I had this whole post planned on how I was going to be sappy and talk about everything that I’m thankful for, but then I decided to go on a food rant instead. I’ll get to the sappy stuff later!
I read this post, “Nutrition is Science” this morning from my good friend Rachele over at Strong Process. It’s worth reading the whole thing because she is a genius, but the last section stuck with me the most:
“If you’re confused about what to eat, it’s not because science is confused. It’s because the people interpreting and blaring the messages are confused. It’s because the food industry wants you to be confused so they can continue to sell you crap-in-a-box. It’s because celebrities and their know-nothing trainers are trying to get you to pay attention to them. It’s because fill-in-the-blank “expert” wants to make a million dollars on a book touting an amazing new diet where you eat only snozzberries juiced carefully into mystical water from a secret spring in Asia (I made that up, it doesn’t really exist…yet).
Don’t be confused. Nutrition IS science, but it really isn’t that complicated when it comes to what you put in your mouth. Put REAL food on your Thanksgiving table and be grateful for how biologically equipped your body is to make use of it. Then, based on the laws of physics, you probably can’t actually burn all the calories you will consume (~4500kcal), so you should probably plan to go for a run…“
So, this Thanksgiving, do yourself a favor. Don’t buy into the whole gluttony thing. I’m not saying don’t splurge and have some mashed potatoes and stuffing and pumpkin pie, I’m talking portion control. There is NO need to load your plate up so much that you can’t see the actual plate, or go back for seconds (unless it’s dessert.. kidding! Or am I…?) Take small, itty bitty portions of everything. This way, you can sample everything without feeling deprived, and I imagine that your plate will fill up pretty quick.
Don’t use the holidays as an excuse to hop off the bandwagon. We have more than a month to go until Christmas. Are you really going to constantly be saying “oh well it’s the holidays” so you can eat like crap? Do you really bust your ass ALL year long just to let it go to waste and then make another New Year’s Resolution to lose weight or get healthy? Come on, people. Remember, EVERYTHING is a choice. No one is forcing you to go to holiday parties and stuff your face with cookies and eggnog. No one is forcing you to eat 4500 calories on Thanksgiving. Like Rachele said, the messaging is telling you to do that. The messaging of the media and the tradition of the holidays. I say, start a new tradition. So many of you are already on a path to better health and happiness. Your lifestyle has changed. So break the mold. Go for a run or go teach a spin class this morning (check). Grab your family and go for a walk after dinner (double check).
Ready for the sappy part? It’s not really even a sappy part, since I’m clearly not in a sappy mood, but I want you (and me) to remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving today. It’s not about stuffing our faces, or stressing about the holidays and materialism and fitting into our pants the next day. It’s about surrounding yourself with people you love and care about, and letting them know how thankful you are for having them in your life. No matter what if you’re vegan, Paleo, vegetarian, raw-dieter, food always has a way of bringing people together, so embrace spending time with your loved ones today. And embrace and be thankful for YOU. We often take it for granted how lucky we are. That we’re some of the few that are dedicating ourselves to live a long, healthy live. That we appreciate and cherish our bodies and our minds. That we even have food on our tables to be sharing with our families and friends. Seriously. This sounds so corny, but it’s true. Sometimes it hits me really hard how lucky I am- not just with my health, but with my family, my friends, my boyfriend, my new career… We get so caught up in our own little bubbles that we forget to see the big picture sometimes, and forget how fortunate we really are.
I just realized that I didn’t have a picture in this post, so here’s one of the people in my life I’m most thankful for.
What are YOU thankful for today?
-Emily
Sleep, Eat, Gym, Repeat. 