Have you ever woken up feeling like a greasy pizza box? Or find yourself out of breath running to fetch money to pay for the pizza you ordered? I think it’s something we have all felt at some point in our lives and its dreadful. This isn’t a blog about the next fad diet or a new exercise program. Consider this blog a gentle encouragement to remember what you’re living in, your body.

Let’s do a quick recap; in the time of the cavemen, I think it’s safe to say they were not running around looking for the next keto diet. Instead, they listened to their bodies and ate what they could find. A lot of what they ate consisted of shrubs and hunted animals. This is a broad way of explaining it and also shortens the timeline. It was an evolutionary progression that happened over many years. Here are a few tips to make sure you aren’t stuck in a dieting cycle;

1. Reflect on what works for you

The body is wired to give signals when it’s feeling emotions or pain; however, it has been decided that our bodies can no longer tell us when we’re hungry or satisfied. Fad diets and calorie counting have become the new food input manuals. Four cups of rice a day and three chicken breast are the daily allotted calories and don’t you dare eat more if you’re hungry! The same goes for exercise, we force ourselves to run even if we hate it, we force ourselves to lift weights when we suffer doing it and find no enjoyment in it. We aren’t saying that these things are not enjoyable, they are, however, for specific individuals, it just doesn’t work and can cause damage.

2. Listen to your body

Nourishment and exercise are individually designed options. How can a diet tell you when you are hungry? How can a weight tell you when it is too heavy? The answer is they can’t, only your body can. However, the current culture of extreme diet and exercise has left some people feeling hopeless and alone. Why? You may ask. Well, if you stopped listening to your body, perhaps you might also feel lost. Diet culture has told us what good food is and what bad food is. Don’t you dare look at carbohydrates, let alone eat them! Funny, since all food is made up of different carbohydrates that are broken down into sugar. Run every day if you want to lose weight! However, if you’re hyper-mobile good luck with the knee and hip problems that will follow you!

3. Stay clear of the diet everyone is doing

Each and every one of us is unique in our own way, so how can we justify trying generalised diets and exercise programs made for millions of people? We can’t! This applies to all of us, some foods may work and keep the weight off, some diets may even help build muscle, but that’s not to say it works for everyone. The depression, anxiety and, hopelessness caused by failed diets and exercise plans can compromise health for a lifetime. A reasonably recent movement called; health at every size has grown traction in light of the this. Some people will obviously take this too far and justify life-threatening obesity, however, it is a light in the darkness for those who have given up on dieting and have started to listen to their bodies again.

4. Summon your intuitive eater

Intuitive eating is the first step. It’s a process of steps that encourage listening to your body, dealing with your emotions and moving because it feels good not because you have too. Eating is a holistic experience and is central in our world, food isn’t the enemy, the diets that tell us to give up on our bodies and pursue a calorie-controlled intake are. So eat the damn slice of cake, and eat the whole things if you want, but do it because you want to not because some diet said you can’t. Deal with your emotions, food isn’t a therapist! Nourish your body to stay alive, feel good and be festive and don’t let any diet tell you different!