Sure, you've worked hard to achieve that body of your dreams, or you are working hard to do so. So, you may ask, why ruin it by eating junk food? This is a very good question. To discover the answer, let's look at the question a different way.
Think of your fitness and exercise regimen as work (This probably isn't a stretch for most of us!), and think of cheat days as vacation. Now, you do believe in vacation, don't you? I know I do.
Many years ago my wife and I visited with a financial planner for the first time as a couple. The financial lady asked us a question that probably every financial planner has asked their clients at some point: "Why do you work?" My wife gave several answers. Among them were: to save money for our kids' education and for retirement. These are very noble reasons.
However, when the lady looked at me, I said, "So that I can take vacation!" Now, if you know me the way my wife does, you would know that this is pretty typical of me. Let me explain.
I truly believe that hard work is completely necessary to achieve anything worth having. Hard work has lots of intangible benefits as well. You feel a greater sense of achievement when you earn something through hard work as opposed to when it is given to you.
But you must have down time. You can not do your best all the time. This is the nature of humans. As the saying goes: "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." It's the down time that allows you to recover and return to your work with a clear sense of purpose.
So if you spend the majority of your time exercising hard and watching what you eat, your body should be able to handle junk food if you only eat it from time to time. If you like ice cream, you don't have to avoid it altogether. This would be a psychological disaster. In fact, eating your favorite junk food every once in a while is like taking a vacation from your normal hard work of exercise and diet.
When you eat that ice cream, don't feel guilty. Enjoy it! If you don't eat the ice cream that you like, or if you feel guilty because you "gave in," then you actually become a slave to that ice cream (as well as any other junk food you happen to like).
On the other hand, if you have planned junk-food "vacations," then you are free to enjoy your ice cream to its fullest because you understand that your vacation is a necessary counter to your work.
When I eat junk food, I never eat a low-fat or low-carb version of my favorites. I always go for the real, full-fat, full-sugar junk! The key is I don't eat these things on a regular basis -- just like I don't vacation all the time. I mostly work, but when it's time to vacation, you can believe I vacation.
So the moral of the story is this: Don't be a workaholic (We all know how stressed workaholics are). Take vacation from time to time (eat your favorite junk food). Above all, don't work while you are on vacation (don't feel guilty about eating your junk food). When it's time to work, work hard, knowing that you are earning another much deserved vacation! This is a recipe for optimal health (psychological as well as physical).
Jeff Wooten is a certified fitness trainer, certified specialist in martial arts conditioning and a licensed massage therapist. Jeff trains his clients in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he integrates personal training, martial arts techniques and bodywork therapy for a truly unique fitness experience.
