30 Jul Yes I eat chocolate!
Yes I eat chocolate!
It is always funny when I am seen eating something which is presumed to be “bad” for me, as I’m typically met 
with the reaction: “Wow! YOU eat THAT?” Well, as a matter of fact, I DO! I will explain why, and why YOU can too if the following rules apply.
1. Majority rules
What you do 90% of the time is what matters. Do you eat healthy, clean, and unprocessed foods at the majority of your meals? If you DO eat properly 90% of the time, then the 10% that you choose not to, won’t be the end of the world for your health or physique. However, if you are someone that eats poorly 90% of the time then you are fooling yourself. Majority rules and your habits are clearly reflected in your body. That said, if you are trying to reach your potential, or can’t get rid of those ‘last few pounds’, then you DO have to look at that 10% as the key to getting peak results.
2. You bust your butt in the gym
I work HARD in the gym! I am not one to read for an hour on the elliptical, do you? If you think reading or watching tv while ‘going through the motions’ is doing anything, it isn’t! You have to bust your butt – lift heavy, sweat, and get your heart pumping! You have to BURN calories and make your workout count. Do you workout with intensity, break a sweat, and have a purpose? Are you there on a mission or are you there putting in the time? I am living proof that a piece of chocolate will not change the way your body works if you bust your butt in the gym. 🙂
3. We are human
We are all human. Being super human is for super heroes. To think you can eliminate cravings forever is ridiculous. You have to live your life. There is the ebb and flow and the yin and the yang of life. If you live off off celery and fish and are proud that you can maintain that you WILL re-bound eventually and it will be ugly. Be human, enjoy your life but keep the majority of your diet clean and healthy.
4. Addition is better than subtraction
I don’t believe in deprivation as deprivation can lead to binging. Think about what you can ADD to your diet. Can you drink more water? Add more veggies? Up your protein? Can you experiment with herbs and spices? Can you ADD more exercise and movement to your day? Think addition FIRST and you will be less hungry and have less of a need for “subtractions”. It is always easier to ADD more healthy choices than to subtract your favorite options.
5. I work for it.
When I REALLY want a treat that is more than something small, I work for it! For example, this past weekend I was 
craving Pizza (the gluten free kind as I’m celiac). Instead of ordering it or driving to pick it up, I walked for it! Yup! 5 mile round trip and by the time I got there and ordered the pizza, a small slice sufficed AND there was no guilt because I walked 5 miles to get it.
So, YES, I eat chocolate…and pizza… but I also live by the 4 rules above as part of my LIFESTYLE! That is not to say there aren’t times when I have to dial it in a bit more for a video or photo shoot, but for the most part, that is how I live. So get you ‘90% in line’ and you will be just fine!
“Be Happy…Be Healthy…Be Fit!”
– Natalie Jill
