Am I A Good Girl?

"I've been really good today...." or "I was so bad over the weekend...."

 

What?  Are you really "bad" because of what you eat?  Does exercising make you good?  I know I've been guilty of this language myself, but I'm becoming increasingly aware of it and how weighted it is.  Do we really determine our personal worth by monitoring how we eat or move?  Unfortunately, I think that some people do.  I'm more than my physical appearance, food intake, and exercise (and I hope my blog reflects that, despite these being the primary themes here).  I try to refer to being "on plan" instead of being "good" because my focus is more on the behaviors rather than the subjective judgment of those behaviors.  It may seem like a word game of sorts, but it's amazing how the words we use can influence our perceptions and our feelings about things.  That's not to say that if I say the sky is hot pink often enough that I'll start to see it that way.  Rather that words take on the meaning that we give them, along with the associated tones and emotions.

It's much easier to maintain a positive mindset when I talk to myself in a positive (or at least non-negative) way.  Instead of saying I've been good, I say I'm proud of my being able to stay on-plan for the day.  Instead of saying I've been bad, I say I made choices that weren't on-plan - these choices may have been planned or impulsive, they may have been excessive or trivial.  Lumping it all together as "bad" is pointless, unless the point is to leave me feeling demoralized, guilty, and unmotivated.

When I hear about someone talking about how bad they've been, I'm tempted to ask if the police have been notified of this criminal behavior.  Should I make a citizen's arrest?

 

Food Log:

• Meal 1: 
• 3 egg whites
• 30g dry cream of rice (cooked in water)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Meal 2:
• 3oz chicken
• Pole beans
• 1/2c cooked rice
• Meal 3: 
• 0% flavored Chobani Greek Yogurt
• Meal 4: 
• 3 oz chicken
• Pole beans
• 1/2c cooked rice
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Meal 5: 
• 0% flavored Chobani Greek Yogurt
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Exercise:  

• Time:  70 minutes on elliptical
• Level:  Level 1 for 1 minute; Level 2 for 69 minutes
• Distance:  5.25+ miles
• Max HR: 159
• Avg HR: 132
• Avg Speed: 4.7mph
• Calories: 700

Weigh-In: 148.4 / 147.7