Today’s post is inspired by Ashley and Erin who both shared similar posts recently.

I’ve written about how my mindset and routine concerning fitness and food have changed in the last few years—particularly since giving birth—so I thought I’d reflect on some of the ways I’ve changed for the better (read: healthier).

I am not a fitness or nutrition professional, but I know what works for me. By no means do I think exercise and diet are a “one-size-fits-all” recipe; in fact, I think it takes a whole lot of intuition, practice, and exploration to figure out what works best for your own body, goals, and fitness level.

But there are some things that are never healthy, which is why I’m sharing 5 food and fitness habits I no longer follow.

Running (or doing cardio) “just because”

In early adulthood, I used to spend approximately 45 minutes to an hour on the elliptical. I also forced myself to run and enter races because I thought “well, if other people love running and can finish a 10K, then I should be able to as well.”

News flash: I dislike running!

While cardio is important (I prefer getting mine in short bursts through HIIT workouts), running is not for everybody. I have awful running posture—so, physically, running is just uncomfortable for me. Maybe one day I’ll reintroduce running into my routine and grow to love it, but for now, I’d much rather take a long walk or do some circuit training.

Planning my meals/snacks like clockwork

I used to eat the same thing for breakfast, rotate through a handful of snacks that I’d keep at my desk at 10:00, eat a predictable lunch, and “enjoy” my scheduled 3:00 snack (usually nuts or a piece of fruit) before having an equally predictable dinner.

While I was eating a lot of nutritious and tasty foods, it was forced. And there was little wiggle room for spontaneous treats, and food just wasn’t very enjoyable because I was constantly thinking about what I’d eat next.

Now, I eat as intuitively as possible. I still have “bad” food days where guilt creeps in, but I try to eat what I want when I want it. Some days, snacks happen. Other days, I eat strictly at meal times. It all depends on my activity load—because our body has different caloric needs each day!

Avoiding heavy weights

I’m short. While I’m still “petite,” I have muscular arms that I’m still learning to accept rather than despise. You can imagine that, for fear of bulking up and looking like a female Hulk, I avoided heavy weight training for a long time.

Well, in case you’re not aware: strength is good! And lifting heavy weights occasionally isn’t going to drastically change anybody’s body composition on its own.

While I do tend to enjoy classes that focus on high reps rather than heavy weights, I don’t fear the latter and will mix things up if I’m working out on my own.

Pushing myself too far

For whatever reason, I think I’ve always felt disconnected from my body. Hence why, in early fitness classes, I would frequently push myself to exhaustion and discomfort.

While my Bikram yoga practice ended up being a transformative and nurturing experience for me, it began as a way to punish myself for whatever emotions I was feeling (or avoiding).

Now, I exercise truly because I enjoy it. I love getting my heart rate up and breaking into a sweat, but I also love slow, calming yoga flows or taking it easy when my body can’t handle another rep or needs to switch to a lighter weight.

Taking it easy doesn’t mean you’re wimping out: it simply means you respect yourself and are in tune to your body’s needs and abilities at that given time.

Eating/drinking low-calorie everything

I don’t believe it was due to a conscious attempt to lose or keep off weight, but I used to buy low-calorie everything. Low calorie milk, cheese, yogurt, crackers, ice cream…and it all tasted like GARBAGE.

Now, I love me some full-fat dairy!

Moderation is everything, and when I choose to eat full-fat (or partial-fat) foods, I am usually satisfied using less. Plus, when the flavorful fat is removed from something, manufacturers usually have to add a whole lot more sugar or artificial flavorings to compensate. In other words: just eat the f-ing fat!

5 Food & #Fitness Habits Catherine no longer follows #sweatpink #fitfluential Share on X

[linking up with Amanda for thinking out loud]

So tell me…

• What old food/exercise habits do you no longer follow?
• Do you think the fitness and diet industry are deliberately misleading? How so?