Day Four: It's Not About Willpower

You walk by a plate of cookies that are calling your name. You decide not to indulge. The next day, you come home to freshly baked brownies and manage to sidestep them. You start thinking about food, wanting something tempting. Instead of indulging, you stay strong. Then...you finally break down. Instead of eating one oreo, you eat the whole package.

Willpower is all about deprivation, and deprivation leads to shame.

Nobody is strong enough to hold out forever. We try and try to eat all of the right things by having enough willpower to avoid the bad things, then we break down. Then, we beat up ourselves for not being stronger. This does nothing for our bodies and puts our emotional health is a shaming state. Not good.

It's about surrender.

The body is a holy being. It has needs. It has a ph balance and a blood sugar level that it needs to maintain. There are chemical reactions that must to take place for proper cellular functioning so that disease does not occur.

The body requires healthy, natural foods to work properly and water to aid in these chemical reactions. If the body is given too much salt, sugar, or fat, it will impede this from happening. If it is given too little salt, sugar, or fat, it can also impede these processes. We must become very in-tune with what our body is asking of us, and this requires us to pay attention to it. We must surrender to the needs of our body and give it what it is asking for.

Hungry for sugar? If so, your body is probably asking for fruit. Eat a piece of sweet, sugary fruit and see if that satisfies your craving. Do you have a headache? If so, your body might be dehydrated, and you may need water. Do you want coffee or a diet coke? If so, chances are that you need a nap or a cup of green tea. If you're experiencing constipation, you need water, fiber, and exercise. Can't sleep? Try rigorous exercise or some time away from the things that are stressing you out. For every artificial solution out there, there is a more natural one.

I challenge you to stop trying to be so strong. I challenge you to stop beating yourself up when you eat something that isn't good for you. Instead, start by adding in. Add in fruit, plain oatmeal, and egg whites in the morning. Add in nuts, 100% whole wheat or gluten free bread. Add in water. As you start to add-in these things, you will naturally feel your cravings subside for the bad stuff. You'll feel better because you're running on cleaner fuel, and you're giving your body what it needs. I challenge you to begin your food journal for the year. Start documenting what you ate, when you had cravings, how you responded to those cravings, and how you felt after you've consumed something.