Philosophical advice on nutrition, fitness, and health.
More like recommendations to at least consider for the holidays (and after).
If you do some bilingualism, and you want to check out the Spanish version of what you'll be reading today, click here.
The recommendations in this post are not a replacement for professional advice.
The purpose of this is to share advice on health, fitness, and nutrition from a philosophical point of view. To present a different way to consider when thinking or making decisions about general health, exercise, or diet. A way perhaps to learn to surf the wave, instead of letting it take you, or instead of trying to swim against it.
To some of you these recommendations might sound uncommon, vague, or too obvious, or even stupid; however that is exactly my purpose. Having been a personal trainer for so long, and seeing how the common, crystal clear, and precise advice has gone crazy and out of context, obsessively, I think some nuance can be fitting. The idea is that you think about these things to some level, not to give you concrete solutions or hacks.
I mentioned surfing the wave since we are going to be receiving a tsunami of propaganda on these topics. This wave is composed of many smaller waves: new weight loss products, diets, books, gym offers; magazines and influencers telling us about "the best exercises, or foods to start the new year", etc.
Such a wave is mostly aimed at changing or perfecting our imperfect bodies, at feeling guilty about enjoying the festivities, and at convincing us that we are not enough so we have to look for a new self (new year new you kind of message). When that wave hits, it distorts the perception of things and defines them in favor of its current or path. And our mind is closed to what is not necessarily good or even necessary.
So, about that advice…
Nutrition, diets, and supplements…
Consider not eating anything that you will later feel guilty about; or that you feel like you have to detox, to sweat, or to work out - to pay for your sins. Do this instead of avoiding specific foods that have been targeted by diets. Focus on the things that you know will bring joy.
If what you eat is going to cause you guilt, or the feeling of not having been a good person, irresponsible, a cheater, without commitment, etc., doing so is going to hurt you more, and the enjoyment will become stress.
If you do eat those things on the other hand, you shouldn't feel guilty. You did it because you deserve it, or because you needed it, or because sharing such foods with you friends and family gives you a sense of connection and calmness with and around them; and those shouldn't be reasons for you to feel guilty or embarrassed; nor to punish yourself for eating them.
Food has such a great value in our lives other than providing energy, especially during the holidays. It brings people together, it awakens good memories and emotions, it starts conversations, and the list goes on. Perhaps, to the extent that it is not abused, it is not what foods we eat but under what conditions and context we eat them.
A few drinks with friends and family can help release stress and bring the party to life; too much can mess up the moment. That dessert your mom makes for Christmas that is loaded with pure goodness (sugar, flour, butter, cream, eggs, etc.) has the power to bring family together, and can have the power to give you diarrhea if you overdo it.
But hey, even water - which is the ultimate keto friendly, paleo cherished, bodybuilding secret, performance enhancer, gluten free, and best friend of people who do fasting - can fuck you up pretty bad when overdone.
Eating food under emotional, social, or physical stress is not good, even if we like it; and even if it is considered “healthy”, whatever that means these days. However, when we embrace, celebrate, appreciate, and enjoy food our body, and our minds, react positively.
I say drink, eat and be merry. Enjoy what you enjoy, and although I don't promote diets, IF (and that's a big if) you are looking to have "control" during the holiday season, consider to only avoid eating or drinking those things that you know will make you feel like shit afterwards (emotionally, physically, and morally). This is different than avoiding foods that have been targeted by diet trends.
However, here's where the philosophy kicks in. After you ingest that delicious pie, cheese cake, grandma's fried food, or that awesome cocktail - that brings the family together in joy and pleasure, do you feel bad because you ate it, or because you were under the pressure of a food ideal? Consider weighing what matters more to you. Clearly, unless you have a serious health condition, none of those things are going to harm you, unless you overdo it; but feeling bad afterwards may lead you to avoid important family gatherings, judging against those who do consume the things you think are not good; and even worse, feeling unworthy of enjoying food that brings people together. If the happiness it brings is more than the supposed harm, ditch the harm, and embrace the happiness.
Food should be seen for what it is (food) and not as specific nutrients. Therefore, we do not eat proteins, fats, or fibers, or sugars, or specific vitamins or minerals - we eat meats, vegetables, and grains. We eat pasta, rice, desserts, seafood, nuts, etc. The idea of identifying foods based on their predominant nutrient does no good, but it creates a distorted notion of its benefits, and of what food really means.
The greater variety of foods, the better physical, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning. This promotes a better relationship with what you eat, and with the people that you appreciate being with.
A scoop on supplements.
Many people tend to buy them to make up for all the meal cheating and sinning. And chances are (I may be a little off here, but), you already have some supplies somewhere in a dark corner of your pantry or closet.
