If you read my last post, you know my beef (no pun intended) with the term "clean eating." In a nutshell, my biggest problem with the term is that there are so many opinions as to what it means that the term is too vague to be useful for a lot of people. Same goes for cute little clichés such as "Everything in moderation!" and "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle!"
By now you are probably wondering what the heck I do believe in. Wonder no more, friends, because my philosophy for fitness (and life in general) is this:
Eat, train, and live with PURPOSE!
When you have a specific purpose and plan behind every choice you make, whether in the kitchen or in the gym, you are much more likely to get the results you want-- roughly 300% more likely, in fact, according to the Harvard Business Review (https://hbr.org/2011/02/nine-things-successful-people)!
Remember in my previous posts when I talked about finding your "why" and "how" for getting fit? (Are you noticing a recurring theme in these posts)?!
Do you remember the old Tony Robbins infomercial for "Personal Power?" It was an audio program (on cassette- that's how long ago it was!) that promised dramatic changes in your life if you followed his secrets of success. Well I bought that program at a particularly challenging time in my life, and I listened to it over and over again. (While I never became a millionaire, it definitely had a positive impact in getting me through that rough patch).
Anyway, Tony dedicated one chapter of the program to purpose, and how it makes you think every time you make a choice or take an action. Whether you have eggs with turkey sausage and fruit for breakfast, or bagel with cream cheese and a latte, think about why you are making that choice. Likewise, whether you take a walk after dinner or watch Wheel of Fortune, what is causing you to do one versus the other? Even if your reason for choosing the bagel and latte is simply "because it tastes good and I can eat it in my car," then fine-- this is not a judgment as to whether it is "good" or "bad," rather, it is an evaluation of whether it is bringing you closer to or farther away from what you want in your life. Make sense?
Purpose can make simple, everyday activities more meaningful and rewarding. For example, suppose you are playing with your child, or going to visit a friend. Think about what you want to accomplish--maybe it's simply to reconnect or to make that person feel cared about.
There is power in purpose. Even though it has been several years since I last heard Tony say those words through my Walkman, this is one little piece of wisdom that still sticks with me today.
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