Nutrition is Like Surfing
Whether you're a surfer or not, we’ve all been in the impact zone. It’s where the waves break and turn into chaotic white water. If you stay there after catching a wave or wiping out (aka, falling off), you are at risk of getting injured and could potentially injure others. While slipping up on your nutrition may not cause severe injury to yourself or others, we can’t stay in the nutritional “impact zone” of continuously eating junk, under-eating, or saying “eff it!” When we eat highly palatable food.
I like to think that a flexible approach to nutrition is the building block for a good life. When you’re eating in a way that supports your body (fruits and veggies, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins) while leaving room for treats and special occasion meals, you can live a life without guilt or fear of foods That frees up so much mental space and energy to be the best version of yourself. If you’re constantly battling the impact zone of making choices that don’t align with your goals, you won’t get anywhere. You’ll just keep getting slammed by the next wave. However, just like if you were surfing, if you can stay calm, get to the surface, and then get back out to the lineup, you can go right back to feeling stoked and confident in the water.
When you slip up by making choices that don’t align with your goals, it’s not the end of the world! BUT you cannot stay in those choices, you have to do the next right thing. For instance, I love going out with my husband for food and drinks. Do I relax a bit on tracking my macros for those meals? Yes, because they’re a time to make memories with my husband. Do I let myself just go on a free-for-all and eat any high-caloric food that I want? No. I simply choose to eat what I would normally eat at my next meal. This practice allows me to be flexible with my nutrition while making progress toward my goals of performing well as an athlete.
Flexibility and doing the next right thing are two of the main pillars of a sustainable approach to nutrition. Sometimes, a wave won’t break like it looks like it should, and sometimes our nutrition doesn’t go according to plan. We just can’t stay in that impact zone and continue to be pummeled. We have to get up, shake it off, and do the next right thing to keep moving forward.