If you have dietary or nutritional supplements in your pantry, consider not buying more. No matter the brand, or the promise that brand makes you. No matter the miraculous effects someone told you about. No matter how much micro or macro nutrients they have. If you already have some, and you haven't used them, getting more has little probability of you using it.
I know, it is easier said than done; but considering that we are in the holiday season, perhaps this approach will be easier and healthier than complimenting powders and pills with "healthy foods that you don't enjoy".
Everyone has their balance, and to achieve that there is no diet. You need to have that conversation and experimentation with yourself in which you find out how much of what you enjoy is enough, what foods you are willing to avoid, and what foods are non-negotiable to eliminate, what “healthy foods” you can eat during the holidays without sacrificing quality time. Also consider that in order to eat “healthy” foods during the holidays, you don’t necessarily have to sacrifice holiday foods that you enjoy; they both can exist without being at war.
Training and fitnessing
If you are like almost everybody else, who thinks that every year you need to go to the gym, consider not doing so. Hear me out! If you've already gone more than three times before and you've quit, and that makes you feel like you've failed, that you're irresponsible, that you're not a good person, not a good lover, with no commitment, or unprofessional, just like with food, doing so will do you no good. Take several steps back and reconsider your strategy.
If you know that going to the gym is not your thing, or if your lifestyle does not assimilates it well - physically, socially, emotionally, or even financially - don't go. The gym is not for everybody. Allow yourself the possibility that you don't necessarily have to go to the gym to start a good year. If going and quitting brings you stress, then perhaps not going anymore can bring you serenity.
That stress caused by the battle between the well-being that you think you are going to obtain by going to the gym, and the demoralizing sensation that is caused by ¨Quitting once again¨, is no bueno.
There are many other options for you to stay active during the holidays (and after) - that will give you a great feeling of well-being (emotional, physical, social), compared to forced exercise, and a forced gym membership.
Put on your headphones and walk, run, hike, dance, ride a bike, do gardening, go fishing, try surfing, paddle boarding, play more with your dog, have more sex, etc. The trick here is to find that balance between your personality, and the pleasure and well-being that the activity you chose gives you, and how you feel when you don't do it. Whatever it is that you choose to do, do it because you enjoy it, not because it is an obligation.
Reframing how we perceive physical activity and exercise - from something that you must do to make up for bad eating behaviors or sedentary days, to something that you do because you enjoy it - makes a huge difference. One feels like if you don’t do it, you should be grounded, with food restrictions and over-exercising; and the other feels like an inviting activity that will increase the holiday’s enjoyment even more. I know this sounds a bit dumb but it's still physical activity, without the stress.
About the best exercises to end the old and start the new!
I mean, how is it that the human body knows whether an exercise is best for specific seasons?
Consider doing physical activity that you can easily maintain; which may well be a hobby instead of a workout. This activity should be seen as one in which physical appearance does not play an important role. One that, although the benefits of movement and physical capacity are obtained, and that may lead to changes in your body shape, is more about the experience rather than the expectation.
One that gives you a feeling of pleasure and gratitude for the things you can do, rather than disgust for what you lack.
One that no matter how much you are able to do during the day, or the week, or the holidays; it is enough instead of not enough.
On equipment and things to buy
As with supplements, if you already have exercise equipment or accessories at home, apparel, magazines, and even apps, etc. - and until now you have not used them, or you used them and then you hid them in the garage, under the bed, in the darkest corner of your closet, or worst yet in a storage separate from the house or apartment; buying more is unlikely to make any difference.
Consider learning how to use, and maintain the use of, the things you already have.
Consider learning other meanings and uses for those things. Therefore, the treadmill or the bike that you bought to lose weight, can be used as a method of relaxation, or meditation. These can be a compliment for what you already do (when it's raining, when you cannot visit the gym, or when you simply don't want to go out of your house but you still want to do some physical activity.
Health
Health is a state in which your physical, emotional, and social functions work with little resistance (or in other words, efficient functioning - of the organism, the emotions, and how we behave in society).
These three things are what makes us be and live, and they influence each other. The physical affects the emotions, and these are manifested in a behavior that in one way or another affects society and vice versa.
Consider seeking a state of serenity and balance between these three things, rather than focusing on just one, or rather than improving one with the sole intention of exploding the others. I.e., exercising to get attention, or dieting to be a better person.
Physical appearance, although it is important, should not be primary or secondary. The focus must be on how we do what we do; and how we move with serenity and efficiency (quality), and how we enjoy life; no less, but no more either, just enough.
It must be considered that the obsession with the search for better and more (more strength or resistance, better nutrition, more loss of fat - weight - or inches, more beauty, more energy, etc.) also causes imbalance and unnecessary stress, that leads to more imbalance. If the lack of these things is bad, too much of it is bad as well.
That's it, once again I hope these recommendations are of some use to you. If you have any comments, doubts, or questions about what I just discussed, feel free to comment below.