Been There Done That
I’m here to solve your dilemma about punishment for bad food choices.
It took me a long time to finally figure out that the consequences of our choices are simply that: consequences. They have nothing to do with punishment, or what some people might believe to be God’s punishment. When a child falls while running too fast, even when Mom yells for him to slow down, his scraped knees are not Mom’s punishment. They are just a consequence of running too fast downhill.
Our pain, bad feelings, guilt, and shame have nothing to do with Life’s punishment. I used to think that feeling crappy and experiencing stomach pain, cramps, and low energy after consuming crappy food was God’s punishment for my bad food choices. I used to say to myself, “Here we go again: I have failed, and God is letting me know!”
Well, as a fitness coach and Truth-seeker, this is what I have learned: feeling like crap after a night of self-pity-food-partying is simply the consequence of the chemical chain reaction in our bodies after the crappy food starts breaking down in our digestive systems.
But let me explain the freedom of making choices (including our food choices) regarding a Fit and Healthy body. Truly, there is no “special science” about our food choices, other than knowing, “If I turn left and continue to drive, I end up in the city. If I turn right, I end up in nature — a beach or the mountains.” So, when we arrive at the fork in the road, we must ask ourselves: “Where do I want to be, and how do I want to feel?”
There is nothing wrong with wanting to be in the city — or in nature. God really doesn’t care where we want to be; as long as we are happy, either choice is just fine with HIM.
HE is our “little genie” who wants to deliver all our wishes. For HIM, there is not a good or bad choice — there is ONLY ONE choice. You want McDonalds, you get McDonalds. You want salad, you get a salad. How you feel afterward is just the body arriving at whichever destination you chose.
So, if we decide to turn left to visit the city and then we realize there is too much noise, it’s too crowded, and there is not enough greenery, the bad feeling (like regret) is not our punishment for choosing the city, but the message to ourselves that our bodies would prefer fresh air, green trees, and more space.
And the same is true with our food choices. We turn left because we want a hamburger and pizza, but we soon realize we actually prefer when our bodies feel more energized, recharged, and full of LIGHTNESS, so we wish we hadn’t eaten that whole greasy pizza. I am sure that, by now, you can distinguish the energies and how your body feels after the day you exercised, had a healthy lunch, had a light dinner, and went to bed feeling satisfied and joyful vs. when you’ve had a hard time falling asleep because of all the food you ate. These two completely opposite feelings, or destinations of your drive, are the criteria for choosing which way to go: left or right?
Therefore, the question shouldn’t be “Where do I want to go?” but rather, “How do I want to feel?”
And this is the trick: it is not as much about how you want to feel in the current moment (because that moment has a brief existence); it is more about how you want to feel the next morning, and the morning after that!
Do you want to wake up in a city, or near the beach?
Again, there is nothing wrong with either one; it is simply, “What do I truly want?”
So, there are no bad food choices; we just need to make sure we are clear about how we want to feel once we get to the destination, or after we eat. Instead of just “unconsciously” turning right or left, be aware when you are making the turn (choosing the food). You might think, “Yeah, that’s exactly my problem! I wish someone else would make the decision for me because that is my biggest challenge.” And here comes the CEO power! As a CEO, you don’t want anyone to make the decision for you. Just imagine how social media controls us: the stories on our feeds are delivered by algorithms that someone else has set up for us. Imagine your food algorithm selected only green vegetables for you, and never any sweets. Would you really want to live that kind of life? Or would you rather elevate your freedom of choice to the Next Level and choose for yourself by asking, “What do I want to hear, smell, and see, and how do I want to feel when I wake up tomorrow?” Once you allow that feeling to dominate your every decision, you will regret your choices less and less.
Now, keep in mind that, after too much sun at the beach, it is fun to visit the city — or vice versa. My food choices are not 100% healthy food (I would say it is 80/20). Sometimes I want to go to the city and have fun (even if I have to deal with the consequences the next day). But I make my own Executive CEO decisions; I don’t allow external circumstances to dictate my choices.
You can’t be CEO of your body, mind, and soul if you let extreme diets, strict fitness regimens, the opinions of others, and people’s criticism/judgment dictate your actions and take away your freedom to choose.
Elevate the criteria of your choices, and you will elevate to the CEO of your life.
If you have any questions or want to discuss this article further, email me here: heavenlybodyafter40@gmail.com
