassion.
Rather thanshow self-compassion and forgiveness after binge eating, we punish ourselves with exercise.
Or arbitrarily limit what we eat.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Martin Luther King (The timing of MLK day is completely coincidental.)
What To Do Instead:Ignore useless metrics like sweat and pain.
Lastly, don’t forget to practice self-compassion and love yourself.
Images byArjoe(Shutterstock),Andrew Dubber,Fred Alpstedt, andMike Mozart.
