So let's talk about self-care.
Recently, phrases like "treat yourself," "cheat day, " and the obsession with donuts and other glorified foods have run rampant in our society.
Being in the fitness world, I am quite familiarized with these phrases, but lately, they have been taking over our culture.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for celebrating body positivity, but body positivity and "treat yourself" do not go hand and hand.
Body positivity is loving and accepting your body and not feeling ashamed.
A healthy lifestyle is how self-care should be seen by our culture.
Self-care is not "I just ate four donuts so I'm going to take an aesthetic picture of them and caption it 'treating myself.'"
That is not taking care of yourself.
Self-care, and treating your body, should be seen as feeding your body with foods that will nourish your body and make you feel good.
Food is fuel for your body.
Food is energy.
Food is not something to be idolized if it is not helping your body.
Do you think your friend on Instagram who ate a dozen donuts feels good?
Do you think her body is feeling treated after that?
Do you think your fitness friend feels good after she engorges on that whole large pizza and two pints of ice cream because it's her "cheat day"?
No.
Your girl who ate a whole dozen donuts feels a sugar rush and a major crash afterward, leaving her ineffective to do her job because she needs a nap.
Your fitness friend kills herself at the gym the next day because she feels guilt, bloating, and tired.
The idea of treating yourself is good to an extent.
It's good to feed your cravings.
It is good to eat certain foods in moderation.
Food is necessary, vital, and it is extremely important to fuel our bodies for everyday functions.
But if food is going to steal your focus, if it is going to make you feel horrible, or if it is going to do damage to your insides, do not label it with a societal hashtag that makes you feel better about yourself.
So let's remove the nasty label of treating yourself, and let's love ourselves.
Let's fuel ourselves.
Let's feed our soul.
Let's feed our brain.
Let's feed our muscles.
Because food helps us kick life's butt.
So here's to treating our bodies with nourishing foods, self-love, and acceptance, and yes every now and then, some chocolate.
