Chocolate, Ice Cream & Naps

Ever think you’d read a Health & Wellness article with the title Chocolate, Ice Cream & Naps?

Does reading that list immediately trigger thoughts of BAD FOODS & WASTED TIME?

Oh, come on…we all have a list…those forbidden foods, we just have to have. Maybe it’s not chocolate or ice cream, it could be chips & dip, or cake, or some other food that is “bad”.

Basic human behavior causes us to obsess over what ever we have forbidden ourselves. The simple act of creating the rule causes an almost magnetic draw to that which we’re trying to avoid.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t do moderation very well!

So, what’s the answer?

Lately, I’ve thought a lot about the concept of Permission & Limits.

Most people set really high standards & rarely give themselves permission.

The other thing we don’t do very well is set limits.

Permission is a fabulous concept! Permission is freedom. With permission, we make the choice to act rather than react. We stop being victims of our circumstances (& obsessions) & begin to create our own world.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to throw away the BAD FOODS & TIME WASTERS list & say, “I have permission to eat chocolate, ice cream or whatever if I really feel the need for”? Or just relax & take a nap or read a novel when feeling a little drained?

So how do we weave chocolate, ice cream & naps into our lives in a way that doesn’t destroy our healthy eating & productivity & create a mess of guilt?

That's where limits come into the picture:

It’s hard giving ourselves permission to eat the bad food when we have a history of pigging out on huge portions. Guilt & a feeling of failure tend to follow these poor choices, leaving us with a (probably healthy) fear of the treat that triggered all those bad feelings.

By pre-designing limits, we can feel safer with these treats.

A great strategy is to make sure you only have small individual sized containers of high calorie, low nutrient foods on hand, & not industrial sized ones. Or, make it a special event & go out for your treat.

Oh, & go ahead & take that nap with the alarm set for a 20 minute time period (your limit). While napping, rest assured that 20 minutes of rest actually makes us MORE productive than just pressed on when sleepy.

So, eat, sleep & be well!

Permission with limits can be your key to removing the powerful magnetic pull of the bad.

Have a well week!

Kim