Don’t get me wrong, I like a cheeseburger as much as the next guy. But I just don’t want to feel like one all the time. Too often we choose to feel tired, sluggish and just plain greasy by deciding to fill ourselves up with food that isn’t ideal for our health. Many of us go overboard on things like sodium, sugar, saturated fat, etc… and then wonder why we never have any energy or why we never really feel very good. I’m here to tell you that if you never feel healthy, if you don’t have energy, than you won’t have the fuel to keep yourself driven to your goals! If EVEN ONE area of your life is not positively affecting you than the rest will suffer. Like the saying goes, “A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link.”
Now I want to say that the whole 90/10 diet thing is just fine. And for general health it does the trick. But I’ve never really been a believer in the idea that you can eat junk 10% of the time and that by eating healthy the other 90% you are somehow making up for it. There’s too many problems with this scenario.
-For one, if feeling great is the goal, why would you want to feel less than great even 10% of the time?
-If you’re truly eating healthy 90% of the time than your taste buds will become more sensitive to flavors and they will start to feel overwhelmed by the pungent taste of junk food.
-Take a glass of water. Fill it 90% of the way with crystal clear water and then fill it the rest of the way with cola. What happens? You get a murky concoction of some kind that definitely doesn’t look 90% clean.
I’m not saying that you can’t ever eat food that is less than healthy and not still be a healthy, motivated person. I’m just trying to make the point that we are affected by EVERYTHING we put into our bodies.
So why do so many people still eat so poorly? For many, I believe, it’s because they’ve never felt the amazing affects of a healthy diet over long periods of time. For others, maybe when they get anxious about something they use food as an escape. But whatever the reason, I think we can all agree on one thing; if staying motivated to reach your goals, dreams and aspirations is important to you, than eating healthy and feeling great is the way to go!
By the way, eating well doesn’t have to taste bad. I LOVE the food I eat and most people who eat healthy feel the same way. Check out Leo Babauta’s post in his blog, zenhabits, about eating healthy. He lays out a great meal plan!