I’d like to think I have a lot of discipline and willpower when it comes to sticking with a diet. I rarely crave junk food and soda, so I eat my home cooked meals day in and day out. But when someone brings junk food into the house, I can’t resist the temptation.
Some would say this means I actually don’t have any discipline or willpower. To that I say… well nothing. I don’t really care what you think. I know how I work and your judgment doesn’t change anything.
I am perfectly capable of eating healthy for extended periods of time without cheating. If there are no chips, soda, sweets, or other unhealthy foods in the house, I don’t think about them. So if I want to be healthy and stick to a diet, I don’t buy that stuff and I’m perfectly content. That’s how I stay healthy, so I’d prefer people don’t test me by giving me sweets.
There’s a slice of carrot cake staring at me right now as I write this and I can’t help but want to take a bite. It’s hard for me to believe there’s anyone out there who, when given a choice to eat poorly, doesn’t at least consider it. So why not remove the consideration from the equation all together?
You don’t need to put your willpower to the test in order to prove a point. Being healthy doesn’t require you to have candy in the house but never eat it. You don’t have to make a choice between a healthy meal and an unhealthy one every time you open the fridge.
Make the choice to be healthy as easy as possible. Should your lunch be chicken, rice, and broccoli or should it be turkey, potatoes, and green beans? Get rid of the unhealthy options all together because you know your brain will want that choice way more.
To be healthy, you have to make healthy choices. That doesn’t mean the choice has to be between good food and bad. It could mean making the choice between good food and more good food. Don’t worry about proving your healthy habits to anyone. Stop trying to force discipline by resisting temptations. Just make it infinitely easier to make the healthy choice.
August 3, 2022
