The statement “I’m gonna read a few extra bible verses today so I can steal that watch I’ve been wanting” is an absurd way to think, but many people apply this way of thinking when it comes to their health. “I’m gonna workout extra hard today so I can eat whatever I want this weekend” is said every Friday by many people getting ready for their football tailgate/holiday party/just because it’s the weekend routine. According to the Snack Food Association (yep, that’s a real thing), Americans eat 11.2 million pounds of potato chips, 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 3.8 million pounds of popcorn, and 3 million pounds of nuts during football games. The day of the Super Bowl actually has become a day where more calories are consumed than on Thanksgiving! If the goal is to get to a healthy weight, or maintain a healthy weight, breaking bad food habits will ALWAYS be more important than trying to exercise the calories away.
Below are a few examples of typical cheat foods consumed on the weekend and the length of time doing burpees needed to offset the calories you get from them:
2 slices of pepperoni pizza: 626 calories – 90 MINUTES
2 cans of regular beer: 300 calories – 30 MINUTES
4 chicken wings: 473 calories – 45 MINUTES
2 donuts: 450 calories – 45 MINUTES
Based on the information above, it is technically possible to “outrun your fork,” but most people that use this thinking don’t do nearly enough work to offset the food they want to cancel out. There is a disproportionate amount of time required to do something nonstop to offset just one of the items above.
The problem with looking at exercise as this thing you have to do to undo the things you want to do is the unhealthy outlook it creates for exercise. Exercise is as much of a requirement humans have for optimal health as quality nutrition. Instead of starting your week at a disadvantage, because the extra calories are almost never offset, use the following tips to create the greatest outlook for long-term success:
Incorporate movement throughout your day. Every 15 minutes, get up to walk around, do some squats, jumping jacks, or stretch to get your blood flowing. Think of ten thousand steps as the minimum amount of movement you need each day.
Pick three to five days of the week to add in more intense exercises like burpees, kettlebell swings, and interval rowing. The goal is to get your heart rate elevated to 80 percent of your maximum for 15 minutes.
Get a grasp on appropriate portion sizes of the foods you’re currently eating and remember that it takes 30 minutes of nonstop burpees to burn about 300 calories.
Refer to the recipe section of your Align Your Health book for the healthy recipe for things you commonly cheat with.
If this is something you struggle with, just know that you are not alone. You aren’t even in the minority. However, if we are going to live to our fullest potential, we have to do things that make us uncomfortable. We need to be willing to pass on the immediate pleasures for the longterm reward. Most importantly, we have to acknowledge that we have the opportunity to lead the people we love and care about by example.
In Health,
Zach Zovath