If you’re on a health journey, it can be really easy to end up becoming a little “too healthy.” What do I mean by that?

• You start to never enjoy foods or drinks that you love
• You start to never allow yourself to eat desserts
• You start to never take rest days from working out
• You start to make every little thing in your life about your health rather than enjoyment
• You start to ignore your body and what it’s telling you
• You start to “give into” and follow all of the unhealthy health/diet culture “rules”

Have you ever found yourself down this path? Maybe you’ve been working on losing weight or cleaning up your diet and a few months into it you realize that you haven’t had a food you enjoy in months. Or maybe you’ve been working on adding more exercise and movement into your life and half a year later you realize that you never take any rest days because you’re so focused on more movement. It can be so easy to get caught up in this “all or nothing” mentality, so if you’ve struggled with this, don’t feel bad. It’s OKAY. It’s just not a very healthy place for you to stay in.

This all or nothing mentality can lead to a lot of unhealthy behaviors and patterns when it comes to food and exercise. It can lead to never listening to your body for what it wants and needs when it comes to food. It can also lead to never listening to your body for what it wants and needs in terms of movement or rest. Our bodies take such wonderful care of us, so we should listen to them and take care of them as well! When our bodies are telling us something, it’s for a reason. It matters. Instead of always working out or always eating healthy, we should always check-in with ourselves to see if we need a rest day or if we’re craving a dessert or comfort food. Acting from an all or nothing mentality tells us that it’s wrong or we’ve failed if we take a day off or eat something that’s not on the “plan.” However, this is where unhealthy patterns and behaviors start to take place.

So, next time you catch yourself feeling like a failure because you ate an “unhealthy” food you were craving or you took a day off from exercising, remember that your body is worthy and deserving of it all. You and your body are worthy of healthy foods, good movement, and wonderful health; and you and your body are ALSO worthy of foods that you love and crave, days off from working out, and balanced health. Never forget that you are allowed and worthy of having it all. Never forget that you don’t have to live in a state of all or nothing. Balance is a beautiful thing, and all foods want to be your friend!

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