Running with love, eating with joy – Valentine’s Edition
With Valentine’s Day finally here, love and relationships are on everyone’s minds. So, for this week’s food for thought, it seemed fitting to focus on loving food and our relationship with it.
This may not relate to everyone and might seem like a “silly” concept to some, but for others, it can be really challenging — especially for runners and fitness enthusiasts. In fact, studies show that long-distance runners struggle the most with their relationship with food, which is why I felt it was so important to cover this topic this week.
It’s very easy to become wrapped up in the numbers — calories, macros, portion sizes — in the pursuit of perfect performance. So much so, that we forget food is meant to be enjoyed as part of life and social interaction. We gaze at the “perfect runner’s physique,” thinking that being “lighter will make us faster.”
In reality, there is no single “runner’s body,” and being lighter doesn’t automatically make you faster. Depriving yourself of food to shed weight won’t give you the energy you need to perform better or recover faster.
So, here are today’s tips to help shift your mindset and LOVE food without neglecting your training, this Valentine’s Day.
Food for Thought – Valentine’s Day
Find foods you enjoy
Make meals that you genuinely like. Yes, think about what will fuel you best for your runs, BUT… do you actually enjoy it? If not, what can you add to make it more enjoyable? Maybe your pasta is too plain — try adding sauce, extra seasonings, veggies, or cheese to make it tastier.
Don’t have strict rules
Cutting out certain foods usually does two things:
- You crave them even more, and
- When you finally eat them, you overdo it.
Find a balance. Allow yourself 2 biscuits a day if that’s what you want. No, 2 biscuits a day won’t make you slower. You’ll feel happier eating them, and they won’t be on your mind constantly. Since they’re always there, when you allow yourself to have them, you’re less likely to eat the whole pack. Instead of focusing on what you “can’t eat,” remove restrictions and focus on a well-balanced plate at each meal.
Ditch the scales
Strict sports performance nutrition may require initial weighing to understand energy intake. Take those first measurements to know roughly how much of each macronutrient you need for training. But constantly weighing food and focusing on numbers can worsen an unhealthy relationship with eating. If this feels familiar, step away from the scales. Over time, you’ll get a good sense of portion sizes and macro content without obsessing over numbers.
Focus on performance, not numbers
The numbers on a scale will never show how your performance is improving. Gaining weight could even make you faster — if it’s muscle! Focus on your training progress rather than the numbers on a scale.
Learn that the world won’t end if your food plan changes
A small change to a planned meal won’t make a huge difference in your training. Learning to go with the flow (easier said than done, I know) will significantly improve your relationship with food and your enjoyment of it.
I hope these tips help some of you improve your relationship with food during this week of love. Remember, if anyone is struggling, please reach out to a registered dietitian/nutritionist who can support you with your personal goals and relationship with food.
Happy Running!
