As some of you
know, I am an athlete. And in being an athlete, I try to do everything I can to
put me in the best possible situation for success. I try to train my body in
the off season as hard as I can to prepare myself for the long season ahead. In
doing that I also try to eat as healthy as possible to fuel my body for the
work I put in, in the weight room. I love food and I love food that is not good
for you. If it is sweet, and has a good amount of sugar in it, chances are I’m
going to enjoy it. I love ice cream, donuts, candy, pizza, etc – you name it, I
like it. I break the week down into the 7 days there is in a week. Monday
through Saturday I try to eat as healthy as possible. I don’t eat any processed
food, I try to eat as many fruit and vegetables as possible for good
carbohydrates and nutrients. I eat of lot of bananas, apples, pineapple, broccoli,
spinach, asparagus and many other fruits and veggies. I eat other carbs like
sweet potatoes and brown rice that help fuel my body properly. I eat lean meats
like chicken breast and lean turkey burger for my sources of protein. And I try
and get my healthy fat from stuff like avocado or certain forms of nuts. Like I
said before, I eat this way to help fuel my body to train and get myself in the
best possible shape for the season. It does get boring, but I know it is the
most nutritious and healthy lifestyle I can live.
Now for the awesome
part – Sunday. On Sunday I take the entire day and dedicate it as my, “Cheat
Day.” Eating throughout the week really clean and healthy is a little easier
because I know it will all be worth when Sunday rolls around. On Sunday, I don’t
train or workout, I take the day to rest and recharge my batteries a little. On
Sundays, I do not restrict myself at all as far as eating goes. I eat donuts
for breakfast or have a nice big stack of pancakes with a bunch of syrup and
some nice strips of bacon. I’ll get Mexican food for lunch or a pizza for
dinner. Obviously, I don’t go insane and eat myself into a coma, I have normal portioned
meals but I let myself enjoy the the kinds of food I don’t eat during the week.
I usually always end the night on Sunday by taking down a pint of Ben and
Jerrys ice cream, because that is my absolute favorite. Now, in saying all this,
life is too short to be so crazy you can’t enjoy yourself. So if I’m out at
dinner and the restaurant isn’t exactly in my meal plan, I’m not going to
starve myself just because they don’t have “healthy” options. I’m going to
order whatever is the healthiest thing I can find and enjoy myself. Life is all
about making yourself happy, and I am just trying to live the healthiest and
happiest I can.
Amen.
ReplyDeleteI am not an athlete like you, but I am a fitness nut--"do it for the gains" comes out of my mouth at least 6 times a day. Even with that, it has taken me over 6 years to understand the emotional, mental and physical benefits of taking cheat days. I too eat clean and healthy during the week and then eat more freely on the weekend. I adjust my exercise to also deal with that, but it's important to understand that there is more to life than steamed veggies and chicken.
Unlike you, I definitely have eaten myself into a coma.
Regardless, I do agree 120% with what you've said. Honestly, it's nice to hear this from someone in a similar sphere as me because as I get weird looks when I explain this is how I eat.
I totally feel you on the Sundays. Except those are more like my every days. Even though I'm not an athlete, I try to eat healthy too because I love veggies and fruits and meats. But I definitely have way too many Sundays where I splurge and eat anything that sounds good. I am 100% with you on loving all sweet foods. I like your attitude of living a healthy and happy life and not focusing too hard on only eating certain foods because food shouldn't be a stressful thing. I like that Sunday nights are your Ben and Jerry nights, because that sounds perfect.
ReplyDeleteCheat days are the best. I also try and eat as healthy as I can but man, when I have cheat day I need to have better control. Last time I ate a dozen donuts in one go...
ReplyDelete