Living and Eating Guilt Free

By Nike Training

Ditching guilt, anger and regret when you don't stick 100% to a plan is so important. You don't want eating a certain food to trigger negative feelings that send you on a downward spiral in the opposite direction of your goals. (Raise your hand if "I already ruined the day with these waffles, so I may as well have a burger and chips for dinner" sounds familiar.)

Instead of beating yourself up, spiralling or letting all of your hard work slip, try one of these strategies next time.

1. Pick one.
   You don't have to go overboard to feel like you've treated yourself. Try picking one splurge—a glass of wine, a piece of focaccia, a slice of chocolate cake—instead of all three. You'll feel like you got a treat, but you won't be totally derailing yourself.
2. Swap it out.
   If you know eating a giant stack of French toast will make you feel badly about your choices—or even yourself—for the rest of the day, maybe it's not worth it. Can you eat something that feels like an indulgence (avocado toast, maybe) but won't send you into a spiral?
3. Indulge and enjoy.
   Eat what you want, fully enjoy it and move on. If all you want is a doughnut, eat that doughnut with love and appreciation, and don't feel badly about it—just be glad you had it and then make healthier choices for the rest of the day.
   

In order to see long-term results, you have to start small and make some changes, rather than trying to overhaul everything at once by striving for perfection. Just like your movement and mindfulness takes practise, so does your relationship with food.