RYPT Mindset Corner: Calories
- Learning from setbacks / challenges
- Improve your mind; improve your health
As a new addition to the RYPT online blogging, I have decided that I will be looking at one idea of psychology each week and reviewing how it can help with your fitness.
During many of the RYPT blogs I make reference to psychology on and albeit shallow level.
This week: Calories
Calories have become a dreaded concept for people looking to lose weight and there is no discernible reason why this should be the case…if you know the facts.
Calories are viewed as instantly negative and this affects our perception of them: the truth is that we need energy to survive! If you don’t eat enough then basic body functions will begin to break down.
If you fail to consider your Basal Metabolic Rate (calories needed to function) plus adding on more for exercise, then you are destined for failure I’m afraid.
Calories are instantly what people look for on the food label, often regardless of actual nutritional value. This is setting you up to fail; good fats (as outlined in previous blogs) are naturally higher in calories anyway.
Have some perspective and don’t believe the hype around calorific values of food. Use a treat every now and again to spur you on. When used as a goal, a treat meal is perfect inspiration and ensures you don’t deviate too far from your goal.
I love a pizza as motivation for hard training but if factored in correctly these can assist your goals. Plan ahead and allow leeway for enjoyment.
It’s all about the balance of a planned routine. Failure to plan will lead to deviation from your health and fitness goals, so be careful!
I read lately that a treat meal should be once every 10–12 meals and this makes perfect sense but obviously there can be no cut and dry rule.
The counter side of this is that if you eat more “treat meals” than planned it can begin a slippery slope of “I’ll restart again next week” which inevitably never happens. It is approaching that time of the year again, which is why it’s better to start your New Year’s Resolutions now rather than when everyone is doing it and compounding the pressure on your success / perceived failure.
A healthy lifestyle comes from a concentrated end goal which is not so much the impact of a couple of treat meals but the impact of the overall outlook – so bear this in mind and remember that a few extra calories is not the end of the world!
We need calories and provided that you are sensible over the longer term you will succeed with your fitness goals (especially if you factor exercise into this plan too).
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Ross Yeoman
RYPT Owner
